MotoGP: Jack Miller tops opening day in Portugal

After a long wait, MotoGP™ was back in action for the Grande Prémio TISSOT de Portugal, and it was Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) that topped Day 1 of 2023. The Aussie smashed the lap record with a 1:37.746 to put himself ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and the reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).

After a short red flag stoppage due to technical issues at the circuit during the opening stages of the session, the riders headed back out on track to complete Practice 2. Cold tires caught out Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) and Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) early after the session was restarted. Both riders were up and ok, and back on track for the rest of the session.

As the clock ran down the times continued to tumble in Practice 2 for the Premier class. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) set a mid-session banker being the first rider to get below the lap record. With the pace set, the rest of the grid chased down the Spaniard’s lap time. The riders were pushing hard, including the 2022 MotoGP™ World Champion Bagnaia, who had a high-speed moment onboard his factory Ducati, saving it heroically on his elbow as he hurtled through the fast-flowing final corner.

15 minutes left to go of the session, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) went top of the session just before a big crash for Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) brought out the red flags once again.