Tetsuta Nagashima takes two podiums at Portimao

where the Ajo Academy rider finished second and third in the two races held at the Portuguese track in the Moto2 European Championship. A haul of 36 further points for his overall tally keeps the Japanese in the fight for second place in the series, with Steven Odendall having been crowned champion this weekend. On Saturday, in QP1, Nagashima set a good pace and worked on setting up his Kalex, achieving the second best time of the session with a 1:45.973 lap. He was just 0.1 off topping the timesheets. In the second qualifying session, he clocked a 1:45.602 that would allow him to start from pole for the second time this season. The Autodromo do Algarve hosted two intense duels for victory in the two races held on Sunday. In the first Nagashima escaped along with Odendaal, taking the lead on the sixth lap. The Ajo Academy rider maintained the spot until almost the final straight, where he was overtaken to miss out on the win by less than 1 tenth of a second. In the second race the pair were joined by Alan Techer in the fight for victory. Despite leading in the initial stages, Nagashima placed third after after an overtaking exchange with his rivals. Nagashima now has 121 points in total, lying third in the Moto2 European Championship just 3 behind second-placed Techer. The FIM CEV returns to Spain on October 2 for its seventh round, held at the Jerez circuit.


TEXT,PHOTO:Ajo Motorsport Academy