Moto3 are back in action this weekend at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal.

This rollercoaster of a circuit has it all. Uphill, downhill, fast bends ,slow corners and the famous Craig Jones Corner. All that with the usual action of Moto3 is a perfect recipe for a good weekend of action.

Hero of the previous round, Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie, Pedro Acosta will be looking to revisit the podium after winning the race from pitlane in Qatar. The young Spaniard tops the championship and will want to maintain that in Portimao. He has experience here, winning last year’s CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship race, so who knows what he can achieve this time out? His teammate, Jaume Masia will be after a better result this week after losing numerous positions on the last lap in Qatar, after a scrape with Gabriel Rodrigo last time out.

Petronas Sprinta Moto3 rider, John McPhee, will have to start from pitlane with a 10-second penalty in Portugal, after a scuffle in the Turn 1 run off with Jeremy Alcoba. He later apologised and said his actions were “out of character”, but that hasn’t reduced his sentence, so he has a long race ahead of him on Sunday. Alcoba has also been slapped with a pitlane start, but as he was on the receiving end of McPhee’s reaction, he only has a 5-second penalty. He was very strong here last year, finishing 3rd behind Raul Fernandez (now in Moto2) and Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia.

South African, Darryn Binder will be looking to get onto the top step this weekend after strong performances in the opening two rounds at Losail. He sits 2nd in the championship standings, after narrowly missing out on the win last time out.

Avinitia Esponsorama Moto3 rider Niccolo Antonelli will be looking to continue his strong form after getting on the box in Qatar in 3rd. He seems to have found his feet this year and is hopefully turning it round, after taking some flak over the last few seasons.
Rookies, GASGAS Gavlota Aspar Team rider Izan Guevara and Leopard Racing’s Xavier Artigas both showed promise in the first two rounds of the season, looking very aggressive. This week, the pair will be at a circuit where they have experience, from the CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship; maybe they can piece together something special and fight for podiums.

A couple more riders to look out for are Rivacold Snipers Team rider Andrea Migno, after his solid start to the year, and Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard went well at Portimao last year and has showed promise in the first couple of outings this year, although his result last time out doesn’t really reflect that. He can qualify well to get himself in contention for the first corner on Sunday.

We have another epic weekend of racing in store with Moto3 impossible to call again. Any of the 28 riders in the field could win it.

We kick off tomorrow with Free Practice 1 at 09:00 Local Time (GMT +1).

Feature Photo: MotoGP.com