Pedro Acosta who? 16-year old rookie Aldeguer stars with Moto2 pole
Fermin Aldeguer steals the spotlight from fellow 16-year old Spanish rookie Pedro Acosta by securing his first Moto2 pole position in Argentina
While much of the pre-season attention in Moto2 has been on KTM rookie Pedro Acosta, it was another teenage upstart that would steal the headlines on Saturday in the intermediate class.
Indeed, while he may not be as well known as his fellow Spaniard, Fermin Aldeguer is a name on the lips of manufacturers in the MotoGP class this weekend after he swept to a stunning pole position in Moto2.
Moreover, he - like the highly-rated Acosta - is only 16-years of age, but while Acosta has earned plaudits for his run to the Moto3 World Championship title in 2021, for Aldeguer this is in fact his first full season in the grand prix ranks altogether.
So where has he come from? Well, it may come as a surprise, but he is in fact a graduate of the MotoE World Cup, having competed last year with the Aspar team alongside a sporadic few Moto2 outings with Speed Up in place of the sacked Yari Montella.
Aldeguer does have Moto2 credits though, winning the CEV Repsol Moto2 series at the age of 15.
A confident first season on the tricky Energica Ego bikes delivered ninth in the overall standings, topped by a run to fourth in Austria from his first pole position.
He won’t be 16 for much longer - his 17th birthday is on Tuesday - but Aldeguer has certainly turned a few heads since his Moto2 debut in Mugello last year.
Scoring a best finish of seventh in Aragon as part of eight Moto2 starts in 2021, Aldeguer has started the year well, qualifying eighth in Qatar - before a turn one altercation, ironically with Acosta, dropped him back - and scored a seventh place finish in Indonesia.
However, he is well placed to do much better on his first visit to Argentina this weekend having topped FP1, FP2 and qualifying to land an impressive pole position aboard the Boscosuro chassis.
By contrast, Acosta - one of the pre-season title favourites among the MotoGP fraternity - is having a troubled start to life in Moto2, qualifying down in 17th in Argentina.
Could Aldeguer be the fresh faced teenage sensation MotoGP should be looking at?
To say I am a veteran of Crash Media Group, would be something of an understatement.
