GREAT RACE FOR JOE ROBERTS!
Joe Roberts made his debut in the World Championship with the AGR with a 10th place at Brno. Maria Herrera was not able to complete the first lap
Moto2
The Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team rider, Joe Roberts, battled to finish 10th at the Brno circuit after a race that was reduced from 20 to 13 laps due to the rain. The Moto2 race started with the tarmac dry but was stopped by a red flag in the 7th lap because of the rain. Joe, after a great start in which he gained 7 places, had only won three (28th) from his grid position. The race restart took place a few minutes after for 6 laps instead of the 13 that would have been done under normal conditions. The teams had to work at record speed to prepare the bikes.
A wet race gave Joe a good chance to score points; he had been 14th on Friday with the wet tarmac. And he offered a great performance. 5 laps from the end, he won 10 places, two more after another lap; 3 laps from the end he gained two more and caught up with the group where the leader of the championship was, and in the last lap, he was able to cross the Finish Line in tenth. A great way to make his debut. We need to keep our feet on the ground, but he and the Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team deserve to enjoy the moment.
Joe Roberts #20 @joeroberts2727 / Kalex Moto2 / 10th: “This top 10 on wet tarmac was so exciting! I knew since the FP1 that I felt well on water. The warm up went well and when the race started I did some good overtaking on the first corner. I focused on not making mistakes and be soft and not too aggressive. It’s very exciting and I’m very happy, thanks a lot to the team for their job. On dry we still need to work, but we’ve shown our potential. Let’s see if we can improve in Austria”.
The Moto2 race at Brno.
Moto2 overall standings after Brno.
Moto3
María Herrera, the Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team rider in Moto3, was not able to complete a good weekend due to another rider that pushed her to the ground at the beginning of the competition. The positive part is that the rider from Toledo was not injured and she’ll be ready to compete next Sunday in Austria. The Brno race was won by our countryman Joan Mir, who dedicated it to Ángel Nieto and his family. By the way, the Jerez City Hall will propose to name the circuit 12+1. Who would oppose that? We celebrate it.
María Herrera #6 @MariiaHerrera_6 / KTM Moto3 / DNF: “We need to keep fighting. I went out to the warm up determined to fight. I felt well, strong. On dry I felt very well for the race, but it was on wet tarmac and it made it a lottery, although I did feel comfortable from the beginning. Danilo pushed me and I couldn’t do anything. Thanks to the team, this weekend I felt that the KTM is starting to work for me”.
The Moto3 race at Brno.
Moto3 overall standings after Brno.
The MotoGP World Championship will continue next weekend in Austria. The Spielberg Circuit, property of an energy drink businessman, will wait for us with its modern and brand-new facilities. The AGR will spend a few more hours enjoying our Moto2 result and cheering Maria up and will arrive in full shape for the eleventh round of the year.
More, from a press release issued by Tech 3:
Rapid Vierge powers to 5th in Czech GP – Impressive Gardner snatches 9th
Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge produced a remarkable performance to complete the dramatic Czech Grand Prix in 5th, which equals his best finish in the Moto2 class. The young Spaniard charged forward when the lights went out and moved up eight positions on the first lap. Vierge continued his climb, however, the red flags were issued at just before the midway point due to rain. As a result, the race distance was reduced to six laps and when it restarted, Vierge continued his hard work. He battled furiously in the ultra competitive group before meeting the chequered flag in 5th, which marks a fantastic comeback after missing the two previous Grand Prix’s due to injury.
Meanwhile, Remy Gardner sealed his best result in the intermediate class as he notably finished the sprint in 9th. The young gun kicked off the fight from the ninth row of the grid and after a positive start, he was running in 23rd before the race was stopped. When the frantic six lap dash commenced, Gardner took advantage and stuck into a superb rhythm as he aggressively moved through the field. His determination paid off and he sped across the finish line in 9th, after starting the Grand Prix from 26th on the grid.
Xavi Vierge
Position: 5th – Championship: 10th – Points: 51
“I am happy with today and very pleased with my comeback. Yesterday was tough, yet in the warm up this morning, I may have only completed one lap before it started raining, but I knew that the bike felt great. When the race started, the track was not in the best condition due to the wet patches, however, I had a really strong start and I began to ride fast and also quicker than yesterday in qualifying, which was positive. Unfortunately, the GP was stopped because of the rain, so after that, we had a six lap sprint. Here, I lost a lot of positions when it began, but I got back up the field. When I reached 5th, I tried to push to get on the podium but it was impossible to catch the riders in front. I could keep the gap the same but I just couldn’t close in on them. Anyway, 5th today and 10th in the championship is great, so thanks to Dr Mir, all of the medical staff who have helped me and everyone at the Clinica Mobile who have aided me with my hand. I also have to say thank you to the Tech3 team for their fantastic work.”
Remy Gardner
Position: 9th – Championship: 21st – Points: 13
“It was a very positive day and we really turned it around from yesterday but even though it was a bit unexpected, I am delighted to get my best result in the Moto2 class. We were lucky that the race got red flagged and the rain came because I was strong and I played it smart. I was waiting for everyone to fight with each other and when they did, I got through on the inside and managed to overtake two riders at a time so I gained places fast. I used my head, tried to keep cool and I finished right behind Morbidelli, but I didn’t want to risk anything with the championship leader so I played it safe behind him! I’m extremely happy but we’ve got a bit more work to do, however, we will come back in Austria and hopefully, we can have another good result.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager
“It was an incredible weekend altogether for the Tech3 Racing Team. There was a lot of disappointment and sadness on Friday when we heard that Xavi will officially embark on a new adventure next year. Of course, we wish him luck for this, but you can imagine that everyone here was sad because Xavi is part of our team and our family. However, to reward us, and after coming back from a serious hand injury, he finished third in the wet FP1 and dry FP2 practice sessions on Friday. Therefore, we knew that he was back to his full potential after the tricky time that he has had following the crash in Assen. Today he was just amazing. Qualifying was not easy for him yesterday and he began from quite far back, but he had a strong start and fast pace and he was running in 8th when the red flag was issued. His restart was not ideal in the second race but he showed great determination to equal his best finish in Moto2. I would like to thank him a lot and also congratulate him. We know how hard he was trying to recover, and no matter what happens in the future, we are very proud of him and he has helped to write some important chapters in the Tech3 history books. I am also really happy with Remy Gardner because the short six lap race gave him the chance to shine. I hope this result and his performance shows the light at the end of the tunnel for him after the injury that he sustained in Argentina. He worked really hard with a lot of pain in the last few GP’s but today he was only a few metres behind the championship leader at the end, so we are very proud of what he did. To have both riders inside the top nine is a great achievement and let’s hope this is going to boost the spirit of the team and we will start FP1 in Austria on a positive note.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Márquez masters wet track for brave Brno podium
A masterful wet track performance in a chaotic Moto2 race delivered Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Álex Márquez a superb second place podium at Brno today.
The rain interrupted Czech Grand Prix was decided over a frantic six lap dash that produced a dramatic contest for the tenth round of the Moto2 World Championship.
With light rain falling Márquez dashed from fifth on the second row of the grid to settle in second place, which he controlled all the way behind race winner Tom Lüthi.
It was a brave performance with Márquez still recovering from a neck injury suffered when he crashed out of the previous race in Germany. The Spanish star dedicated his podium to countryman Angel Nieto, the legendary 12+1 World Champion who passed away last Thursday.
The weather conditions conspired to spoil the race winning chances of Franco Morbidelli, who was leading the initial dry track race when it was red flagged on lap eight because of rain.
Race officials declared the restart for the Czech GP would be six laps over a distance of just 32.4kms.
But Morbidelli could not reproduce his fast wet track pace from Friday practice and was forced to fight for eighth place as he dropped back into the frantic fight of the chasing pack.
Morbidelli continues to lead the championships on 182 points, now 17 points clear of Lüthi with Márquez third on 133 points.
Álex Márquez: 2nd
“I feel really good to get this podium after my injuries in the previous race in Germany and then a difficult period in the summer break. I tried to go for the win for Ángel Nieto but today Tom Lüthi was too good. But I want to dedicate this podium to Nieto – the Maestro – and I will never forget him, he was a true legend of motorcycle racing.”
Franco Morbidelli: 8th
“I was struggling on the wet track, wasn’t that fast and got swallowed up by the group in the opening laps and the race was big fight for positions. I had to work really hard to get this eighth position; many hard battles and I risked a lot and nearly crashed a couple of times. But I’m happy to get some points and still lead the championship. Now we have to understand why I wasn’t fast today, I didn’t expect this after being strong in the rain on Friday.”
Michael Bartholemy – Team Principal
“I have mixed emotions after this result. I am very happy for Álex and this second place, which puts him back in third place in the championship and he can go to the next race in Austria with a lot of confidence. But for Franco it was shame to be leading the race in the dry when the red flag came out and then lose valuable points in the restarted race. Now it is important we go to Austria and go for a good result to maintain the lead in the championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Remy Gardner’s publicist:
Remy Sails To Career Best 9th At Czech GP
The tenth round of the Moto2 World Championship took place earlier today at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic with Remy Gardner securing a placed finish in a two part race, stopped initially because of rain. The undulating 5.4km circuit has traditionally been the venue used for the first race after the summer break, and confidence was high ahead of today’s 20 lap race.
A wet and dry session on Friday provided valuable set-up time with the #87 eventually qualifying 26th after a frustrating grid deciding session saw him fail to match his lap time from the combined Free Practices.
With the threat of rain lingering overhead this morning, the race began dry with Remy immediately moving forward five positions on the opening lap. Settling into a rhythm, Gardner was making further progress when the heavens opened and after several riders fell causing the race to be red flagged.
After a short delay the race was restarted for a six lap ‘sprint’ with grid positions based on the overall standings at the end of lap 7 meaning Remy would line up 22nd.
A six lap race means it’s full attack from lights out and Remy didn’t disappoint, threading his Tech3 Mistral 610 through the field as in the first encounter to end lap one 17th.
Seemingly on rails, Gardner was soon inside the top 15 and by half race distance was in the fight for tenth.
Side by side action on the final lap saw him take the flag a fraction of a second behind the world championship leader to claim his best ever World Championship finish, a result that will surely give him a confidence boost enabling him to end the season on a high.
Remy Gardner – 9th: “A small crash in FP1 wasn’t the way I wanted to return from the summer break but it was good to be back on the bike nevertheless. FP2 I struggled a little with the front feeling but the team and I worked hard and all in all it wasn’t too bad. FP3 was good and we made a big step but in qualifying I had no grip, and was a second slower than I went earlier in the day meaning 26th on the grid. Today was positive. I gained places in both starts but in the restart I felt much stronger from the get go and used my head to get my best ever GP finish. I crossed the line just behind Morbidelli who is leading the championship but we still have work to do. I’m extremely happy and already looking forward to getting back on my Tech3 Mistral in Austria next week. Thanks to all my team and to everyone who is supporting me.”
Round 11 takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria next weekend.
More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2:
MORE POINTS FOR NAVARRO IN CZECH REPUBLIC
Jorge Navarro continues with his streak of positive results by finishing in 11th place, on board his Kalex #9 machine, in a surely not easy Moto2race at the Automotodrom Brno in Czech Republic.
After qualifying with a superb fifth place – only 0.131s away from pole – the expectations on Navarro’s race performance were as high as ever: weather conditions, however, did not allow for a smooth encounter, as the race was stopped after 8 laps due to rain and then restarted with a new print encounter of only six laps. On such short distance, Navarro did a good job in staying upright and add a handful of points to his rookie season tally.
With today’s performance, the 21-year-old rider of Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 moves up another place and he is now 14th – with 39 points under his belt. No time to rest, however, as the Austrian GP is already around the corner.
11th – JORGE NAVARRO #9
“it’s been a crazy day for sure: the track was still damp in few places after the first start so I chose not to take too many risks in the first laps. At the restart, instead, it was hard to get a feeling to the wet set-up and track in such a short amount of laps. I’m still happy with how the weekend has gone, though, because yesterday we were really close to the first row while this morning we were fastest in the warm up. We did all we could in the race and scored some important points. It feels good to be back from summer break with this type of form.”
More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:
Marini storms to furious fourth in Brno to celebrate best career result
The Czech GP was a thrilling affair for Forward Racing Team’s Luca Marini and Lorenzo Baldassarri, as well as for the entire Moto2 World Championship. Thereby, Marini was able to master the changing conditions perfectly to conquer fourth position, while Baldassarri grit his teeth during his comeback.
The weather played an important role in today’s proceedings as some rain during warm up in the morning reshuffled the highly competitive field, yet the asphalt dried out again for the beginning of the race. However, after just 7 laps the rain began to fall again above the 5.403-kilometer track, which forced the competition to be interrupted with 13 laps to go, before the race got restarted with a shortened distance of 6 laps.
Marini, who launched his fantastic battle from the third row quickly found himself in a hard fight for seventh. At the time the race got red flagged, he was in ninth, which was also the place he had to occupy at the start of the final sprint. Lap by lap the 19-year old recovered positions and even passed Francesco Bagnaia in lap three on the outside to conquer fourth, which he bravely defended until the chequered flag in order to bring home his career best result on the world championship scene.
Meanwhile Baldassarri did his best to overcome the pain caused by a broken ankle he sustained at the Dutch GP. Opening the tenth round of the season from 19th on the grid he got involved in a hardly contested clash and had to restart the race from 23nd position. Already in course of the first lap he was able to regain two places with a good feeling in wet conditions. With a final effort, he crossed the line in 18th with growing confidence on his way to the next Grand Prix.
In just five days’ time both Forward Racing Team protagonists get the chance to be back on track for important Championship points when the whole circus is settling over to Spielberg, Austria.
Luca Marini – 4th (+9.190)
“First of all, I have to say, that I’m really happy about this result. It was not too easy to regain the positive feeling after the red flag and the restart, but I quickly felt truly good on the bike. I saw that the other riders had slightly more difficulties to find their rhythm in the wet conditions, so I tried to attack at the beginning of this sprint race, thereby I found my way up to fourth position. Afterwards I tried to close the gap to Oliveira, but I couldn’t catch him anymore. I’m very satisfied, especially because fourth place is my best career result until now, which is really important for me. It’s the ideal way to restart the season after the holidays.”
Lorenzo Baldassarri – 18th (+25.607)
“Overall, it was a strange weekend. The conditions were truly odd today, but anyway the race itself – especially the second part – was nice. In the dry I started well inside a good group, but the feeling was not great and I had to risk quite a lot, so I tried to make up for it on the break, but with these maneuvers I lost the group and was just fighting behind. In the rain, I really enjoyed myself. I had a good rhythm, but it was not easy, as I had a lot of riders to pass and I was still not very strong in the breaking points. It was good fun anyway and a relief to be back. Now I try to recover even more and continue my work next week, which was quite good, although I was not at 100 percent physically.”
Giovanni Cuzari – Team Owner
“This was an incredibly exciting race today and I’m proud of both, Luca and Lorenzo as well as our entire crew. Luca played his cards well in this short-wet race, he rode very clever and showed a strong display to first gain positions and later when the rain got heavier, he safely brought his fantastic position home. On the other side, Lorenzo was intelligent to not force anything, but to give his best in order to regain his feeling on the bike, especially in these tricky conditions. I’m sure he’ll be back to full fitness and show his strong performance very soon. Together with our sponsors, which I’m truly grateful for their support, we can now look forward to a marvelous second half of this season.”