British podium for Rabat, career best for Márquez
Silverstone, Great Britain: Silverstone marked the best result for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in Moto2 this year, with Tito Rabat and Álex Márquez finishing in the top four at the British Grand Prix.
A morning rain shower left treacherous conditions at Silverstone but Rabat took the lead on the opening lap from fourth on the grid. However, the race rapidly evolved into a six-rider scrap at the front. Rabat, the reigning Moto2 World Champion made a robust overtaking move on Johann Zarco but ultimately the Frenchman was able to break away from the group, leaving the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders to fight for the remaining rostrum places with Álex Rins.
With a dry line rapidly developing the wet tyres overheated in the second half of the 18-lap race and it left Rabat and Márquez fighting with one another for third. At the flag it was Rabat who claimed the honours, but it was a hugely impressive and mature ride from Márquez.
The reigning Moto3 World Champion has slowly been gaining momentum through the season with his increasing experience of the Moto2 machine. With such difficult conditions today it was a mark of the young Spaniard’s talent that he was able to pick his way through the group and fight with his teammate. At the flag it was a career best result for Márquez in fourth.
Tito Rabat: 3rd
“I’m happy because yesterday I had a very bad crash and it was lucky that nothing was broken. In this morning’s warm-up I had a very good feeling but in the race, once the track started to dry, I thought it was a little bit dangerous with the drying line and it was difficult to get feedback from the bike. In these conditions Johann has always been good and Álex was pushing a lot and has been performing well this weekend. Today I enjoyed the race and I only made one mistake, when the front tyre closed at the chicane when I was trying to pass Rins. After that I pushed as hard as I could on the last lap for third. I’m happy with the work that the team are doing and we can now look forward to Misano.”
Álex Márquez: 4th
“The conditions were really difficult and the most important thing was to finish the race. In the beginning of the race I felt really good but when the track began to dry I started to struggle a little bit. We knew from the test in Jerez that we needed to improve in these conditions and to keep pushing. But in the race the podium was close so we need to keep at this level. We’ll go to Aragon for a test to make some of our setup ideas clearer but our level is good now.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Both riders were fast in the dry on Friday and Saturday, but the conditions were completely different today at Silverstone. There was no option but to start the race on wet tyres, which meant both riders had to manage the tyres as the track started to dry out. Both Tito and Alex did a great job just to finish the race, never mind come home in third and fourth. It was a great battle on track and a great result for the team.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Smith powers through the rain to finish 7th at Silverstone
Bradley Smith undertook a solid effort as he battled the wet conditions at the Silverstone track to finish his home Grand Prix in 7th position. The 20 lap race began in chaotic conditions, as after the race was declared dry, rain started to fall on the warm up lap which caused the start to be stopped due to a red flag being shown. All riders switched to their wet bikes and when the GP began, Smith jumped forward as the lights went out and pushed to remain with the factory MotoGP riders. At the close of the first lap, the 24 year old was running in 6th position however, one lap later he was shuffled back to 9th. Nevertheless, the young Briton remained focused and moved up two places at the close of the third lap. He was firmly in his race rhythm as he aimed to continue his climb, but he was overtaken by his teammate at the midpoint of the race and bumped back to 8th. Yet, Smith carried on fighting and with the five laps remaining, he was running in 7th position. He continued his work and after guiding his Yamaha YZR-M1 around the slippery 5.9 kilometre Silverstone circuit, he sped across the finish line in the same position.
Meanwhile on the opposite side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Pol Espargaro suffered bad luck despite a fearless effort as he fell on the 15th lap at the British Grand Prix. The young Spaniard undertook a rocket start and muscled his way up one place to finish the first lap in 4th and running right with the factory MotoGP bikes. However, he then unfortunately slipped back to 10th on the 4th lap after making contact with another rider which caused him to run off the track. Yet, he remained focused and brilliantly powered onwards as he climbed back through the field after riding at a notable pace. He jumped past his teammate to clinch 7th on lap 10, yet his luck ran out and he fell at the third corner with less than a quarter of the race distance left to run. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion will now seek to bounce back with a strong finish at Misano in a fortnight’s time.
Bradley Smith
Position : 7th Championship : 6th Points : 115
“I have to be quite pleased with the end result as the conditions were far from ideal out there today but I did my best. I was a bit nervous on the grid about riding in the damp conditions as last year we struggled when it was wet, but we’ve improved the bike by more than 100% in terms of performance. Here, I was on average about 1.2 seconds a lap slower than the fastest guy, whereas in Aragon last year we were further behind in terms of times, so the team have done a fantastic job in giving me a bike that I can ride more confidently in the wet. I gave my absolute all to stay with the second group in order to try to fight for a podium, but at the end of the day they just had a bit more speed than me. So, I aimed to not make any mistakes and be as consistent as possible. I tried to hold off Redding in the final laps, as I really wanted to get the top six, but unfortunately he was too strong for me today. So overall, it’s a damage limitation in a way as we did the best that we could, yet I am now behind Dovizioso by 5 points in the championship standings. Therefore, it was not an ideal day, but not terrible at all either. I want to say thanks to all my fans who came out to cheer for me today and next up for us is Misano in two week’s time.”
Pol Espargaro
Position : DNF Championship : 9th Points : 81
“It was a game of two halves as on one hand I am pleased with my performance yet at the same time I am disappointed because of the crash but we still need to look at the positives. I started the race well and I was running near the front as my rhythm was good and I was able to follow Jorge quite easily. I felt I was faster than him and I tried to overtake, but as this happened, I thought there was a chance that he could cut back across, as he ran wide. Therefore, I didn’t want to cause a collision as he is a factory Yamaha rider fighting for the championship, so I took evasive action to avoid touching him. As a result, I lost several positions and a lot of time. After that, I was behind my brother and I had to refocus plus concentrate again. I made up the time to Aleix and passed him as well as my teammate but as soon as I had opened up quite a significant gap to them, I made a mistake. I unfortunately lost the rear in the entry to the third corner which prevented me from finishing the race. Despite this, we have to take the positives of the weekend because we’ve made some really good progress, besides the crash, and we will take this momentum with us to the next race.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :
“In all honesty, I am quite happy it is over! The weekend has been really intense and both guys did their best as they fought against the tricky conditions. We were very proud and happy to qualify on the second row yet we knew that the weather forecast was not great for today. However, in this morning’s warm up, the results were quite encouraging and Brad and Pol both had a good pace in the damp conditions, Pol in particular. The start of the race was a bit chaotic with the red flag being shown at the very last minute, yet when the show finally started it was in full wet conditions. Pol had an incredible start and was really fast in the first few laps. However, he was unfortunate as he made contact with another rider and ran wide which is a real pity as I think he had the pace to have a great result this weekend. He re-joined the second group where Brad was and recovered quickly but on lap 15 he fell. It was a shame as he hasn’t ridden many MotoGP races in the wet and there could have been a good finish today. Nevertheless, we are proud of him and he is clearly back to his true speed. As for Bradley, he has been promising in the dry this weekend but it was a challenging race for him today and the most important thing is that he brought the bike home and collected another good set of points. Although he lost 5th position to Dovizioso in the championship standings it was still a positive weekend for him. Up next is Misano where we hope for some great sunshine and blue skies.”
More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:
Difficult race for Forward Racing at Silverstone
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone ended in the pouring rain for the riders of the Forward Racing team. Loris Baz and Claudio Corti in fact, after a race with difficult weather conditions, crossed the line in 16th and 18th place respectively.
After an excellent pole position yesterday, Baz struggled to find the right feeling with the wet setting and was forced to give up some positions just after the start. The Frenchman, who started in 15th position, passed under the checkered flag in 16th place after 20 laps, less than two seconds from the points-zone.
Little feeling with the wet set-up also for Claudio Corti, 18th on the finish line and on his maiden race in these conditions with Yamaha Forward. The Italian, 23rd on the grid, after a good start began to lose rear grip and was forced to raise his pace.
Loris Baz:
“After the great pole yesterday, it was not the race that I imagined. For the first time since the Qatar test I found myself lapping in wet conditions with a setting that I knew little and I have not had a chance get used to. At the beginning the feeling was good so I was able to stay in the group of the other Open but when the tires started to wear I had to slow down my pace and give way to my opponents”.
Stefan Bradl:
“It was a difficult race, affected by the weather. I never had the opportunity to ride the Yamaha Forward on a wet track and it was not easy to race with a completely new setup. I was missing rear grip and this prevented me to push as much as I wanted. We will have to exploit the data gathered today and continue to work in this direction for the next races”.
More, from another press release issued by Forward Racing:
Bitter race at Silverstone for Corsi and Baldassarri
It was a race uphill the one that has just ended at Silverstone for the riders of the Forward Racing team. After a good performance in qualifying, the weather and occasional rain affected the performance of the riders of the Swiss team who were both forced to retire five laps from the checkered flag.
Baldassari, who was starting from the third row in eighth place, after getting close to the strongest in the early laps, began to lose feeling and was forced to give up some positions when the tarmac started to dry up. Unfortunately, he made a small mistake five laps from the end of the race and was unable to rejoin.
Similar fate for Simone Corsi, 15th at the start. The Roman began to lose confidence after a good start and was forced to retire after a minor fall.
Simone Corsi:
“It was really a difficult race. I had a good start at the beginning but after a few laps the track started to dry and the tires started to lose grip. I lost feeling on the rear, I made a small error and with a track in these conditions I found myself on the ground”.
Lorenzo Baldassarri:
“I’m really sorry for the epilogue of the race. I started well but I lost some position to some riders behind me. In these conditions, I decided to go for a smart race to score some points. Unfortunately, five laps from the end, I made a small mistake and I was forced to retire”.
More, from a press release issued by DRIVE M7 SIC Racing:
SUPERB PODIUM FINISH FOR KORNFEIL; KHAIRUDDIN CLAIMS POINTS AT SILVERSTONE
Northamptonshire, Great Britain – Sunday 30th August
Circuit: Silverstone
Circuit Length: 5.9 km
In treacherous conditions Jakub Kornfeil rode a heroic race to claim the DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team’s first podium in their debut year.
Making an impressive start the Czech rider launched himself into third place on the opening lap. Despite being ran off track on the second lap he remained focused and calm, building his pace and retaining his position. A crash from Vinales saw Kornfeil elevated to second place, where the 22 year old worked hard to remain until the chequered flag.
Teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin had a tough start to his British Grand Prix but riding a smart race in tricky conditions, the Malaysian rider worked hard to chip his way through the field, claiming fourteenth place across the line and adding more points to his Championship position.
Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager
“It’s a great day; this is what everyone is working for and it’s a podium I think we all deserve in this team. We have been working so hard from the beginning and we have somehow been unlucky in a few races, so this is a great result! The conditions out there today were very difficult and Jakub did a fantastic job to keep his cool throughout the race. He made a great start going from thirteenth to third in the first lap. Then going to second place and seeing the guys behind close in on him, was very hard for him but he stayed focussed and really showed his strength. He did a great job and I’m so happy for him and everybody in the team. Our target this year was to get a podium, so we’re all super happy. For Fahmi it was a tough race but in the end he scored two points which is fantastic, so today is a good day. Thank you to everybody in the team, Razlan and everyone from SIC who are here supporting us, as well as DRIVE M7 and all our sponsors. Now we will enjoy this moment.”
#63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin – P14
“I’m really happy to have finished the race in such difficult conditions. Normally I enjoy riding in the rain a lot but it was quite tough to stay on the bike today. To keep the rhythm was hard because I saw so many riders fall in front of me; I was trying to be a little careful but still I finished fourteenth, which is really good for me, to be back in the points, so I’m happy for this. Congratulations to Jakub for making a fantastic race and taking the first podium for the team. This result today has really encouraged the whole team to keep improving, so I’m looking forward to the next race.”
#84 Jakub Kornfeil – P2
“My first podium in the World Championship; it feels so great! I didn’t expect this result when I first came here, I just wanted to continue the progress that we made in Brno and try to do better. It wasn’t until during the weekend that I really started to think about what I could achieve here. I felt so confident in the dry with the set-up that we had and then even after warm up in the wet I was fast also. At the start of the race I was just trying to keep my head down, focus on doing what I know and using my experience because in these conditions the smallest mistake can cause you to crash. I was checking the riders behind me and checking my lap time throughout. My target throughout was to stay focused and concentrate on my riding. After six years it really is incredible. I’m so happy for the team, the sponsors and my family and I want to say a big thanks to them all for supporting me throughout the good and bad times.”
More, from a press release issued by San Carlo Team Italia:
2015 Moto3 World Championship
Octo British Grand Prix
Silverstone Circuit (United Kingdom)
August 28-30, 2015
Moto3 – Bad luck hits San Carlo Team Italia at Silverstone
A potential good result for Manzi and Ferrari fades due to a series of unfortunate events.
The rain and several events were the main protagonists of Moto3 class at Silverstone. With Danny Kent (Honda), winner of an incredible race with a “product” of Team Italia as Niccolò Antonelli who reached again the podium after the victory of Brno, the riders of San Carlo Team Italia were protagonist of a series of unfortunate events that compromised a potential good result.
Always competitive in conditions of lack of adherence, Stefano Manzi was protagonist of an attack race enough to reach the 10th position at the turning point of the race. At that point, a crash forced him to move back but still near points, and he fell again while trying to make up ground, so he had to come back to the garage at just few laps to the end of the race. The race of Matteo Ferrari actually never started, since he was touched by a local wild card and he wasn’t able to go back on his Mahindra MGP3O #12.
For San Carlo Team Italia the next engagement is in Misano Adriatico (11th-13th September), but not before celebrating the excellent place in today’s Motogp race of Danilo Petrucci, who was 2nd, completing an all-Italian top-3 with Valentino Rossi (1st) and Andrea Dovizioso (3rd). Before making his debut in MotoGP in 2012, “Petrux” was a rider of Team Italia, and he won the 2011 Superstock 1000 Italian Championship and was runner-up in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup with several podiums and victories to be highlighted.
Stefano Manzi (San Carlo Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O #29) DNF
“It was a crazy race and unfortunately we paid the penalty. The team worked perfectly, today I had a great bike in order to do well in wet conditions. The feeling was good since the first laps, and the fact that I was able to reach the 10th position, proves it. Unfortunately when it was getting good, I crashed: I didn’t give up and I did my best to get a good result on the bike, but I crashed again at the first turn. Suddenly I lost the back of the bike, in that moment the rain was falling intensely. It was a pity since it could have been a great day for all of us, but I am sure that we can improve in Misano.”
Matteo Ferrari (San Carlo Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O #12) DNF
“In wet conditions we have always been competitive and today we could have reached an important result. Unfortunately, on the first lap Taylor made a mistake and Rodrigo and me crashed out. My race finished in that moment: I tried to start again, but because of this crash the front brake was blocked and it was not possible to continue the race. It was not our fault, but a great opportunity to get a good result faded: we only missed a little of luck.”
Cristiano Migliorati (Sports Manager – San Carlo Team Italia Moto3)
“It could have been a great day for us, but we lived a nightmare. Our riders are fast in wet conditions, but as always, in this particular conditions, you can get a lot as easily as you can get nothing. Manzi gave his best and before his two crashes, he was even in 10th place; Ferrari instead was touched by another rider on the first lap. It was an unlucky day, now we have to think of Misano and to continue to give our best in order to achieve results in line with our potential.”
More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing:
Rain king West scores seventh place in the wet – Simon misses out on points
QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West showed his legendary skills in treacherous conditions at the wet Silverstone Grand Prix, when he pushed his Speed Up bike to seventh place right behind local hero and fellow Speed Up rider Sam Lowes. The 34-year-old Australian started from 22nd place on the grid, but was well within the point rankings in the opening lap and continued to battle his way through the field, braking into the Top Ten of the Moto2 field after only seven of 18 laps. A small technical issue with his right footpeg slowed him a little by mid-race, but once West found a way of riding around the problem, he continued to attack, swapped place with Lowes several times and made a masterful move on Sandro Cortese on the last lap, when he passed his German rival on the outside to secure his best result since the second round of the season in Texas, where he also scored seventh place.
Teammate Julian Simon, who had ridden to an impressive fifth place in the wet warm-up session on Sunday morning, ran into unexpected difficulties in the race. Even though the track conditions with a wet tarmac and a light drizzle were very similar to the morning session, there was no way for the Spaniard to repeat his strong lap times. After two promising opening laps, he started to struggle with a lack of grip. He dropped back all the way to 25th position. Even though he managed to recover in the second part of the race, he couldn’t achieve more than 18th place and missed out on world championship points.
Anthony West – 7th place
“I am happy with the result, much happier than in the recent races! I definitely needed this result. I had string of bad ones and it’s been a while since I’ve been where I finished today. The only disappointment is the fact that my right footpeg cracked halfway through the race. I was just getting a good rhythm and I was catching Lowes quite fast, I felt good and I think if the footpeg hadn’t broken I would have been able to pass and even get away from him. I would possibly even have caught the guy in front of him. When it broke, I thought it was coming right off and it destroyed my rhythm. I couldn’t use the rear brake because I couldn’t stand on the peg any more. It took me about three laps checking it, during which I didn’t touch the footpeg at all, then I started to put a little bit of pressure on it and luckily it didn’t brake off. I was able to ride on, but not at a 100 per cent, because the more I pressed on the peg, the more it would dig into the swingarm. You could feel it vibrating and it didn’t feel good. But I am happy that we finished strong, about the points and about the fact that I was able to give the guys a result for the good work they’ve been doing. The last lap with Cortese was interesting because I struggled a bit with grip and he got by me. I then went for a big move on the outside, which is normally not a good idea, but I thought I would maybe be able to pull it off and I did. He almost got me back coming on to the line because I was completely sideways out of the last corner. It was fun and I still beat him, so I’m happy!”
Julian Simon – 18th place
“I am sorry for the team. I don’t understand what happened at the beginning of the race, because this morning in the warm-up, I was very fast in similar conditions. I rode in the 2.27’s easily and I was in fifth place in that session. But in the opening laps of the race, it was impossible for me to go faster than 2.30 minutes per lap and I really don’t understand why. The only explanation I have is that there was something with the tyre, because to go that slow was certainly not normal. Towards the end of the race, I was a little bit better, but all in all, it was a very disappointing race. Normally, I am fast in rainy conditions and today I should have been in the top five. Now, I will focus on the next race at Misano. I hope we can get a good result there!”
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
KTM RIDER JAKUB KORNFEIL FINISHES SECOND AT SILVERSTONE
KTM rider Jakub Kornfeil of the Czech Republic was the top KTM rider at the end of a very difficult round 12 of the Moto3 World Championship at the British circuit of Silverstone. After two days of practice and qualifying in the dry, the heavens opened and riders were confronted with what were the wettest conditions so far this season.
But while Kornfeil was able to celebrate with his team it was a difficult day for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders in a race that was essentially a lottery and where 15 riders fell victim to the wet track conditions. Miguel Oliveira managed to pick up three points for a cautious thirteenth place but teammates Karel Hanika and Brad Binder both crashed out multiple times when fighting for the top positions.
It was particularly disappointing for the team’s Czech rider Hanika who had his best qualifier and was second on the grid. Hanika got away to a flying start but his race was cut short at turn three, the same corner that was to catch teammate Brad Binder out several laps later. Both riders scrambled back into the race only to crash again – Binder twice more – and both finally exited the circuit unrewarded.
Oliveira started back at ninth on the grid but was clearly not comfortable on the track. Initially he dropped back to twenty-third before fighting his way back into the action to cross the line at thirteenth. Oliveira is now fifth in the season’s points, Binder is seventh and Hanika is seventeenth.
Miguel Oliveira: “In wet races you need to have a good feeling and I did not have that today. From the beginning I was tense on the bike and I could not go as fast as I would have liked. I wanted to finish, whatever happened, and in the end I was able to take three points. That may not help much now, but may be important later on. The next time it rains I hope to have a better feeling. Now we have to think about Misano. Hopefully it will be a normal race and we can achieve a good result.”
Brad Binder: “Today was a difficult day for us. We came into the race with great confidence and possibly that was not the best thing. On the first lap I was not comfortable, but gradually things improved. I thought I was able to push, and I passed a couple of riders for fourth place but I crashed at turn 3 after losing the front. I got the bike back up and, although the handlebars were damaged, I continued as best as I could. It was not easy to ride with that damage, so I crashed twice more. Three crashes in a race had never happened to me before. We should learn from everything that happened today and go for the podium at Misano.”
Karel Hanika: “We had some experience with the wet conditions in the warm-up but it was completely different in the race and it was very difficult to go as fast as in the morning. I made a good start, but at turn 3 I lost the front and crashed. I picked up the bike and managed to move up to sixteenth place in five laps.”
The next race is the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Riviera di Rimini on the weekend of September 11-13.
MotoGP of Great Britain at Silverstone – Round 12
Moto3 Results
1, Danny Kent, GBR, Honda, 44:13.623
2, Jakub Kornfeil, CZE, KTM, 44:22.115
3, Niccolo Antonelli, ITA, Honda, 44:26.812
4, Fabio Quartararo, FRA, Honda, 45:03.641
5, Livio Loi, BEL, Honda, 45:05.378
Other KTM
12, Romano Fenati, ITA, KTM, 45:41.085
13, Miguel Oliveira, POR, KTM, 45:44.833
DNF, Brad Binder, RSA, KTM, 22:20.629
DNF, Karel Hanika, CZE, KTM, 16:10.976
Moto3 Standings after Round 12
1, Kent, 224
2, Enea Bastianini, ITA, Honda, 154
3, Fenati, 126
4, Vazquez, 116
5, Oliveira, 114
..
7, B. Binder, 99
…
17, Hanika, 33
More, from another press release issued by KTM:
RED BULL MOTOGP ROOKIES CUP RIDERS FIGHT TOUGH WET CONDITIONS AT SILVERSTONE
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup riders wrapped up a challenging weekend at the Silverstone circuit in the UK on Sunday after completing two rounds of the cup in entirely contrasting conditions. Points leader Bo Bendsneyder came out on top with both and impressive win on Saturday in round 9, and a cautious, but safe third place on Sunday in round 10 to further extend his points lead.
Saturday
Bendsneyder was always going to be the man to beat on Saturday and in fact dominated the 14-lap race, leading the front group of six down to the final laps before breaking away for a comfortable victory. He was helped in this final stage when Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was right on his tailpipe, accidentally hit neutral and lost the tow. Di Giannantonio, who initially fought his way from ninth at the start to be a major challenger, went on to take second while Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki survived a scuffle in the last lap that send two other podium contenders into the gravel.
“It was frustrating at first,” Bendsneyder said after Saturday’s race. “I was just pushing and pushing and then I really gave it everything for two laps and finally got away. That was a great feeling, to finally see an advantage on the pit board. By the end the rear was sliding around quite a lot but otherwise the bike was great.”
It was Bendsneyder and his main rival Italian Giannantonio, who dominated Saturday’s race but where the Dutch rider managed to survive unscathed by taking a cautious line in the wet on Sunday, the Italian was back at eleventh at the end of the second day.
Sunday
Sunday’s race saw a win for Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki, who was third the previous day. French rider Enzo Boulom fought him all the way to the end in the wet race, finally conceding defeat in the last meters. Marc Garcia of Spain was a major player in the early part of Sunday’s race but like many of the young riders, got caught out by the conditions and slid off the circuit.
Ayumu Sasaki on the other hand took the cautious approach: “It wasn’t easy, at first I didn’t have a good pace and rhythm, I really had to follow Enzo. He was doing a good job and pulled us away. I could build my confidence and then in the end I knew I could go quicker.” It was Sasaki’s first win in the series.
Enzo Boulom admitted he was unable to match Sasaki’s pace in the closing stages, saying: “It was a tough race, I really enjoyed it and I pushed as hard as I could. In the end I could not go quicker when Ayumu came past, he was riding well and just had the extra pace. Still I’m happy to be on the podium and want to do the same in Misano.”
Meanwhile Bendsneyder’s Sunday race was clever and still allowed him to pick up points for his third place: “I knew that Fabio (Di Giannantonio) was well back because I saw it on the big TV screen. I was going to pick up good points on him so there was no sense in taking any chances. It was close when Garcia fell in front of me on lap one; I almost clipped him and had to go wide. Still it was no problem in the end and I’m happy with the great weekend.”
Bendsneyder leaves Silverstone with an impressive 52-point lead over Di Giannantonio and there are still 75 points still up for grabs in the remaining three races – one at Misano in a fortnight’s time and two to follow in Aragon, Spain.
Results Round 10
Note: Individual race results for rounds 9-10 in parenthesis
1 , Ayumu Sasaki, JPN, 33:07.347, (3 – 1)
2, Enzo Boulom, FRA, at 3.304, (6 – 2)
3, Bo Bendsneyder, NED, 26.392, (1 – 3)
4, Rory Skinner, GBR, at 33.146, (10 – 4)
5, Oscar Gutierrez, ESP, at 41.103, (5 – 5)
Cup Championship Points after Round 10
1, Bendsneyder, 211
2, Fabio Di Giannantonio, ITA, 159
3, Gutierrez, 126
4, Boulom, 113
5, Sasaki, 112
More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Racing:
Schrotter seals wet Silverstone race with points scoring finish
Marcel Schrotter produced a valiant effort aboard the Mistral 610 as he battled the damp conditions at the Octo British Grand Prix and crossed the finish line in 11th position. The young German rider began the day with a solid run to 9th in the wet warm up at the Silverstone circuit, which left him fully charged for the 18 lap race. When the GP started, Schrotter bolted forward from the sixth row of the grid and quickly set into his race pace as he elevated himself up to 12th when the field crossed the line for the first time. Although he slipped back to 13th on the following lap, he remained calm and then sped past Anthony West a short distance later. At just over half race distance, Schrotter was back in 13th yet he remained fully focused as the track was drying and his consistent times saw him remain with Randy Krummenacher in front. As the race ending loomed, Schrotter lined up Krummenacher before executing a fine overtake on the final lap to seize 11th place, which marks a positive close to the weekend after battling the challenging conditions at the rapid Silverstone circuit.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Tech3 Racing Team pit box, Xavi Vierge battled his way to 22nd in his first race in the wet in only his third appearance in the Moto2 class despite having never ridden the track before. The young Spaniard kicked off his British GP from 24th on the grid as he aimed to move through the pack whilst gathering some valuable race experience. He undertook a good start to move up to 21st at the close of the first lap, but was shuffled back to 25th by the time lap two finished. Nevertheless, the 18 year old remained determined and dug deep as he set some consistently quick lap times which allowed him to move up to 23rd at the halfway point of the race. His determination prevailed and two laps later his bravery paid off as he lunged past Jesko Raffin and Azlan Shah to clinch 20th at the end of lap 13. He continued to push before eventually meeting the finish line in 22nd, which sees the promising rookie complete the weekend having made some positive steps forward.
Marcel Schrotter – Position : 11th – Championship : 21th – Points : 19
“It was positive to score some more points here which hasn’t happened in the last few races and it’s a reward for me and the team, who like always, have been working really hard. Having said that, I am slightly disappointed because I was expecting a bit more after my performance this morning in the warm up where I had pace in the wet. However, after only 3 or 4 laps, there was a small issue with the bike which made it slightly trickier to ride in the damp conditions. The rear wheel didn’t have a lot of grip but I remained calm as I was determined to finish the race. However, this issue prevented me from riding how I wanted to and normally, I’m comfortable and quite quick in wet conditions. Anyway, when it dried up, I was much faster than the group in front of me but I couldn’t quite reach them in the end. So overall, it was not a result that I hoped for but nevertheless, points are vital so we need to keep working in order to carry on this momentum.”
Xavi Vierge – Position : 22nd – Championship : Not classified
“First of all I must say thank you very much to the team who worked hard all weekend. I managed to improve in every session and I was quite pleased with my qualifying performance, so I felt ready for the race. I had a good feeling in the dry, but then this morning the rain hit the track and so we had to adjust our strategy. I tried my best, but it was a very challenging battle for me. I came off the line strongly and recovered several positions, but then I had to back off a little bit as there was lots of movement on the rear tyre. Therefore, I just focused on finishing the race and then step by step, I started to get the feeling back when the track began to dry and I could set some faster lap times. I am happy to have finished my first Moto2 race, but next up is Misano, which I am looking forward to and there, I hope to continue making some further progression with the team.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager :
“It was a very exciting Moto2 race, although it must have been difficult for the riders and for the teams following it from the pit wall. Most riders started on wet tyres, which I think was the best decision. We saw this morning that Marcel was at ease plus fast in the wet warm up and in the race he had a really good fight throughout the 18 laps. He was lapping quickly at the end of the GP and was unfortunate to just miss out on a top ten result. In addition, he showed some good fighting spirit and made no mistakes, so I hope that this points scoring finish will boost him mentally. Meanwhile, it was Xavi’s first wet race so of course, he was a bit cautious at the beginning but at the end of the race he was lapping the same times as Raffin which was positive. Xavi was also closing in on the group in front but unfortunately, he lost a bit too much time at the beginning. I want to say congratulations to him as finishing the race in these conditions is not easy, but he will have learnt a lot which is his mission this year. We are happy with both riders and it was one of our best results this year for Marcel, so hopefully he will be full of positive vibes at Misano. Lets see what Xavi can do there too as it’s again a new track for him, but for sure he will do his best and continue to get stronger.”