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Gaviota GASGAS Moto3 Aspar Team rider Izan Guevara takes his second consecutive podium. Sergio Garcia maintains his championship lead finishing 7th, amidst a dramatic red flagged and restarted race
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Inde GASGAS Aspar Moto2 riders Jake Dixon and Albert Arenas tough their way through a challenging weekend, qualifying in P2 and P4, but ultimately fall and finish 21st and 19th respectively
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GASGAS maintains their position as the dominant force in the 2022 Moto3 Constructor standings with an impressive 23-point lead after just seven Grands Prix of the 2022 season.
Another incredible Moto3 weekend is in the books for Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team riders Izan Guevara and Sergio Garcia. While Guevara marked himself out as a true superstar of the future by taking his second consecutive podium, Sergio Garcia grabbed vital championship points to maintain his championship lead. Unfortunately Inde GASGAS Aspar Moto2 riders Jake Dixon and Albert Arenas crashed on lap 4 and lap 7 respectively.
The cradle of motorsport welcomed motorcycle Grand Prix racing for an incredible sold-out weekend of action. Over 220,000 fans squeezed into the venue to catch the on-track battles around the 4.2km Bugatti circuit. Mixed conditions greeted the Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team and the rest of the Moto3 field initially on Sunday morning meaning tyre and set up choices were crucial in order to stand a chance at the all-important podium positions.
Fresh off the bounce of his success at Jerez, former JuniorGP™ World Champion Izan Guevara arrived in France determined to deliver again in similar style. And deliver he certainly did. Starting from P8 on the grid, Guevara raced off the start making up two positions in the first lap. However on lap two the rain started to fall in sector four - catching out multiple riders, including Guevara and team mate Sergio Garcia on turn 14.
With the red flags deployed, Garcia and Guevara recovered to the pits, and thanks to an incredible job by the entire GASGAS team, both bikes were back on the grid 15 minutes later - showing no signs of their trips through the gravel trap.
Off the restart the sun began to blaze, drying up the circuit entirely. Guevara and Garcia kept cool, calm and collected - making up positions steadily from their P8 and P7 gird slots. By mid-race the duo had established themselves in the top five, with Guevara in particular setting fastest laps on three separate occasions. On the final lap, Guevara excelled by finding a handful of pace in the final sector to leave Dennis Foggia in the dust, securing third place on the podium. Sergio Garcia meanwhile narrowly slipped to seventh, with just a 0.4 second gap between himself and sixth place.
In Moto2 the Inde GASGAS Aspar Team duo of Jake Dixon and Albert Arenas faced another difficult learning weekend. The pairing had initially qualified well in P2 and P5, and with rival Sam Lowes withdrawing from the race due to injury, Arenas was promoted to P4 on the grid.
Unfortunately it was simply not meant to be this weekend for Dixon and Arenas. On lap four Dixon entered turn 13 carrying too much speed and lost the front end. Jumping back onboard the damage to the bike was done though, and Dixon nursed his machine home to 21st. Meanwhile team mate Albert Arenas, came together with rival Alonso Lopez while jostling for position at turn seven on lap seven. Arenas recovered to finish the race and cross the line in 19th position.
The action continues at round eight with the Grand Premio d’Italia Oakley at Mugello on May 29.
#11 - Sergio García: “A complicated weekend but we managed to salvage something from the race. It wasn’t the position we wanted and we made some mistakes; a crash in the race, the red flag and then having to take a used tyre. All in difficult conditions so I’m happy with what we could do today.”
#28 - Izan Guevara: “This was a crazy race here in Le Mans. I’m really happy to have my second consecutive podium position in the world championship. My feelings during the race were really good, especially because during qualifying yesterday the rear tyre wasn't working for me. But to get this result today is fantastic. I’m really happy for my team to get this third place. Now we are going to push for more in Mugello!”
#75 - Albert Arenas: “It was a really fast race and we were doing well. I saw Alonso go in faster so I went to the inside and he just cut back and I don’t know whether he saw me or not. We touched and we were both down. This is a part of racing and a real shame because we worked well and could have fought for the podium today.”
#96 - Jake Dixon: “Another difficult day. My mistake; I just entered the corner too fast. I’m not riding like I know and I’m making errors. Once I get back on, and the bike is all bent, I’m still able to make the pace like the leaders. I’m going to try so hard now between here and Mugello to feel less nervous on track and in those race situations. If I can work on my first part of the race then I can build-up towards the front again.”
Results - 2022 Moto3 World Championship, Round 7:
1. Jaume Masia (KTM) 14 Laps; 2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +0.150, 3. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) +0.220, 7. Sergio García (GASGAS) +2.007
Championship Standings - After Round 7:
1. Sergio García (GASGAS) 112pts; 2. Jaume Masia (KTM) 95pts, 3. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 95pts; 4. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 89pts
Results - 2022 Moto2 World Championship, Round 7:
1. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 25 Laps; 2. Aron Canet (Kalex) +3.746, 3. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) +4.628, 19. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) +41’10.731, 21. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) +41’15.782
Championship Standings - After Round 7:
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 108pts; 2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 92pts, 3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 89pts, 12. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) 32pts, 15. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) 29pts