Valuable experience for Acosta after Misano MotoGP™ adversity

MotoGP 2024 - Round 13 of 20, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, San Marino – Race


Eventful run for Acosta after another weekend of competitive speed and his first taste of successive races at Misano
Fernandez slips out of the running with 20 laps to go and just as the flag-to-flag chaos begins
Daniel Holgado plays his part in a pulsating Moto3 race and challenges for another win, classifying 2nd by 0.035 of a second! Jacob Roulstone makes his way to the flag in 12th

 
The eastern coastline of Italy and the San Marino province dealt MotoGP slightly different weather conditions for round 13 of 20. Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez joined their peers in dealing with sunshine and high temperatures around the flat track with grippy asphalt. Misano is a mix of twisty corners and a flat-out sequence of kinks that test the bravery of throttle hands.
 
The San Marino Grand Prix ran for 27-laps and Acosta was able to judge his pace from a top five start, courtesy of his bright form and flying pace in practice and qualification. Fernandez’s grid slot of 17th hid a greater potential and he set about a strong search for the maximum points.
 
Pedro had a brief ‘moment’ when he made contact with Franco Morbidelli and dislodged part of his aero structure. The gray skies delivered a brief spell of rain and Acosta entered the pits for his second GASGAS RC16 prepped for the wet. It was this point that Augusto fell. The track remained largely dry and the 20-year-old had to return for his original bike and then rode the rest of the distance to the flag.
 
The riders and the whole Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 squad will start yet another day of work at Misano on Monday with the last test of the 2024 season.
 
Pedro Acosta, 17th: “Well, we were fast and for that we have to be happy. After I hit Morbidelli it was quite hard to manage things. We crashed early but we were up there with the fast guys and that’s what we’ll take away from today. Let’s move onto the next one.”
 
Augusto Fernandez, DNF: “A shame because my start was good and I was in a decent position. We would have had a good race because we were pushing forward but unfortunately with the rain I crashed on the last corner. Tomorrow we have the test and it’s will be important to use this half a day for Misano ‘two’ and the rest of the season.”
 
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A frustrating Sunday here in Misano. We knew Pedro had good possibilities and was feeling really good with the bike. He was a bit impatient to overtake Morbidelli and lost a wing and then crashed soon after. From there it was a difficult race. He tried to gamble with the bike change in the rain but it didn’t work out. Anyway, he was super-competitive again today and happy with the set-up no doubt he learned a lot. Augusto crashed while he was P13 and a good start. A big shame because he was feeling super-fast. Now we need to transform these feelings into decent qualifying and points if we want to make a step forward. Now, to an important test.”
 
Results MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix
 
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 41:52.083
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +3.102
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +5.428
4. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +14.185
8. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM +19.327
10. Pol Espargaro (ESP) KTM +38.781
17. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1 lap
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
 
World Championship standings MotoGP
 
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 312 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 305
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 259
5. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM, 161
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 152
15. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM, 58
19. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 20
 
Moto3 
 
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 were hopeful of more silverware in Moto3 this season by virtue of the incredibly tight lap-times in practice and qualification that saw both Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone in a large group split by less than a second. The path to the podium would be tricky but entirely possible. There was a chaotic start to the 20-laps as the Moto3 pack wound through the tight opening corners but the race pace was quickly established and Holgado hit the front.


 
#96 stuck his elbows out to own track space in a five-rider tussle with endless overtaking. In the final drag to the flag Dani was headed by only three hundredths of a second! His P2 still gave him a sixth bottle of Prosecco this term and also boosted him back to P2 in the championship standings. Roulstone, who was still aching after his crash in Aragon the previous weekend, was a little further back and scrapping in the large second group and the points positions. He took a worthy 12th.
 
Daniel Holgado, 2nd: “An incredible race because it was very fast in the first laps. I’m happy because I’m back after Aragon which was a hard race for me and the team but a podium is a great result today, and also for the championship.”
 
Jacob Roulstone, 12th: “Quite happy with the race and to get some confidence back as well as a better start and to improve my first laps. I eventually got into a groove, and it was a shame for a small mistake on the last lap that gave the others a couple of meters. So, although the result isn’t overly great I’m happy with some aspects of today. I think we can try some things to help me for the next GP here.”
 
San Marino Grand Prix MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
 
Results Moto3 San Marino Grand Prix
 
1. Angel Piqueras (ESP) Honda 34:02.766
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.035
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.266
5. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.491
7. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +0.596
8. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +3.756
12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +8.400
18. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +32.041
19. Jacob Rosenthaler (AUT) Husqvarna +32.138
22. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +43.960
DNF. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM
 
World Championship standings Moto3
 
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 246 points
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 176 
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM, 173
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 173
6. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 99
12. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 58
15. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 50
16. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 42
22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 11
 
PRESS CONTACT
 
EVANGELIA SISSIS
PR MANAGER ROAD RACING
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 E: Evangelia.sissis@gasgas.com