- Augusto Fernandez, Rookie of the Year, pushes his #37 race bike to 10th position and almost grabs his third batch of Saturday points in 2023
- Pol Espargaro, competing at the scene of his maiden MotoGP podium finish in 2018, qualifies 18th and notches 14th for his last Saturday repping the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team
- GASGAS Aspar Team’s David Alonso finally arrives to a Grand Prix where he has previous experience of the track! The Columbian rookie qualifies 5th in Moto3. Jake Dixon was also 5th fastest in Moto2 as the Brit bids to finish 3rd in the final championship standings
Friday started brightly both in terms of the weather and the initial speed for GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 at Valencia. Both Augusto Fernandez and Pol Espargaro ended FP1 in the top eleven and just half a second from the fastest effort in the chrono under deep blue skies. In warmer conditions during PR in the afternoon the team continued their work, despite a late tip-off for Espargaro.
The relatively new surface for the track, the Spanish Grand Prix vibe and the years of experience circulating the Ricardo Tormo layout bode well for both Augusto and Pol. On Saturday Q1 occurred in similar weather and the duo ended the critical morning run with 3rd (13th) and 8th (18th) and spots on the fifth and sixth rows of the grid. Fernandez had upped his pace considerably compared to Friday and was very unlucky to lose out on Q2 entry, by only 0.037 of a second! He was marginally away from the previous all-time lap record.
MotoGP scorched around Valencia for 13 laps in the afternoon for the last Sprint spectacle of a campaign where the teams and riders have had more races, starts and pressure than ever before. Now full into ‘Saturday mode’ Fernandez and Espargaro went for broke. Augusto made the most progress, gaining positions and creating an effective race pace to enter the top ten for the second Saturday in a row. Pol searched for a way to pass Luca Marini and give further chase to the group but ran out of time and opportunities. He gained two spots to rise to 16th and was declared with 14th after penalties to others.
Round twenty of twenty for the 26th Grand Prix at Valencia and on the 26th of November will kick-off at 15.00 CEST, for the final 27 laps of ’23 MotoGP.
Augusto Fernandez, 13th in qualifying, 10th in the Sprint: “Happy with the race and the day generally. We managed to turn things around from Friday when we felt a bit lost at the end of the day. We made some changes and turned things around to really improve the feeling for the quali and also the Sprint. I’m feeling confident for tomorrow.”
Pol Espargaro, 18th in qualifying, 14th in the Sprint: “Not so good, not so bad. I was stuck behind Marini and I felt he was struggling but I could not overtake him. That was the theme of the race so the goal tomorrow is to have a bit of a clearer track and to try to be faster.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “What an eventful Saturday in front of full grandstands which is great for the sport. I’d like to congratulate the team for the step we made so far. Augusto had a super-strong quali in Q1 and missed Q2 by nothing! He made a good start in the Sprint, passed some riders and finished in the top ten again. It is clearly a strong step if we consider what has happened this season. On Pol’s side, he struggled to pass Luca Marini but finished the Sprint with a good pace. Let’s go back to work and prepare some fireworks for tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Valencia
1. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia 1:28.931
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.092
3. Johann Zarco (FRA) Ducati +0.213
13. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:29.233 (Q1)
18. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +1.29.953 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Valencia
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 19:38.827
2. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +0.190
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Honda +2.122
10. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +6.095
14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +12.453
Moto3 and Moto2
David Alonso, tied for the most wins in Moto3 this season, contemplated the end of his first full season as world championship runner looking for a fifth victory to compliment his ‘Rookie of the Year’ status. The GASGAS Aspar Team counted on plenty of support in both the paddock and the circuit seating for their home event and the Columbian started the weekend on a promising foot with the 5th quickest effort in Q2 to sit in the middle of the second row of the grid. Ryusei Yamanaka was swift through the Quali session and the Japanese achieved the 10th best lap; the tip of row four for the 20-lap race tomorrow.
In Moto2 the GASGAS Aspar Team were hopeful that Jake Dixon could build his speed, rhythm and competitiveness for Sunday with the objective of banking the points to cement his bronze medal for 2023. The Brit is optimistic of a podium finish at Valencia and to keep ahead of Fermin Aldeguer in the standings. Jake worked diligently through Friday and Saturday to end Q2 with 5th and just 0.3 from Pole Position. Izan Guevara, who has positive memories of the Ricardo Tormo after his Moto3 success in 2022, was 15th best of the Moto2 group and will line-up on the fifth row for 22-laps on Sunday.
Grand Prix of Valencia MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Valencia
1. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna 1:38.311
2. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +0.048
3. Deniz Öncü (TUR), KTM +0.052
5. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.392
10. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.703
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Valencia
1. Aron Canet (ESP) 1:33.314
2. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) +0.174
3. Marcos Ramirez (ESP) +0.194
5. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.334
15. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.852
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