- Augusto Fernandez tackles the difficulty of slowing a MotoGP machine around the tight Red Bull Ring curves but progresses through the weekend to accrue 3 GP points in 13th.
- Pol Espargaro just misses points in only his second Grand Prix start of the season and after a draining and emotional run to a brilliant 6th place in the Sprint on Saturday.
- GASGAS Aspar Team watches Ryusei Yamanaka take 7th in Moto3™ and sees Jake Dixon run to 4th in Moto2™ as Izan Guevara defies illness for his first Moto2 points.
- MotoGP breaks for a week before a Catalan and San Marino Grand Prix double looms ahead on track on the first two weekends of September.
The unmissable Red Bull statue shone brilliantly in mid-summer sunshine at Spielberg and was surrounded by a crowd that reached almost 94,000 on the tenth Sunday blast of MotoGP this season. Round ten of twenty took place on a fantastic stage for racing in the depths of Austria, and GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 were among the cast that queued up to entertain for the long 28-lap chase.
Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez sliced their GASGAS RC16s into mid-pack contention from the lights. Pol flirted on the fringe of the top ten and then the points through a long and cagey affair. He had his teammate for company as the rookie once more filled his weekend formula of continual improvement from the sessions and built-up his speed and performance. Espargaro was unlucky to receive a track limits warning that then resulted in a Long Lap penalty right at the end of the race and he surrendered time and positions to classify 16th. Fernandez capitalized and rode to 13th at the flag for more numerical gain in the standings. Augusto is now a creditable 13th in the rankings and is one of only two riders to have posted points on the board at every single fixture.
The MotoGP show wrapped one of the few remaining Grands Prix in Europe for 2023. After the free weekend to come the championship settles in Barcelona and then quickly to Misano for a back-to-back treat of events. Don’t miss the Catalan Grand Prix on the first weekend of September.
Augusto Fernandez, 13th: “I was happy to be in the fight, more so than yesterday. We found some pace and I could have a more competitive race with better lap-times. I raced with Pol and Jack [Miller] and was happy for that. We finished with a few points, and this was not always a guarantee during the weekend! Positive, and now I’m looking forward to my home GP.”
Pol Espargaro, 16h: “Well, it was a tough day today, and I expected it. I was already in trouble with the longer race distance and my physical condition is not the best at the moment. I tried to manage the last laps but ended up being penalized by two positions for touching the green track limits, which I didn’t even realize! We gained more experience with the bike, I worked on my body and each weekend is going to be a bit better.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A tough Sunday for us and the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team; it was hot out there and the track was greasy and both riders had issues during the race. Augusto was looking for grip and trying to stop the bike but rode with a clever pace and with his head. He managed to solve his issues and took two points, so we thank him for this. Pol struggled with his physical condition and lacked strength in the heat but he showed the high level of his motivation and pushed all the way to the end. This was great to see. The Grand Prix here was amazing with all the fans and now we look forward to Barcelona!”
Results MotoGP CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 42:23.315
2. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +5.191
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati +7.708
14. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +25.365
16. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +28.073
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 251 points
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 189
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati, 183
13. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 51
24. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 8
Moto3 and Moto2
David Alonso was again the eye-catching star for the GASGAS Aspar Team in Moto3. The Columbian swept through the pack of leaders to head the field by the midway mark of the 20 laps but then suddenly lost control through the Turn 2 chicane section. Bitter bad luck for the British Grand Prix winner who rejoined the race but was far behind the pack and ended the day 29th. Ryusei Yamanaka was active in a hectic second group. By the flag the Japanese managed a creditable 7th and has pushed up to 13th in the championship.
Ryusei Yamanaka, 7th: “Well, no race is ever perfect until you win it! I’m not happy with the result but I am happy with how we worked from Free Practice 1 until now. We improved the bike and even though I was a bit uncomfortable in some places at the beginning of the race I managed it quite well and could deal with the chattering. I could ride faster after that, so it was a bit of a shame. Our targets are higher than this today but we’ll go to Barcelona with good expectations.”
David Alonso, 29th:
“I had a good start and made a decent rhythm but then almost crashed when [Jaume] Masia’s engine broke and he checked-up. The first three broke away but I was able to use my pace to catch them. I was comfortable and took the lead and then I didn’t do anything radically different into that corner; it was simply that tenth of a second later on the brakes. A tiny, tiny mistake and I paid a lot for it. I grabbed the bike and continued; I’m happy in one way but I also know what could have been.”
Moto2 was another chance for Jake Dixon to show his speed and capacity as one of the main protagonists in the class. The Brit missed out on glory at his home event in Silverstone but was determined to refill his pocket in Austria. After pushing and probing for the podium spots, Jake couldn’t quite go with the front two but was less than a second from Ai Ogura’s wheel at the line for P4. Reigning Moto3 world champ Izan Guevara showed improved speed in practice and qualification but the close-knit fabric of Moto2 is still a tough barrier for the Spaniard to tear. He got closer to breaking through at the Red Bull Ring, despite suffering with illness, and 13th place delivered his first points in the category.
Jake Dixon, 4th: “It was definitely a hot and difficult race. I’m super-happy with some parts of the race. I had a great start and it was so nice to get in the mix straight away, but I began to have some front tire trouble. The temperature went far too high so I just had to ride conservatively. When I had some air and the temperature dropped then I could reduce the gap to Ogura and just ran out of laps. I gave everything I had this weekend and we’ll keep working as a team.”
Izan Guevara, 13th: “Today my fever had gone down a bit and I decided to try the race even though I wasn’t feeling great. I held on as long as I could but was shivering in the last few laps! Even though this was all going-on the result was not too bad and I got my first points in Moto2. After all the problems, we worked and got something from the day.”
CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich photographs can be found HERE
Results Moto3 CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
1. Deniz Öncü (TUR) KTM 34:04.291
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) KTM +0.005
3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +0.119
7. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +8.137
29. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team 1 lap
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) KTM, 161 points
2. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna, 135
3. Deniz Öncü (TUR) KTM, 124
7. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team, 90
13. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team, 45
Results Moto2 CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
1. Celestino Vietti (ITA) 36.25.093
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) +1.435
3. Ai Ogura (JPN) +5.189
4. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +6.145
13. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team +40.213
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP), 176 points
2. Tony Arbolino (ITA), 164
3. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team, 117
23. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team, 3
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