The hallowed TT Circuit Assen was calling and GASGAS answered in incredible style by celebrating podiums across Moto3 and Moto2 - with Izan Guevara, Sergio García and Jake Dixon all spraying the champagne at Assen.
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Izan Guevara scores a stunning sixth consecutive podium by finishing 2nd while Sergio García salvages a difficult weekend in awesome style by racing from P18 through to 3rd place
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In Moto2 Jake Dixon scores an emphatic 3rd place finish - his second Grand Prix podium of the season. Albert Arenas crashes while in 4th place on lap 23
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The halfway point of 2022 sees GASGAS dominate Moto3 Rider, Team and Constructor standings ahead of the five-week summer break before racing resumes with the Monster Energy British Grand Prix on August 7th.
The final round of the first half of the 2022 season served up a classic motorcycle Grand Prix thriller, with a host of podiums and celebrations across Moto3 and Moto2 for GASGAS riders.
Huge crowds in excess of 105,000 fans lined the 4.5km legendary venue on Sunday, which is categorised by wide, and fast corners which reward ultimate commitment. In short, it’s a true rider’s track where speed and flowing style are the key to locking in a podium place.
Izan Guevara arrived in high spirits on the bounce of back-to-back wins and five consecutive podiums in Moto3. The 17-year-old - who turns 18 on the 28th June - looked set for another epic performance, based on his blistering potential in qualifying where he placed P3. Sergio García, searched for grip amid the changeable conditions, and started P18. Off the lights there was no stopping Guevara, who blazed a trail and led a stunning race pace which was faster than the qualifying chrono. It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it action throughout the 22 laps, where the decisive reshuffle only came in the last run. A final battle with rival Ayumu Sasaki, placed Izan in 2nd just 0.314 behind.
Meanwhile, the drama unfolded in the pack further, as Sergio García put in another dramatic pushback which saw the 19-year-old retain his championship lead by three points. García had leapfrogged up to 9th by the first lap and lapped consistently to tag on to the back of the leading melee of six riders. In the closing stages García was perfectly poised to capitalize on crashes ahead of him, finishing 3rd just 0.078 behind his teammate Guevara, as well as 0.007 ahead of Tatsuki Suzuki.
In Moto2 Jake Dixon and Albert Arenas lined up the perfect start to the Dutch weekender with a scorching 1-2 qualifying result. Saturday’s action had gone down to the wire between Dixon and Arenas, with Dixon’s best lap of 1m 36.736s giving the British rider his second ever Grand Prix pole position. Teammate Arenas, was a mere 0.011s behind in P2 and later joked to the media that his team mate had stolen his pole!
Come race day, the GASGAS duo led off the lights; only being split initially by Alonso Lopez. Dixon held 2nd for the majority of the race, while battling hard with Ai Ogura, Augusto Fernandez and Marcel Schrotter, until the German rider crashed out. At the line Dixon blasted towards the checkered flag in 3rd, only 0.065 behind Ogura. Unfortunately, teammate Arenas, who after a particularly solid performance circulating between 3rd and 5th places - crashed out on Lap 23. Arenas lost grip while trying to pile the pressure on his teammate through turn nine on the penultimate lap. Nevertheless, Dixon’s excellent result - his second ever podium in Grand Prix racing - gives him 16 points and a bump up to 8th in the standings.
GASGAS and the Grand Prix racing paddock now enjoy a well-deserved five-week summer break before racing resumes again with the Monster Energy British Grand Prix on the 7th August.
#11 - Sergio García: “Today was a really difficult race - it was really fast - and the pace was really high. I was always on the limit to try to be in the first group. But I pushed really hard until the final corners. I'm happy to get a really good result in the end from this weekend. It’s a great way to finish the first half of the season, and to keep the lead in the championship.”
#28 - Izan Guevara: “It was a great race for me - I pushed all the way. There was big pace in every single lap and overall I'm happy to get my sixth consecutive podium and points towards my championship challenge. I'm really happy for the team too - everyone worked very hard and it's a great way to finish here in Assen before the summer break!”
#75 - Albert Arenas: “A good weekend where we can draw a lot of positives. I learned a lot again, especially from being with the leaders. Apart from the end result there was much we could take from this GP and certainly enough to stoke the motivation to train hard in the break we have coming up. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to more races.”
#96 - Jake Dixon: “It was a really strange race at the beginning. The grip levels at the beginning of the race were worse than at the end; I had a lot more grip at the end of the race. I was trying to bide my time - I got beaten up towards the end a little - but managed to chase my way back. The team gave me a bike good enough to win today but circumstances weren't quite there. Still, it's another podium - another third - but my time is coming, and I'm feeling better and better each weekend. Even with a difficult weekend, we are still on the podium... and now a five week break!”
Results - 2022 Moto3 World Championship, Round 11:
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 22 Laps; 2. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) +0.314, 3. Sergio García (GASGAS) +0.392,
Championship Standings - After Round 11:
1. Sergio García (GASGAS) 182pts; 2. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 179pts, 3. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 115pts,
Results - 2022 Moto2 World Championship, Round 11:
1. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 24 Laps; 2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) +0.660, 3. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) +0.725, DNF. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) +2 Laps,
Championship Standings - After Round 11:
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 146pts; 2. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 146pts, 3. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 145pts, 8. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) 76pts, 14. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) 45pts