Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders Alonso Lopez and Jeremy Alcoba took part in a hot, accident-filled Thai Grand Prix at the Buriram circuit on Sunday -their first race at the new track on the Moto3 World Championship calendar.
Lopez took a step forward with his pace in the morning warmup session, clocking the 21st fastest time. Despite starting from last on the grid, he recovered several positions off the line, and his progression continued until he suffered an unexpected crash at Turn 8 that brought his race to a premature end. This result places him 22nd in the standings with 31 points.
Jeremy Alcoba started from the penultimate spot on the grid and recovered ground on the opening laps, battling with Stefano Nepa for 23rd place but with neither rider able to catch those ahead of them. As other riders crashed out, he moved up the order, eventually taking the chequered flag in 18th. Despite not scoring points this weekend, Alcoba’s participation in the Thai GP has been a valuable experience for the Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider to carry over into the FIM CEV Repsol, to which he will return next week in Albacete (Spain).
The next Moto3 World Championship race will be the Japanese GP, held on October 21st at Twin Ring Motegi.
EMILIO ALZAMORA – “Races as hard as these help for gaining experience”
“During practice Alonso Lopez had had some difficulties, so he wanted to turn things around on raceday by regaining ground from the start; it’s pity that in the process he crashed and couldn’t, but races as hard as these help you to gain experience.
“Jeremy Alcoba, had a weekend of continuous progression. Despite the multiple crashes that occurred in the race, he managed to finish in a praiseworthy eighteenth place, with a magnificent experience that will help him with the end of the FIM CEV Repsol season.”
ALONSO LÓPEZ – “I think I could have had a good race”
“We made a change to the bike for the warmup and it had been very positive, so it seemed that it was going to give us a big improvement from the last few races. I started very motivated and made a good start -I was catching the group in front of me. I felt the confidence that I had not felt before. However, I crashed because I leant into a corner a little more than normal. It’s a shame, because I think I could have had a good race.”
JEREMY ALCOBA – “I have learned a lot and I think I will be able to refine and improve my way of approaching races”
“This was a new circuit at which all the riders started from scratch, which eliminated the disadvantage that I would have faced at any other track. Up until FP3 we were a single second off the fastest rider. In qualifying things did not go as we had expected. On the first few laps of the race I was closer and I think we could have progressed, but there was a crash for another rider in front of me and I had to brake hard to avoid being involved in it. That was mainly what made me lose contact with the group and, afterwards, it was harder for me to follow them. Nevertheless, I’m happy because I’ve learned a lot and I think I will be able to refine and improve my way of approaching races.”
