The all-Spanish Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3 lineup of Aron Canet, Alonso Lopez and wildcard rider Jeremy Alcoba took part in a home Grand Prix this Sunday at the Circuito de Jerez. The Andalusian track once again provided excellent weather conditions on race day, with clear skies and only a slightly stronger wind than on Saturday.
Despite starting from fifteenth on the grid, Aron Canet was back amongst the frontrunners in the morning warmup session, setting the fourth fastest time. He began the race inside the Top 10, and continued to gain places as part of a large leading group in which overtaking was frequent and frantic. Having worked hard to stay with the pacesetters for the final stages of the contest, he was involved in a collision with Jorge Martin that resulted in four riders crashing. Canet is now third in the overall standings with 48 points.
After his promising practice sessions on Saturday, Alonso Lopez went eighteenth fastest in the warmup. When the race itself got underway, he rode in fifth on the opening lap and was part of the front group, setting his first ‘fastest lap’ in a World Championship race. Moments later, an incident with another rider took him off-track, and he rejoined the race in seventeenth place. However, he continued to ride with a strong pace and regained contact with the first group on the final laps. The crash involving his teammate lifted him to third with just three laps to go, and he bested a group of a dozen riders to cross the line in that position. Unfortunately, he was denied a first ever Moto3 rostrum due to a penalty for exceeding the track limits, dropping him down to fourth. The result remains Lopez’ best of his rookie season to date, and he is twelfth in the standings with 23 points.
Jeremy Alcoba’s wildcard debut in the Moto3 World Championship came to a premature end, as he crashed out on the opening lap of the Spanish GP. The Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider in the FIM CEV Repsol was sixteenth in the warmup, but in the race he was hit early by another rider and could not continue.
EMILIO ALZAMORA – “The most positive thing is that our riders have been fast during the whole weekend”
“With the enthusiasm and talent on display for Estrella Galicia 0,0 today, in the form of Arón Canet, Alonso López and wildcard Jeremy Alcoba, maybe we were expecting a more positive result. The best thing of all, despite the sanction that prevented Alonso from stepping onto the podium, is that he had a magnificent race, overcoming difficulties and recovering ground against rivals with much more experience.
It was a shame about Aron’s crash, as he had a chance to fight for victory. He made a mistake but he is aware of this and has apologised accordingly. We also had very bad luck with the retirement of Jeremy Alcoba. Contact with another rider caused damage to his brakes, but that is something that can always happen in racing. The most positive thing is that our riders have been fast during the whole weekend”.
ARÓN CANET – “I had a problem with my left glove”
“I was climbing positions in the race and I had reached seventh place, but I had a problem with my left glove and, with the rear brake operated by that hand, I had some problems stopping the bike. I waited it out and soon after I started to push hard. With four or five laps to go, I went all out. I managed to overtake several riders and when I went to overtake Jorge [Martín] it was very tight. I saw a chance to slot the bike in, but at that moment something strange happened and when Jorge [Martín] turned in, I couldn’t brake correctly and I caused a crash for him, Tony Arbolino and Enea Bastianini. I want to apologise to all of them. I am very sorry.”
ALONSO LÓPEZ – “We missed out on what would have been our first podium”
“I finished the race a bit overwhelmed by everything that happened, but I have learned a lot, something that has a lot of value for the future. On the second or third lap I went onto the gravel when I tried to overtake Oettl [Philipp], and I dropped far down the order. I had a hard time coming back because of the strong wind. I was warned by the dashboard that I had exceeded the track limit at Turn 1, but I thought that I had already served the penalty on the penultimate lap -although this incident, apparently, was on the last lap. It was a shame because we missed out on what would have been our first podium.”
JEREMY ALCOBA – “I have learned that in this series you ride all-out from the opening minute”
“Unfortunately, my debut in the World Championship has been too short. At the beginning of the race I broke the brake connection in an incident with another rider. We knew that something like this could happen because we were starting from far back on the grid. It’s a shame because of the hard work done by the whole team this weekend. The race was difficult because there were very fast riders on track but we were not that far behind them either. There are many riders who look to recover ground on the first few laps. I have learned that in this series you ride all-out from the opening minute, the times are quick immediately and there’s no room to get comfortable. I hope to have better luck next time.”
