Aron Canet and Alonso Lopez contested the Australian GP on Sunday morning at Phillip Island, and the Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders put in an excellent showing in what was a wild penultimate race of the season. Track temperature was 33ºC and the skies were clear for a dry race, after rain had affected proceedings over previous days.
After finishing second in the warmup, Aron Canet started from fourteenth and was prepared to move up the order. Fifth on Lap 11, Canet later reached the top three in a group consisting of more than 15 riders. A pass under a yellow flag meant he had to relinquish two places, dropping down to eleventh, but he was back up to the front with five laps remaining and attempted to escape. Unfortunately, the battle for a slipstream on the final lap led to him crossing the finish line in sixth position. Canet remains sixth in the World Championship standings with 128 points.
Alonso Lopez had set the 25th fastest time during the warmup, and in the race he was 18th during the first lap. Shortly afterwards he dropped down several places, but with seven laps remaining he got up into the points for the first time, continuing his progress to take the chequered flag in eleventh. This result places him 22rd in the overall standings with 31 points.
The next Moto3 World Championship race will be the Malaysian Grand Prix on November 4th, at the Sepang International Circuit.
EMILIO ALZAMORA – “Our two riders managed to stay calm in a chaotic race”
«Today we saw a chaotic race in which our two riders managed to remain calm. Aron Canet tried to escape at the front and even led the race, but was hindered by the massive fight in the endless front group. It was easy to make a mistake today and get caught up in the several crashes that occurred, but fortunately he stayed clear of that. Alonso also performed at a high level. For a rookie, finishing a race like this in eleventh position reflects how Alonso faced the situation. He has scored points again and we are very satisfied about that.”
ARÓN CANET – “In races like this, sixth position is very positive”
“I had a better race than recent ones. I scored points after fighting in a very large and tough group. In races like this, sixth position is very positive because I had gone four races without any points. , Nevertheless, the feeling is bittersweet because throughout the weekend I had the pace to fight for the victory; In the end, sixth place doesn’t leave me completely satisfied. In races like this, you’re not following a strategy. I managed to take the lead, but with the slipstreams it was not possible to maintain the position. It was a fun race, but it would have been much more so if we had finished on the podium.”
ALONSO LÓPEZ – “We have taken a step forward with our performance”
“It was a really fun race in which we pushed to the fullest from the start. This circuit is incredible -and even more so with races like we saw today. We have taken a step forward with our performance and I hope we continue with this dynamic for what little time remains of this season. On the last lap I wanted to take advantage to improve my position, but I was blocked and that held me back. I hope to finish the year with a good race in Valencia.”
