Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders Sergio Garcia Dols and Ryusei Yamanaka contested the 22-lap French Grand Prix this Sunday at the Bugatti Le Mans Circuit.
Garcia Dols finished 11th in a fast-paced race, won by Celestino Vietti. After riding solidly in the points and receiving a ‘Long Lap’ penalty, Yamanaka crossed the line 18th.
The race took place under mostly clear skies and temperatures of 12 ºC (ambient) and 15 ºC (track).
Garcia Dols and Yamanaka will be back in action on Friday, October 16th, for the first Free Practice sessions for the Aragon Grand Prix. The round is the first of two consecutive races scheduled at the MotorLand Aragon Circuit.
Sergio García Dols (11th, + 15.269)
The Spaniard claimed 29th place in the warmup with a time of 1:43.785. He started the race from 5th position on the grid, thank to his 1:41.920 in Saturday’s Q2 session.
On the opening laps he rode close to the front of the race, but was subsequently hindered by the split in the large pack that had formed.
As part of the second group he battled for points, and would take the chequered flag in 11th place. Garcia Dols now occupies 15th in the overall standings, with 37 points.
“I did not expect the race to go the way it did. I was not really comfortable on track. On the first lap I saw some confusion at the front, and that allowed the riders behind us to get on top of us. It was a very difficult race. Although it was not a positive experience, I am satisfied with the performance we showed in practice.”
Ryusei Yamanaka (18th, + 25,148)
Yamanaka clocked the 23rd quickest time in the warmup: A 1:43.551. He had also participated in Q2 on Saturday, with a 1:42.44 taking him to 18th on the grid.
The rookie gained ground off the start in the race, moving up into 15th. After a fight with constant changes of position, he was given a Long Lap penalty for exceeding the track limits between turns 9 and 10, hindering his progress.
Yamanaka continued to battle and would recover several places, but was no longer in contention for points. He is now 23rd in the overall standings with 13 points.
“I made a fairly good start, as I was up in the points on the first lap, but my feeling was strange and that prevented me from continuing to recover positions. Then I received a penalty for going inside on the rumble strip; I waited for a chance to cancel out the advantage gained, but it must not have been enough and I was forced to do a Long Lap. It was a shame about that, and now I have to focus on continuing my progress at Aragon.”
