Sergio Garcia Dols and Ryusei Yamanaka will contest the 23-lap Austrian Grand Prix this weekend at the speedy Spielberg circuit.
The pair arrive at another Central European track with the aim of improving their race results, after both fell short of scoring points after hard-fought comebacks in the Czech Grand Prix.
The first Free Practice will be held on Friday at 9:00am local time, with the race scheduled for Sunday at 11:00am.
Sergio Garcia Dols
Garcia Dols finished 16th in the Czech Grand Prix last weekend. Conscious of his potential and that of his crew, he will try to regain the form that led him to win his first Grand Prix at the end of last season.
Last year, on his first visit to Austria, Garcia Dols gained several places at the start of the race and was up into the points from the opening laps. On Lap 9 he suffered a crash at Turn 9, remounting to take the chequered flag 27th.
“I come to Austria very motivated because last year, despite being a rookie, I liked the circuit and even managed to finish the race after a crash. I lamented the result at the time, but I think that now it gives me the necessary experience to concentrate on making progress from the first day of practice. I hope we can redeem ourselves after the result at Brno, and have a great race at Spielberg.”
Ryusei Yamanaka
Yamanaka had a praiseworthy Czech Grand Prix less than a week ago, making it into Q2 for the second time in a row and finishing in 17th place -after having ridden for some of the race in points-scoring positions.
The Japanese rookie also has experience of both competing and placing on the podium in Austria, during his time in the MotoGP Rookies Cup. This will facilitate his adaptation in his first Moto3 World Championship appearance at Spielberg.
“Despite my frustration about missing out on points at Brno in the last race, I think the weekend was positive because I made steady progress and got into Q2 again. I know the track at Spielberg and I hope that helps me to improve from the first practice session onwards, using that previous experience.”
Grand Prix Schedule
Friday:
FP1: 9:00am
FP2: 1:15pm
Saturday:
FP3: 9:00am
Q1: 12:35pm
Q2: 1:00pm
Sunday:
WARMUP: 8:40am
RACE: 11:00am
