Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3 riders Sergio Garcia Dols and Ryusei Yamanaka contested the Austrian Grand Prix at the Spielberg circuit this Sunday.
Garcia Dols was in the points for much of the race, before crossing the finish line in 16th. Yamanaka finished 24th after trying to make his way back through the field. The win went to Spanish rider Albert Arenas.
Both the warm up and the race took place under clear skies and with a dry track. Temperatures at the start of the race were 24 ºC (ambient) and 38 ºC (track), with a light wind across the circuit.
The next round of the Moto3 World Championship sees the series remain in Austria, for the Styrian Grand Prix on August 21-23rd.
Sergio Garcia Dols (16th, +2.866)
Garcia Dols’ time of 1:37.268 in the warm up had been his fastest of the weekend. At the start of the race, taking off from 20th on the grid, he quickly gained six positions and was up into the points from Lap 2, closing out the large group at the front.
Amidst a fast group full of overtaking moves, he lost positions past the halfway mark, before making up ground on the final laps to finish 16th. He occupies 16th in the World Championship standings with 13 points.
“I was 20th on the grid, but I made a good start and was immediately up into the points. I was riding in the large group, but I noticed that I couldn’t carry on gaining positions. I was riding comfortably but I couldn’t climb further, and I finished the race riding at the best pace I could. The positive thing is that I rode with the big group and that in the final part of the race I kept that good pace up.”
Ryusei Yamanaka (24th, +23.563)
Ryusei Yamanaka started Sunday’s warmup session with a time of 1:38.161, for 28th. At the start of the race, for which he was 21st on the grid, he dropped two positions, subsequently becoming involved in an incident that took him off the track and back into 30th place.
He would regain six positions on the following laps, but the large group at the front was out of reach. After finishing 24th, Yamanaka is 22nd in the World Championship with 7 points.
“I am not satisfied with the result today. On the second lap I was hit by another rider, which caused me to go off the track, and when I rejoined the race I was practically last. From that moment on, I pushed hard and tried to regain contact with the group, but it was impossible. If I passed someone, they would overtake me again on the next corner. We have to improve from the first Free Practice sessions at the next race, because the further back we start on the grid, the more difficult the race becomes.”
