Alonso Lopez, Sergio Garcia Dols and wildcard Ryusei Yamanaka took part in the Japanese Grand Prix, competing in a 20-lap race at Twin Ring Motegi.
Garcia Dols fought for the podium at the front of the race to finish in fifth place, whilst Alonso Lopez finished ninth and Ryusei Yamanaka 15th in a wildcard appearance. The race was won by Italian rider Lorenzo Dalla Porta.
After riding with wet tyres on Saturday, the riders experienced dry conditions on Sunday in the warmup and the race.
The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3 riders will be back on track on October 25th at Phillip Island, for the first free practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix.
ALONSO LÓPEZ – “I think I could have done better”
After taking his best grid spot in qualifying with second place, Alonso Lopez finished 13th in the warmup with a time of 1:558.693.
He went into the first corner in second, keeping within the lead group on the following laps. Sixth on lap 5, he rounded off a pack consisting of eight riders.
On the final laps he was unable to avoid losing ground, crossing the finish line in eighth position as part of the second group. Lopez is 14th in the championship with 68 points.
“I’m not too satisfied with the race, because I think I could have done better. I don’t think that I managed part of the race well, and that made me lose ground little by little. After that, I stuck with the second group and rode more comfortably. I held my place and we finished in the top ten. Although it is not the best possible result for us, it has given us some more points and allowed us to continue evolving with the help of my crew.”
SERGIO GARCÍA – “I pushed hard and managed to escape with the front group”
Fifth in Q2 (2:09.700 on wet tyres), Garcia Dols clocked a 1:58.952 for 20th in the morning warmup.
He held fifth position off the start, moving up to second on Lap 4 and staying in the lead group.
Third halfway through the race, Garcia Dols reached the final stages of the race in contention for the podium, finishing an impeccable first appearance at Motegi in fifth. Garcia Dols remains 22nd in the standings with 31 points.
“In Thailand, we worked intensively on our setup, and we continued that work here. In FP1 I did very well and in FP2 I worked on my pace. When we rode in the wet on Saturday I felt very comfortable. I got a fifth place on the grid and in the race, I went out there to see what I could do. I pushed hard and managed to escape with the first group. I was always among the top riders and it was very positive because I had not achieved that all season. I think we are improving and, little by little, we will be higher up the order.”
RYUSEI YAMANAKA – “I felt strong and it was a lot of fun”
The Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider, normally a competitor in the FIM CEV Repsol, set a 1:59.131 in the warmup, 15th fastest.
In the race he took off from 20th, gaining two positions to continue fighting for points and ride 16th at the midway point.
On the final laps he moved up to 13th, in a fight with a tough group. He concluded the contest 15th and scored points on his fourth World Championship appearance of the season.
“I’m very happy with the race, despite me having had some problems on the fastest parts of the circuit. I tried to compensate by riding good lines and accelerating very quickly out of the corners. I had a fantastic battle with high-level riders. It was a great experience for me; I had to work hard not to lose contact with riders whose bikes were faster than mine. I felt strong and it was a lot of fun. I’m very grateful for this opportunity to continue learning. I can’t wait for Valencia, where I will ride as a wildcard again.”
