Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3 riders Sergio Garcia Dols and Ryusei Yamanaka continue their packed schedule this week with the Catalan Grand Prix, the ninth round of the Moto3 World Championship season. The contest will be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Garcia Dols will try to make amends for last weekend, where he fought for points at Misano despite having to serve three ‘long lap’ penalties. Yamanaka returns to a track where he finished ninth last year as a wildcard.
The first free practice will get underway on Friday at 9am CEST, with the race scheduled for Sunday at 12am.
The Spanish rider Sergio Garcia Dols, 18th in the World Championship with 19 points, will be looking to make progress in Barcelona after his last outing at Misano, where he finished 17th. His great race pace was evident, but his final position was hindered by his incurring three ‘long lap’ penalties.
Last year at the Catalan GP, as a Grand Prix rookie, he made the cut to go directly into Q2, and started 13th on the grid. After moving into the Top 10, on Lap 6 he was involved in a crash with several riders.
“I arrive in Barcelona feeling good, because I am managing to ride fast alone during the races. What I need is to have better practice sessions, in which I can more easily establish a good pace. Working on this aspect will be our goal, so that I can ride solidly on raceday. This is one of my favourite circuits. I’ve always been good here, so let’s enjoy the weekend.”
The Japanese rookie Ryusei Yamanaka, 21st in the World Championship with 12 points, was on course to break into the points after a spectacular start to the race at Misano, but would drop into a battle for 20th place soon after. That would be his finishing position at the Emilia Romagna GP.
Yamanaka has extensive experience in Barcelona thanks to his time in the FIM CEV Repsol. Last year he also raced there as a Moto3 World Championship wildcard, claiming a valuable ninth place.
“I really like the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya because I have more experience there than most of the tracks on the calendar. At the last race at Misano I learned a lot, and I hope to be able to apply that this weekend from the first practice session onwards to be able to maintain a good pace. If I manage to combine improvement in several aspects, I will be more competitive.”
Grand Prix schedule
Friday:
FP1: 9am
FP2: 1:15pm
Saturday:
FP3: 9am
Q1: 12:35pm
Q2: 1pm
Sunday:
WARM UP: 9:40am
RACE: 12am
