More points for Van den Goorbergh and RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP in hectic Moto2 race in Qatar, Sasaki crashes
Zonta van den Goorbergh crossed the finish line in twelfth place in the Moto2 race at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on Sunday. After scoring his first points of the season in the United States, the Dutch rider adds more to his tally following a hard-fought race. Ayumu Sasaki did not finish due to a crash.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Van den Goorbergh lost several positions on the opening lap and had to fight his way back through the field. He did just that, and soon climbed back up to ninth place. However, in the final stages of the race, significant tyre wear prevented him from holding that position. Still, by finishing twelfth, Van den Goorbergh was able to collect another four points. The 19-year-old now sits 22nd in the Moto2 World Championship standings.
For Ayumu Sasaki, the race ended early following a difficult start. The Japanese rider crashed out on the third lap and was unable to finish.
Zonta van den Goorbergh (P12 / +11,925):
“We’ve had a positive weekend here in Qatar. Once again, I was able to start from the second row, and the race gave us our best result of the season so far. Of course, I’m not completely satisfied with the race itself, but at least we’re taking a solid amount of points home. The start didn’t go perfectly, and I lost a few positions in the first lap. As the race went on, things improved, although I had a scary moment with Binder when he suddenly slowed down on the straight. I lost touch with the group ahead of me but was able to keep a consistent pace. With around eight laps to go, there was a fairly unexpected drop-off in the front tire — even though we had chosen the harder compound. All in all, we didn’t do badly this weekend, and we can look back on it positively. I’m looking forward to continuing in Jerez.”Ayumu Sasaki (DNF):
“It was an unfortunate end to our weekend as I crashed out after two laps, so I cannot say much about the race. I felt quite good on the bike and I think our pace would have been strong with the harder front tyre. I lost the front and don’t really why, but we are looking into what happened exactly. This weekend we managed to work a lot on our setup and tried to get more comfortable, but we haven’t exactly found the solution yet although I think we are making steps forward. We don’t give up and focus on the next round in Jerez.”Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“We’ve wrapped up an intense weekend in Qatar with points, and we can be happy with that. There might have been a bit more possible, but especially considering that moment with Binder, we should be glad everything turned out okay. Zonta has once again shown how strong he is this weekend, and we need to carry that momentum with us as we return to the familiar European circuits. On Ayumu’s side, the race ended very early, so there’s not much to say there. Things are a bit more difficult for him at the moment, so we need to work together to give him more confidence on the bike.”
After four overseas Grand Prix weekends, the paddock now returns to Europe. The Spanish Grand Prix will take place from April 25 to 27 at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto.