Van den Goorbergh scores points in rainy Moto2 race in Austin, Sasaki finishes 19th

Zonta van den Goorbergh secured his first World Championship points of the year on Sunday in the Moto2 race at the Circuit of The Americas. In extremely challenging conditions, the Dutch rider crossed the line in 13th place on a wet track, earning three points. RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP teammate Ayumu Sasaki finished the race in 19th.

After a very rainy Friday and a sunny Saturday, Sunday’s weather at the Circuit of The Americas was highly unpredictable. Following some light morning drizzle, the track remained dry until just minutes before the start of the Moto2 race, when heavy rain returned. The downpour left the American circuit wet enough to require rain tyres.

Thanks to his impressive qualifying performance on Saturday, Van den Goorbergh started from fourth on the grid and held his ground well in the early stages of the race. As the race progressed, he dropped back slightly before recovering a few positions in the closing laps. In the end, the 19-year-old rider finished in 13th place, securing his first World Championship points of the season.

Starting from 24th on the grid, Sasaki faced a tougher challenge but got off to a strong start, quickly gaining multiple positions. However, as the race went on, the Japanese rider struggled in the tricky conditions and eventually crossed the line in 19th position.

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P13 / +43.089):
“We knew before the weekend that this would be a tough one because this is a circuit where I’ve struggled in the past. Yesterday we managed to turn things around with a really strong qualifying, but unfortunately, it started raining just before the race. From the start of the race, I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike, but despite that I tried to get the most out of it. I pushed to the limit every lap, but unfortunately we weren’t able to achieve a better result today. At least we scored our first three points of the season, and we need to keep working to be stronger in the upcoming Grand Prix weekends. In two weeks we head to Qatar—a track where I had a good weekend last year—so we go there with a positive mindset.”

Ayumu Sasaki (P19 / +1’12.118):
“It was a difficult race for us today. The conditions were very tricky and the grip levels were very low. I tried my best to improve every lap but the grip wasn’t getting much better. In the last few laps I could push the bike a bit more on the dry line and make it work. Anyway, it was very difficult and I didn’t have a good feeling so it’s an unfortunate end to the weekend. We learn from this and try to improve for the next race in Qatar.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“Today was not an easy race for us. It’s always very difficult to assess a situation like this, and on the grid you have to decide whether to go for slicks or rain tyres. I think we made a very good decision to go with rain tyres, as we also saw some riders on slicks getting lapped. The next thing you have to decide is the bike setup, which means choosing between a fully dry, fully wet, or an in-between setup. For us, it was the latter.

Then you start the race, and it all comes down to a combination of the rider, the conditions, and the rider’s feeling with the bike. Unfortunately, our riders didn’t have the right feeling today to maximise the result.

Austin has always been a tough track for us in the past, and now we come away with a 13th place for Zonta. Given how the race went, of course, we wanted more—both the team and the rider—but we still take three points. Yesterday he qualified in fourth, which showed that we had very strong pace. Unfortunately, the conditions today didn’t work in our favour, but we have to take the positives and look ahead.”

The next Grand Prix will take place on the weekend of April 11-13 at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.