More championship points for Fernandez as MotoGP™ hangs it out at Jerez

Augusto Fernandez aced MotoGP points again as the rookie captured 13th position at a warm but cloudy Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 watched their rookie continue his rapid spell of learning and adaptation and exceed expectations. Team Jonas Folger classified 17th.

• 13th place for Fernandez in the first of three ‘home’ Grands Prix for GASGAS on the ’23 calendar
• Jonas Folger grasps 17th position in his second competitive outing on the GASGAS RC16
• Standout runner-up ride by David Alonso with a maiden podium finish in Moto3™

Augusto Fernandez and Jonas Folger showed the distinctive GASGAS red to native Spanish MotoGP fans for the first time this season and with a massive crowd at Jerez appreciative of the cooler climate, compared to the roasting conditions on Saturday. The Spanish Grand Prix, round four of twenty, ticked-off 24 laps and pushed tire preservation to the max as the riders looked for ways and means to overtake around the 4.4km, 13-turn narrow layout.

Fernandez was scraping elbows and fairings with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in the battle on the fringe of the top ten and once the race had been restarted in the wake of a first turn collision. Augusto maintains his line of points and improvement at the crucial time of the weekend by shining on Sunday. His 13th place ensured three more points to his total.

Jonas Folger completed his second Grand Prix distance since coming into the team for round three in the United States. The German was able to drop his lap-times and increase his comfort on the bike in the midst of the incredibly competitive class. Folger’s race time was 47 seconds behind the winner as he continues to find his edge in the thrust of MotoGP once again.

The red gets fast again in just 24 hours. The first one-day IRTA test means the bikes will stay unpacked at Jerez and the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 crew will be trying new parts and setup solutions on Monday before thinking about round five at Le Mans for the SHARK Grand Prix de France in two weeks.

Augusto Fernandez, 13th: “Much better today. My pace was more competitive and I was in a more competitive group. Even my start was better. We made a big step and the top ten was not so far. The gap is getting smaller and now I am looking forward to the test tomorrow and working more on the GP bike. Just having that extra track time will be a big help because we miss that on the race weekends.”

Jonas Folger, 17th “We changed our engine mapping for the restart of the race and it helped me with better edge grip but I still ran into the same issue of losing some lap-time speed when the conditions get harder. It is tough for me to adapt and ride around those issues. We’ll use the test to try and understand what I can do and how the team can help me to take more potential out of the bike and the tires. A big thanks to the guys for the work this weekend. I’m happy.”

Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Another super-strong result for Augusto who managed to finish in the points for the fourth race in a row. He was under twenty seconds from the winner and this is also positive, and comparable with the time set by the Rookie of the Year at Jerez last year. He rides with his head and his talent and this is a nice reward for the team. Jonas struggled a bit in the heat but he finished the race and gathered some valuable experience and that was his target for the weekend. Thanks to the riders and the team: we’re happy, and now we’ll get ready for the test tomorrow.”

Results MotoGP Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 39:29.085

2. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +0.221

3. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM +1.119

13. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +19.010

17. Jonas Folger (GER) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +47.146

World Championship standings MotoGP

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 87 points

2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati, 65

3. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM, 62

16. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 17

22. Jonas Folger (GER) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 4

Moto3 and Moto2

19 laps of tight and unpredictable position-swapping defined the opening race at Jerez. Moto3 was tense and gripping as six riders chased victory. GASGAS Aspar Racing’s Ryusei Yamanaka started from the second row of the grid and was into play after several steady circulations. The Japanese was holding 2nd place and about to attack from the lead when a technical issue forced him into pitlane at less than half race distance. He headed back on track but was far behind the field and ranked 25th. David Alonso had to work his way back from the lower reaches of the top twenty in the formative stages but rode superbly to reach the top five and be part of the squabble for glory. The Colombian attacked and probed for space and sliced into the lead through the final three corners but was outdone in the charge to the finish line by Ivan Ortola. The gap was a ridiculously tight 0.034 of a second.

The runner-up finish still represented David’s ‘PB’ result, his first podium and elevated the youngster up to 7th in the world championship standings.

David Alonso: “I fought so hard for this! I’m not 100% happy because I thought I could win. I was into the last corner in 1st! Though to come from 16th means we had a good day. I made a good pace and struggled into the middle of the race but recovered well at the end. Congrats to the other two guys, what a race and so nice to see so many fans here, and all my friends and family. Also, thanks to the team. This is a good result and now we want more.”

Ryusei Yamanaka: “I felt really good and ready for the podium. The feeling with the bike was incredible and the pace was coming easy. I had everything I needed today but unfortunately my footpeg came loose and I had to come into the pitbox. It was such bad luck. We can all make mistakes! I’m sad for the result and losing the opportunity but I’m really positive because I was fast and everybody could see. This makes me strong and even more on fire for Le Mans.”

Moto2 roared away from the grid with Jake Dixon staring at empty track courtesy of his fine 3rd fastest time through Saturday’s Quali. The Brit slid into the dice for the top five and had his hands full with Somkiat Chantra. He eventually claimed a steady 6th. 22nd belonged to Izan Guevara. The young Spanish Moto2 rookie was attempting just his second race in the class and is still playing catch-up after his right wrist issue from the off-season. Izan and the rest of the GASGAS Aspar Racing Team will have another chance to fight for trophies when MotoGP gathers again at the historic circuit of Le Mans for the SHARK Grand Prix de France on May 13-14.

Jake Dixon: “I knew it was going to be a difficult race and it is frustrating because I wanted more. I had too much of a tire drop early in the race and this hasn't been my favorite race track, so to finally finish here, in sixth position, is not so bad. It's good that we have a test on Tuesday as we need to find some things to help with some rear grip. I'm looking forward to that. I gave my maximum during the race and I'm happy. We need to try better if we want to really try to fight for the win."

Izan Guevara: “Honestly this was a positive race. It was conditioned a bit by the start but I was happy with the rhythm I could make; towards the end it was similar to the riders going for the last positions of the top fifteen. I made some mistakes and I need to learn but I’m getting better on the bike and I’m feeling more comfortable. I’m happy, and already thinking about France.”

Results Moto3 Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España

1. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM 33:57.506

2. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.034

3. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda +0.215

25. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +1 lap

World Championship standings Moto3

1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) KTM, 59 points

2. Diogo Moreira (BRA) KTM, 55

3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM, 50

7. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team, 30

17. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team, 14

Results Moto2 Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España

1. Sam Lowes (GBR) 35:45.107

2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) +2.841

3. Alonso Lopez (ESP) +9.618

6. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +11.923

22. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team +37.151

World Championship standings Moto2

1. Pedro Acosta (ESP), 74 points

2. Tony Arbolino (ITA), 74

3. Aron Canet (ESP), 52

7. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team, 36