Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Pedro Acosta showed class, speed and no shortage of balls to come back from a crash while fighting for the lead of the Gran Premi de Catalunya and secure points for 13th position today. Augusto Fernandez also fell at a hot and sunny Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya while surging to the top ten but could not rejoin what was round six of the 2024 campaign.
- Pedro Acosta propels from 5th on the grid into an early duel for victory. A crash at Turn 10 did not deter the rookie from chasing back through the pack to reach the top 13.
- Augusto Fernandez suffers a DNF while pushing for track space on the fringe of the top ten
- Daniel Holgado rushes to 6th in a gripping Moto3™ race while teammate Jacob Roulstone scores 8th
The sun burned brighter and the temperatures climbed further for the critical point of the Gran Premi De Catalunya on Sunday and round six of 2024 MotoGP. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 formed-up on the grid in 5th and 19th positions and with recently turned 20-year-old Pedro Acosta vibing after his Sprint podium finish on Saturday.
Both riders were fully aware that the 24-lap Grand Prix posed a more difficult challenge compared to the 12-lap outing the previous day: the slick nature of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya asphalt pushing tire conservation to the fore. The search for optimum traction was key to podium prospects.
As on Saturday, Acosta accelerated from the grid and into the leading pack from the disappearance of the red light on the grid. ‘Red’ was very much the theme as the GASGAS RC16 made bold moves and Pedro made his presence felt in the battle for silverware. Sadly, a front end slide into Turn 10 sent the #31 into the gravel. Acosta was able to pick-up his slightly damaged machine and throttled through the rest of the GP distance from last place to arrive at a creditable 13th and 3 championship points.
In the chase for maximum bounty mid-pack, Augusto Fernandez was looking sharp around the outskirts of the top ten but then lost the bike into Turn 10 with 18 laps to go and was out of the running.
MotoGP will now turn up the pace even further with the trip to the Autodromo de Mugello and the captivating climes of the Tuscan speedbowl track. The Gran Premio d’Italia will take place next weekend.
Pedro Acosta, 13th: “First weekend that we have been constantly competitive. Really competitive. A small mistake at a tricky track but happy anyway. We were always at the front and at a place that is not our best circuit. Focused now for Mugello and for sure it will be a good weekend also.”
Augusto Fernandez, DNF: “A shame to crash because I had a great start and I had the pace to make a real top ten result today. This was a big step for us and we have to take these small gains to keep the faith. We know we can do much better than where we are so the progress we are making is important. The crash was my fault but I don’t really understand why because I was managing the tire and was comfortable with the pace. We’ll try again in Mugello.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “The scenario was perfect for Pedro after he learned a lot from the Sprint yesterday and he rode smart today. He took a small risk with the tire choice but he was sure about it. He was confident and we could see he was fast on track but we know it is easy to crash here. It’s a big shame but let’s keep positive about the situation because he was fighting for the win. I’d like to thank him for his never-give-up attitude. 13th was a small reward for a great weekend. Augusto had decent pace but was also caught out by a crash. Anyway, a lot of positives from this Grand Prix and we’ll move now to Mugello.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Catalunya
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 40:11.726
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +1.740
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +10.491
8. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +18.578
13. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +31.967
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
DNF. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 155 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 116
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 114
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 83
8. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 75
15. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 27
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 13
Moto3
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 opened the first race of the day as strong participants thanks to the potential of both Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone. The 18-lap Grand Prix drew 15 riders together into the front-running group and both the Spaniard and the Australian were forceful members of the posse. Position swapping, strategy, racecraft and tire conservation were key ingredients for most of the race distance and into the crucial final two-lap chase. Holgado made his move when it counted but missed the final tenths of pace as the race wound down. He made sure of 6th at the finish as Rookie Roulstone bagged points for the sixth race in a row with a very decent performance to 8th.
Holgado is now P2 in the standings but just 14 points divide him and David Alonso. Roulstone is 12th and GASGAS are the 2nd best constructor with a quarter of the 2024 calendar now in the books.
Daniel Holgado, 6th: “Today was a good race but the last laps were difficult for me because the grip was quite different compared to the other days here. I gave my maximum and that’s why I’m happy. Now I need to stay focused for next week in Mugello.”
Jacob Roulstone, 8th: “Overall I’m very happy with the race. It wasn’t perfect but pleased with the way I rode. I knew I had to be aggressive off the start – that was something to improve – and I did that. It was a shame just to be tenth of a second from that front group. I kept my focus and the tires working well and to lead that second group. I still have some small things to do better but it was a good weekend.”
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Catalunya
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 32:25.084
2. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.242
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM +0.513
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.560
6. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +3.390
8. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +7.248
14. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +8.160
15. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +20.335
19. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +22.327
World Championship standings Moto3
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 118 points
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 104
3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 75
6. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 44
11. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 35
12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 35
13. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 31
22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 3