Fernandez secures championship points from resilient Dutch MotoGP™ performance

Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez crossed the finish line in 14th place for two world championship points around the hallowed ground of the TT Circuit Assen. Teammate Pedro Acosta Spaniard slid out of a decent top seven slot on the final lap but showed improved speed each day of the eighth Grand Prix of the year.

• Fernandez tussles for points, and passes the flag with 14th position in The Netherlands
• Acosta makes another leap of performance to vie for track space and the battle for the final podium slot but suffers a DNF on the final lap at Assen
• Moto3™ adrenaline blast for Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone as the Spaniard and Australian rank 11th and 15th after an entertaining race on Sunday morning

The 4.5km and 18-corner TT Circuit Assen benefitted from dry and warm weather for the third day in a row but with slightly cooler temperatures compared to the hot sunshine that coated Saturday’s quali and Sprint. The circumstances changed the parameters of the 26-lap race for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 duo and from their information and data obtained through Saturday’s 13-lapper.

Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez started from 10th and 22nd on the grid respectively for the second time across the weekend. Acosta was still able to demonstrate his fierce raw talent and positive synergy with the GASGAS RC16 by surging into the top six at the start. He then kept a steady pace and only lost the tow of the small pack jostling for 3rd in the final laps. Trying to flick through Turn 7 for the final time Pedro went into the gravel.

Augusto Fernandez had made positive ground in the Saturday Sprint by moving up from P22 to finish P15. The Spaniard was looking for more of the same on Sunday and his 14th provided a bright end to the GP.

Acosta sits 6th in the world championship standings as the campaign nears the halfway point and Augusto is 17th. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 now look to a very different racing prospect next week where the shortest and most compact circuit on the calendar – the Sachsenring – will stage the German Grand Prix and a fixture that will then take MotoGP into a summer break.

Augusto Fernandez, 14th: “A very hard weekend where I just missed feeling on the track. I was hoping for a bit more today but I also knew it was important to finish the race. At least I took two points. That was a small positive. I’m looking forward to Sachsenring already where I hope we can be a bit more competitive.”

Pedro Acosta, DNF: “Not as tough as we were expecting, to be honest. After a difficult weekend we saw that we were able to be competitive in the end. The crash was tough to understand but we need to keep pushing because we are not so far.”

Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Not an easy weekend for the team. Augusto took two points in what was a tricky GP for him and his feeling here. We need to take these two points as a reward and motivation to explore a different direction. For Pedro it was also tough. We saw some bright moments but the fall on the last lap shows we still have something to improve. The race was 30 seconds faster than last year and this demonstrates just how competitive the class is. The  Sachsenring is a completely different circuit with different characteristics, so let’s see what will happen.”

Results MotoGP Grand Prix of the Netherlands

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 40:07.214

2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +3.676

3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +7.073

6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.005

11. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +24.004

14. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +42.871

DNF. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

World Championship standings MotoGP

1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 200 points

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 190

3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 142

6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 101

7. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 99

15. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 32

17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 15

Moto3

The vast, curving grandstand that runs from the penultimate corner at the TT Circuit Assen all the way to the depths of the first sector was full and noisy for the opening race of the Grand Prix. The Moto3 field provided gripping and tense entertainment as a 13-rider group disputed the podium positions. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Daniel Holgado was among the masses but just couldn’t find the extra tenths of a second per lap in the crucial final phases to make a bid for a trophy. He acquired 5 championship points for 11th place. Jacob Roulstone was a little further back and banked 1 point for 15th.

Daniel Holgado, 11th: “It was a difficult race and I didn’t have the best feeling. I pushed hard every lap but, overall, a difficult weekend. In a few days we have another opportunity to keep pushing for the championship. The team are doing a great job and we need to keep going. More in Sachsenring. It will be better for us there.”

Jacob Roulstone, 14h: “Overall I’m satisfied with some points. It was a challenging weekend. It didn’t click for me on Friday and I felt like I was a session or two behind. I had high expectations of myself. I was trying to gain positions and not make too much contact in the race! I wasn’t too confident with my pace today so did the best I could in the group around me. I positioned myself and was quite happy to win the battle there. The team worked really hard to keep me positive and focused for this weekend so I cannot thank them enough.”

Holgado held P2 in the world championship standings prior to the trip to Assen and is now 3rd; 43 points from 1st and 6 points ahead of his next nearest pursuer. Roulstone is inside the top eleven in his rookie season and the team are 3rd in their respective list.

Results Moto3 Grand Prix of the Netherlands

1. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM 33:45.971

2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.012

3. David Muñoz (ESP) KTM +2.197

4. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM +2.430

5. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +2.460

11. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5.067

14. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +27.868

15. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +27.940

19. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +31.102

DNF. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna

World Championship standings Moto3

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 154 points

2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 115

3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 111

7. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 58

11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 44

12. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 36

16. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 31

22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 3