The second race of the MotoGP World Championship, on the Argentine circuit of Termas de Rio Hondo, was an event to behold!
Difficult qualifying, and a tough start but so much competition in the race itself. It had been an emotional and hard fought weekend since Friday, particularly in the premier class of MotoGP itself, with emotions & tempers boiling over after the race. But also Moto2 and Moto3 have not been without emotion in their respective races.
Throughout all the chaos, the Nolan Group riders have shone in all classes. The first podium for Alex Rins has arrived, already competing with the top riders in MotoGP, while the debutant Syahrin has shown talent and aggressiveness. A bit of misfortune, however, for Danilo Petrucci.
Congratulations to Remy Gardner in Moto2 and equally good Aaron Canet, Enea Bastianini and Alonso Lopez, all points and top 6 in Moto3.
The next GP will take place in Austin, Texas. In the meantime, if you have not already done so, take out the bikes. It's time to travel with us!
MOTOGP:
ALEX RINS 3rd:
“I’m very satisfied with this race, because it wasn’t easy and before the start I was nervous due to the delay and everything. But finally, when we started, I was feeling really good from the beginning. When I was behind Miller I was thinking ‘OK, maybe I need to overtake him and go’, because my feeling was perfect. But when I was leading I made a small mistake - the track was very difficult with the damp patches, especially off the racing line. Myself, my team, and everyone in Japan has worked really hard to have a competitive bike, and we’ve done it! Texas is one of my favourite tracks, despite the fact that last year I had a fast crash and broke my arm. This year we arrive with strong mentality, more experience, and a great bike.”
HAFIZH SYAHRIN 9th:
"I’m so happy about the result today! I pushed really hard all the weekend, the team did a very good job. I felt truly strong this weekend, we only struggled in qualifying, because I didn’t find good grip to stop the bike in a decent way. For the race I was fully motivated, I pushed and when I saw that I was in P15 after the first lap, I was surprised. My pace was really strong and I was able to follow the Factory Yamaha quite easily, but it was difficult to pass the Ducati, because it’s very fast on the straight. I tried it many times, but it was not possible. In the end P9 is a really amazing result for me, I have a fantastic feeling with the team and want to pass my congratulations to Johann for his podium. We are very happy and leave Argentina with a great result. I hope I can do also a good race in Austin and will continue to work hard on myself."
DANILO PETRUCCI 10th:
“All in all, this Top 10 is a good result at the end of a weekend that was very difficult for us. After the difficulties of practices and quali we managed to have a competitive bike. In the end I could also take Rabat and Dovi but on the last lap Sharin touched me and I lost time. It was a pity because I could have done a better result. I return home however with a positive mood. I can’t wait to be in the US.”
MOTO2:
REMY GARDNER 6th:
“I’m extremely happy, the best result ever! It’s been a really strong weekend. I think I made a big step, especially me and my riding, but also the bike was a little bit better. It was a tough race and I had to pick to choose some lines sometimes. It took me about six, seven laps to really understand where I can push. The group in the front finally made that gap and then it was kind of hard to catch back up. Definitely, a long race, mentally wise, alone, but we can be truly satisfied.”
MOTO3:
ARON CANET 2nd:
"It was a race that had to end. I was determined to do it in the first positions. The track was drying before the race, but we decided to start with the water tire. I was able to escape from the group, but Fabio [Di Giannantonio] hit me on the last lap. I managed to protect my position and this second position fits us very well. The important thing today was the points and we have taken twenty. "
ENEA BASTIANINI 4th:
"The race did not go as planned, but we managed to bring home some important points. The first part was very difficult, on the dry-wet mix I was struggling to open the gas. In the second part, a dry line had been created and I was able to go back strong. The fourth place is definitely not the result we wanted, now we will do well in Texas ".
ALONSO LOPEZ 6th:
"The race was very complicated, but I was looking forward to running in water because I knew I had a good pace in these conditions. When we were on the grid I realized that the asphalt was not going to dry, so I took it calmly in the first two corners, but, from there, I went ahead of enough riders and catching the front group little by little. I had a scare and I thought that the tire had already degraded, but it was not like that and I had another five laps to shoot concentrated. In the last lap I saw that my rivals were going to collide and I was able to win the position on the inside."
