Great performance from Repsol riders sees them fight at the front in a close race. Maria Herrera debuts with a meritworthy twenty-second place.
The 2015 Moto3 World Championship began under the floodlights of Losail this Sunday with an intense and dramatic race. Repsol riders Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Navarro were involved in the battle for victory, alongside a large group of riders at the front. In the end a lottery last lap decided things, with Quartararo eventually placing seventh and Navarro twelfth. Maria Herrera, who started from thirty-second on the grid, rose ten places to conclude the season opener twenty-second.
As expected, the race saw a large group leading the way throughout. Slipstreams and the long straight at Losail put paid to any attempt to break away at the front. Lap-after-lap, a pack of more than fifteen riders chased victory, until a chaotic final lap decided things. Amidst much overtaking and scraping of fairings, Quartararo looked as though he would be amongst those in contention for the win, but contact with another rider dropped him down to seventh, 0.772s off fellow Frenchman and race winner, Alexis Masbou.
Navarro crossed the finish line twelfth, 1.6 seconds behind the winner, and Maria Herrera was 29 seconds back in twenty-second place.
After the exciting season curtain-raiser, the World Championship returns to action in two weeks’ time, for the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin.
Fabio Quartararo
7th, at 0.772 sec.
“The race went pretty well and we rode in the front group right until the end. The pace was not very high, because we were in a group of more than ten riders and there was a lot of overtaking. Towards the end I ran wide and tried to recover, but I was just missing a little something to get a better result. I learned a lot today, because I have to be more relaxed on the final laps and fight to the end. Now I am really looking forward to the race in Austin.”
Jorge Navarro
12th, at 1.608 sec.
“It was a very positive race. Since Thursday and the first free practice session we have done a great job, both the team and myself, and this has allowed me to go into the race with a good setup and a great pace. Races like this, with a lot of slipstreaming, are always crazy, because you can go from being last in a group to leading it. On the last lap I was well placed, in sixth or seventh, but things got a bit chaotic in front of me and I was run onto the white line when trying to overtake around the outside. Twelfth place is not what we were hoping for, but we have achieved the goal of finishing the race in the front group –even if it wasn’t in the Top 10. I’m sure that in the next race we will take a step forward.”
Maria Herrera
22nd, at 29.266 sec.
“I made a good start and was able to get into a good spot. It’s just a shame that I was hit by some of the riders ahead of me and dropped back a little. I tried to keep my position in order to continue learning in the race, and we were able to take another second off my times from practice. I was able to overtake riders, gain more confidence with the bike and, in general, draw some positive conclusions. It has been a tough start, but I am sure that it will help us for the next race –so I am very happy with this first Grand Prix of the year.”
