Reigning Moto3 World Championship runner-up places third after thrilling final lap, losing out to Romano Fenati and Efren Vazquez but claiming a first podium on a Honda. Teammate Alex Marquez places seventh and Maria Herrera seventeenth.
The morning race at the Spanish Grand Prix offered up an exciting battle between the fastest riders in Moto3. It was a group race from start to finish, in which Alex Rins was one of the main players up until the final corner. Teammate Alex Marquez was unable to get involved in the fight for the podium. After getting off to a bad start, he finally recovered a valuable seventh place finish. Rins kept up his charge until the last corner, placing third and taking his first podium for Honda.
None of the Repsol Moto3 riders began the race well. At the end of lap 1, Rins was seventh, Marquez ninth and Maria Herrera seventeenth. A packed lead group quickly formed, with the Repsol riders joined by the bikes of Miller, Fenati, Vazquez and Viñales, amongst others. Rins was very active in the lead spots, whilst Marquez dropped back due to tyre issues.
The group continued to be almost inseparable until the final laps, with Fenati, Rins and Vazquez the standouts. The trio diced for the win on the very last lap, arriving at the final corner close together. Rins attempted to pass on the brakes, but came close to crashing and relinquished the lead to Fenati and Vazquez –who took first and second, respectively. Marquez suffered tyre issues throughout the race, but was able to take seventh, and Maria Herrera was seventeenth after a battle in a group of more experienced riders like Masbou, Guevara, McPhee, Oettl, Binder, Loi, Hanika and Tonucci.
Jack Miller remains series leader after Round 4, with 79 points. Rins is fourth with 51, and Marquez is fifth with 49. The next race –the French Grand Prix– takes place in two weeks time.
Álex Rins >> AUDIO
3º a 0.147 sec.
“Finishing third here at Jerez, with all the fans behind us, is a great result for us after the way the season start has gone. It was a difficult race, but fun at the same time. I had a good battle with Fenati and Vazquez; they exited the final corner a little better than I did, and I had studied their lines for a few laps, but it just wasn’t possible to beat them in the end. I took a risk on the brakes the final time; I knew that if I came out of the corner behind Fenati, Vazquez would pass me on the straight.”
Álex Márquez >> AUDIO
7º a +3.808 sec.
“I am not entirely satisfied with today, as placing seventh at home wasn’t the result that we were aiming for in front of the Spanish fans. I did the best that I could in the race, pushing all the time to try and reach the lead group. I was up there in that group for a few laps, but I found it very hard because of an external problem; it wasn’t the team or Honda’s fault. For the upcoming races I am sure that things will improve, and we will go to France with our motivation on a high once again in order to do the best we can.”
María Herrera >> AUDIO
17ª a +15.753 seg.
“We knew that it was going to be a tough race, because of the tyre wear. I focused on getting a good start, but I didn’t get off the line that well. On the opening laps I attacked in order to gain places and join up with a group as best I could. I saw that I was up to 12th, then I pulled away from the group I had been riding in. That’s when my tyres went off. After that it was hard for me to keep up the pace; I had problems with the front end and tried to just finish the race at a steady pace. I am happy with how things went here at Jerez.I learnt a lot this weekend and had a better pace than in the FIM CEV Repsol. We improved with every session, so overall it was a positive weekend. Now we turn our focus to the next national event at Le Mans.”
