Isaac Viñales 19th and DNF for Xavi Vierge in Qatar

Tech3 Racing Team rider Isaac Viñales battled all the way to the chequered flag and finished in 19th after a determined and relentless effort in the challenging first round of the 2016 Moto2 World Championship.

The rookie bolted forwards from the ninth row of the grid when the lights went out and jumped up two places by the close of the opening lap. He then stuck into his consistent rhythm and was in 19th by half distance.

Viñales maintained his consistency by pushing onwards and he eventually ended in this position after what was a demanding Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit.

Meanwhile, Xavi Vierge was unfortunate in the opening round and after running as high as 10th, he lucklessly fell on the 15th lap.

The young Spaniard kicked off the race from 20th and immediately launched into his strong rhythm, which saw him move up four places by the close of the first lap.

He maintained his pace, yet with less than a quarter of distance left to run the 18 year old’s luck ran out, bringing the otherwise positive weekend to an unfortunate end. Nevertheless, Vierge remains fully confident of bouncing back with a solid result at the next GP in Argentina.

Isaac Viñales
“I am happy about my inaugural race in the Moto2 class with the Tech3 Racing Team. We gained a lot of knowledge during the 20 lap battle which is vital for the future. I am now able to give more information about what I feel on the bike with the setup and also we learnt a lot about my riding style. There are things that need to be improved more, but I have made some changes and I am pleased about what we achieved at our first GP together. I feel confident that we will finish higher up the field and I am looking forward to the next round.”

Xavi Vierge
“Of course, the end result is definitely not what we hoped for which is a massive shame because in the warm up, we had a good pace for the Grand Prix and I ended up in 14th. In the race itself, things were progressing well until I fell. I had a good start and the opening few laps were positive. I got up to 14th and then shortly after, 10th. However, with five to go, I changed into second gear and the bike went into neutral, which I couldn’t save. I am dissatisfied because it was the beginning of the season and I was determined about getting a solid finish here. Anyway, now we will focus on Argentina where I will continue to learn and give my all. Thank you to the team for the work this weekend.”

Source: Tech3