Calculated risks and a cool head secure Salom a podium spot at home race

 In Moto3, News

Staying cool and in control took Luis Salom to second place after a brilliant and exciting Moto3 race at the Spanish Grand Prix. The race on the circuit of Jerez was declared dry but wet spots on the track made the circumstances very tricky.

Only 10 riders finished within the same lap as race winner Romano Fenati. Just 17 competitors finished the race.
Luis Salom had his scary moments as well, but managed to keep the Kalex KTM upright. Starting from only 19th on the grid Salom had to fight his way to the front. By the end of the second lap he had moved up to 11th and after the fourth lap he passed the finish line in 4th position. Louis Rossi, Alex Rins and Romano Fenati took nine seconds on the following group with Sandro Cortese, Alexis Masbou and Luis Salom.

Shortly after Rossi crashed out also Rins ran off but he got back on his bike and rejoined the race in the group with Cortese and Salom, with nine laps to go. Fenati was able to smash a gap of half a minute but Salom, Rins and Cortese had a fascinating fight for the podium. In the final lap Salom set his fastest lap and aimed for his attack when overtaking a few back markers. With the 20 points Salom deserved by finishing second the Spanish RW Racing GP rider is now third in the Moto3 World Championship.

Luis Salom: “I am over the moon. What a race that was! On the grid we decided to change from wet tires to slicks and soon it proved that was the right thing to do. There were still puddles and wet spots but I could lift the bike a bit on those places. My start was great and I got to the front within a few laps. Trying to stay with the front group was a bit too dangerous, I thought. Sometimes you just have to keep calm and trust on the mistakes made by others out of eagerness. I could keep my head down, keep a constant pace and wait for the right moment to attack. I gave my maximum in the final lap. Overtaking the back markers helped me a bit: they got in the way for Cortese and Rins. It felt really good to be on the podium again. As far as I am concerned: again next week!”

Team manager Johan Stigefelt: “After fighting for the podium in Qatar we got ourselves a second place in this race. That is a superb result, for Luis and for the team. It proves that you never should give up hope, not even after such a bad qualifying as we had in Jerez. We have worked hard for this. It is well deserved. We’ll just keep on working to keep this third place in the championship. It’s a pity for Brad, but he realizes that this crash was not his mistake. He just ran into some bad luck. It’s part of the game.”

Source: RW Racing

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