Moncayo takes career-best second place as Faubel crashes out of the lead
A wet Moto3 race at Le Mans was a lottery for the riders, as the first to take on a slippery Le Mans circuit. Only 15 competitors made it to the chequered flag, whilst 18 fell by the wayside. The race was won by 22 year-old Frenchman Louis Rossi, with Alberto Moncayo and Álex Rins joining him on the first podium of the day.
The Moto3 riders had already experienced rainy conditions at the French track on Saturday, but the morning rainfall was what really complicated their weekend. The warmups took place in the wet, with most showing caution before the 11am race start.
BANKIA ASPAR rider Alberto Moncayo was one of the best in the wet, starting from fifth on the grid and riding a studious race. The Spaniard was in third place with seven laps to go, thanks to some crashes ahead of him and an uncanny ability to stay upright. Then the man ahead of him, Sandro Cortese, went down and added his name to a list that included Luis Salom, Maverick Viñales, Miguel Oliveira and Jakob Fornfeil: All riders to crash when part of the leading pack. Moncayo thus moved up to second, claiming his best ever World Championship result and putting the BANKIA ASPAR team back on the podium.
Teammate Héctor Faubel could also have been on the rostrum. He was fourth on the grid and one of the most experienced riders in the race, using his wisdom to know when to push and when to hold back in the early going. Faubel led on lap three, to the delight of the BANKI A ASPAR garage. With twelve laps gone, however, a strange crash put the former 125cc runner-up out of the game. It was a shame for the Spaniard, who had established himself as a favourite for the win and had returned to form with the arrival of the rain.
The next race for the BANKIA ASPAR TEAM takes place in two weeks time, at the Montmeló circuit. The Catalan GP is a home round for Moncayo, Faubel and for the team.
2nd Alberto Moncayo: “That was my best start of the year and my best race to boot. I took things with calm on the opening laps, keeping up with the lead group, but the rain started to come down more heavily at the midway point of the race. Riders were falling at the front, because they weren’t dropping their pace and the track conditions were worsening. These are races for the fastest and most intelligent riders, and we knew when to rein things in slightly. Rins caught up with me and I gave all that I had to hold onto second place – the best result of my career. This is a big boost for the team, as this is where we should be all the time. We have to change our mentality now, and see if we receive some adjustments to improve things in the dry at the next race.”
DNF Héctor Faubel: “We knew that we were strong in the wet and I kept up a good pace. The crash seems strange to me, because I was comfortable and was saving something for the end. I am happy with my riding but annoyed at the same time, because I led the race but could have taken a podium if I had stayed upright. That’s racing and I always try to win when I see that there is a chance. The best thing about the weekend has been solving the engine braking issue and goingfast in the wet.”
Source: Aspar Team
