Isaac Viñales salvages 24th place from drama-filled Italian GP

Tech3 Racing Team rider Isaac Viñales delivered a tireless performance in today’s round six battle at Mugello to finish the challenging event in 24th. The young Spaniard bolted forwards when the lights went out and he quickly locked into his race pace as he intended to move up the field.

By the third lap he was running in 22nd yet, at that point of the sprint, the red flag was shown due to the air fence being damaged by a crash. The GP was supposed to be resumed with a new and shortened procedure, however, after the initial sighting lap, it was pushed back once more due to several riders delaying the restart after missing the one minute slot to access the track.

It finally began with 10 laps to run and Viñales kicked off the shootout from 22nd. He battled throughout the remaining laps and he pushed non – stop before crossing the finish line in 24th position having given his all. Next up for the class rookie is his home Grand Prix in Montmelo where he will be intending to score a strong result aboard the Mistral 610.

On the opposite side of the Tech3 Racing team pit box, Xavi Vierge suffered bad luck at his debut appearance at the iconic Mugello circuit and fell on the third lap of the Grand Prix.

The young Spaniard leapt into gear when the race began and undertook an impressive start to finish the first lap nine places up from his qualifying position of 29th. He instantly set into his groove, yet his luck ran dry when he fell at the 13th corner, marking a disappointing end to the weekend.

Nevertheless, the 18 year old will seek to bounce back strongly at his home Grand Prix in Cataluña in a fortnight’s time.

Isaac Viñales
“The race was really tough today and even though I did my very best, we were limited because we suffered with grip issues. When I restarted the Grand Prix after the red flag, all of the other riders put new tyres on, but I didn’t have any left so I had to run with the tyres that we used at the beginning of the GP. This obviously hindered us, because the guys with the new rubber pushed hard and could run solid rhythms but for me, the rear wheel was spinning all the time and it was not possible to set a good pace. Anyway, now I look on to tomorrow’s test here and we have a lot of work to do. We will be focusing on the KYB suspension but I am excited to see what can find.

Xavi Vierge
“For me and the team, it is was a difficult end to the weekend, but I have to stay positive. I had a strong warm up and I was able to set the same lap time as in qualifying which was an encouraging opening to the day. However, starting from 29th on the grid always makes things more challenging, yet despite this, I had a great start and I entered the first corner more or less in 15th. Unfortunately, some riders passed me and then in one of the fastest corners of the track, I lost the front and it was impossible to save the bike. Nevertheless, tomorrow we are testing here, which is good for me because it’s a demanding track but I have another opportunity to improve the bike and also my riding style. Thank you to the team for their positive work and we will stay upbeat as always.”

Source: Tech3