Isaac Viñales 9th & Xavi Vierge DNF in rain hit German GP

Tech3 Racing Team rider Isaac Viñales produced a brave and notable display to complete the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in 9th as he battled against the torrid weather conditions.

The rain fell throughout the day in Saxony to make the event even more challenging at the undulating German circuit. The Spaniard began his campaign from the rear of the eighth row of the grid and after a cautious start, he stuck into his race pace and jumped up four places to 20th by the fourth lap. He continued his ascent and at the mid-point he was running in 13th.

The intermediate class rookie carried on his consistent pace as he kept the pursuing riders at bay and he remained fully focused as the lap numbers counted down. Eventually, he met the chequered flag in 9th, which marks his best finish in the Moto2 class and brings the first part of the season to a positive close.

Meanwhile, Xavi Vierge suffered bad luck in his debut race in Germany after falling at turn nine on the fifth lap. The Spaniard kicked off the Grand Prix from the 8th row of the grid and moved up three places by the close of the first lap. He then confidently set into a formidable rhythm and pushed onwards as he targeted the positions in front.

However, Vierge unfortunately, crashed whilst running in 18th. Nevertheless, he will seek to bounce back with a strong result in Austria after the three-week summer break.

Isaac Viñales
“I am happy because I feel that we deserved this finish and especially after the tricky weather conditions that we had today, which certainly didn’t make things easier. This was the first fully wet Moto2 GP that I have experienced, but despite feeling a bit cautious at the beginning, I started to push and felt comfortable, but I made sure that I didn’t make any mistakes. It was a relief to finally see the chequered flag and I am pleased to have sealed my first top ten aboard the Mistral 610. This result is a positive end to the first half of the season and after the summer break, we will be back and ready to try again in Austria.”

Xavi Vierge
“It goes without saying that today was very disappointing. In the warm up, I didn’t feel too comfortable with the bike, but when the GP started, the added rain made the Mistral suddenly handle differently and I felt so confident. Therefore, I realised that it would be possible to have a great race in Germany. I improved my time with every lap and just before I crashed, my pace was equal to 5th or 6th position. This is a positive that we can take home, but anyway, I am sorry to the Tech3 Racing Team for what happened. I have to say, I’d always rather fight than just sit back and collect a result. Now we will have a bit of a break before we head to Austria, but I am certain that we can have a much better time there.”

Source: Tech3