Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders Alonso Lopez and Sergio Garcia leave Argentina empty-handed despite hard work
Alonso Lopez set the seventh fastest time in the warmup, clocking a 1:50.296. The Spaniard would start from 17th on the grid, due to having encountered traffic in the decisive moments of Saturday’s qualifying session.
He lost a place at the start of the race, but quickly won it back and began a spell of consistent progress, moving into eighth place with 9 laps remaining.
One lap later, he received a knock from John McPhee at Turn 13, and could not keep upright. He crashed out of the race, and leaves Argentina 12th in the standings, with 4 points.
Alonso Lopez
“I had a good pace, and in the warmup I consolidated it quite well by riding alone. In the race I was gaining positions little by little and, when I was preparing to move up into seventh place, I crashed due to a mistake from another rider. That halted my progress. I think in the end it was a matter of bad luck. I hope to continue with my progress and be back at the front in Texas.”
Teammate Sergio GarcÃa suffered a crash in the warmup on Sunday. After a medical at the circuit, he was diagnosed with a slight concussion and was refused clearance to start the race.
Garcia has been transfered to the Hospital de Santiago del Estero facility, where he will undergo a CAT scan. He will be aiming to make his full Moto3 World Championship debut in a fortnight’s time, in the USA.