Raul Fernandez Fights His Way to P13 from P25, Remy Gardner Finishes 19th in Misano

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner held on today in an eventful Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, which saw Raul Fernandez being back in the points as he finished thirteenth, while Remy Gardner settled in P19.

After a rather disappointing qualifying day which saw them both start from the back of the grid, KTM riders Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner made decent starts to their San Marino Grand Prix. Avoiding the early lap crashes, Raul Fernandez set off well as he found himself in P16 within two laps, just behind his teammate Remy Gardner who powered to P15 from P24.

After a short chase, the Spaniard eventually overtook the Moto2 World Champion to find himself chasing Italian Andrea Dovizioso, a great reference on the Italian layout. Starting from the back of the grid, he passed the checkered flag in P13, a great effort for the rookie who is back in the points for the first time since Sachsenring. Halfway through the race, Remy got a long lap penalty which saw him losing time and his positions. He finished in P19. Next, Tech3 KTM Factory Racing will head to Aragon for the fifteenth round of the season, the last European race before flying again overseas.

Raul Fernandez

“We did a really good job today and all weekend long to be fair. We have had a good race pace and worked well with the medium tyres and I felt comfortable on the bike. I have finally found the confidence on the bike to brake as I want in order to ride at my full potential, so this has been a very positive point of the weekeend. Other than that, it was a tough race physically today because I was just behind Andrea Dovizioso and it was really hot. I am happy with my thirteenth place, we took a step, and I think that the aim is now to try finishing all the races within the top 15.”

Remy Gardner

“It was a tough weekend and race. I had a rather good start and found myself within the Top 15 from P24, with a good race pace. I had a long lap penalty so I lost the rhythm and positions to finish in P19. We have a test here now and I am hoping that we will be able to improve a few things so we can try to finish the season well.”