Jorge Martin 15th, Juanfran Guevara 18th in Qatar season opener

 In Moto3, News

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Today saw the opening race of the season for the Moto3 class at Losail circuit, with a typically hard-fought contest in the lower cylinder category. Up to 16 riders featured in the lead group at one point or another during the 18-lap contest, but eventually it was Alexis Masbou who clinched the win. He was joined on the podium by Bastianini and Kent.

Although they left Losail without a podium, the MAPFRE Team Mahindra had a very positive Sunday.

Jorge Martín’s debut was the surprise of the contest, as he showed potential that belied his age. The Spaniard battled with the best in the class to claim his first World Championship point in his very first race.

Also moving up into the leading group was Juanfran Guevara, although a problem with his eyesight forced him to impose prudence in the second half of the race. He eventually crossed the line in eighteenth position.

15th Jorge Martín:
“Today I felt that I gave my all, and for the first time this weekend I felt like myself on the bike. Throughout this Grand Prix I have suffered with nerves that have kept me from loosening up and feeling comfortable on the bike. Today I found that the problem was me, not the bike, because today I felt really comfortable riding and I was able to make back many places. I started better than expected, and this allowed me to overtake a lot of riders on the opening laps. The first two laps were a real mess, as there were a lot of riders who were making crazy moves. I am very happy to have reached the leading group and to have fought against the strongest riders in the category. I am also very glad that I could score points in my first World Championship race. This Grand Prix has been very useful; I have learned a lot, and if we keep working in this way then we will progress very quickly.”

18th Juanfran Guevara:
“We have experienced a difficult weekend here in Qatar, but luckily we worked hard yesterday and today we improved our setup. As a result we were confident about the race. In the first part of the race I moved up approximately fourteen positions and I felt comfortable. However, halfway through I had a problem with my vision, which is something that happens to me when I strain to see at night. Everything was blurry, especially the rumble strips, and it was hard to find braking points. This problem only happens to me at night, and luckily the other races are held in the daytime and I will not have any problem. The important thing this weekend is that both Mahindra and my team have been very competitive, and my teammates had a great race. That means we’re doing a good job and that we will be able to be up at the front for the rest of the year.”

Source: Aspar Media

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