DNFs for Raul Fernandez and Albert Arenas at Assen

 In Moto3, News

Tony Arbolino broke the curse that seemed to have befallen the Moto3 grid this season, becoming the first rider to score more than one win in 2019. The Italian emerged victorious from another crazy race, with the riders attacking each of the 22 laps as if it were the last. Arbolino was joined on the podium by Lorenzo dalla Porta, who his still looking for his first win of the season but has closed the gap to series leader Canet – twelfth today – and Jakub Kornfeil, who scored his first podium of the season in third.

Sama Qatar Ángel Nieto Team were again out of luck at the Dutch TT, with Albert Arenas and Raúl Fernández both denied the opportunity to complete a comeback that had seen them rise to sixth and tenth respectively before they exited the race. Arenas crashed on the sixteenth lap after being forced off track by another rider, whilst Fernández, who twice recovered to a top ten position after losing ground due to aggressive overtakes from other riders, went down on the next lap in a crash involving several rivals. The Sama Qatar Ángel Nieto Team will continue working hard to turn their fortunes around in the next round, the Grand Prix of Germany, and reap the fruits of the good job being done by the whole team.

Albert Arenas (DNF):
“I am happy that I am back where I need to be, up front and fighting. We are still a little off our limit but we will get there. It was a shame we couldn’t finish the race today. There is not a lot of respect being shown between the riders, especially on the opening lap. There are last-lap moves going on from the first corner and I always try to keep it sporting. One rider tried to pass me on the inside and as I tried to hold my line on the outside another rider came underneath, we touched and I ran wide and my feet came off the pegs. When I came back onto the track in the next corner I had to brake hard to not hit anybody and couldn’t save the crash. It is a real shame but this is racing. I am looking forward to the next one now after the step we have taken here.”

Raúl Fernández (DNF):
“I just want to say thanks to the team for the work they have done here but it is annoying that we are not getting the results we deserve. We have taken another step from Barcelona and I am giving it my all. Situations like in this race need to be controlled – riders can’t be doing things like this on the first lap. I was sent from tenth position to twentieth just because of an overtake. Some riders are protesting because others push them wide, but my leathers were scuffed by contact on the first lap today. After that I was blocked and had to run on at the chicane, losing a bunch more positions. This is dangerous and we need a solution.”

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