Raul Fernandez works hard in group race at Spanish Grand Prix, Kaito Toba finishes 19th

After 4 months of waiting, the lights at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit went out at the second race of the Moto3 World Championship season. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo of Raul Fernandez and Kaito Toba experienced mixed fortunes: the Spaniard battled with riders at the front, crossing the finish line 6th. His Japanese teammate placed 19th, despite suffering a crash midway through the contest.

Fernandez made a strong start from the second row of the grid, and was in third position at the first corner. Raul settled comfortably into a large group at the front, trying to stay clear of moves by other adversaries. On the last few laps, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider made a final push and, after dodging an incident between his rivals, took the chequered flag in 6th position. After the Spanish Grand Prix, the Spaniard is 8th in the overall standings with 16 points.

Toba, who started 13th, had a tricky start to the race, dropping several positions on the opening lap. The Japanese was coming back through the field when, on lap 11, he suffered a crash at Turn 2. Kaito got back on track to re-join the contest, placing 19th.

Now the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will prepare for the third round of the season, which takes place at Jerez next week, from July 24-26th.

RAUL FERNANDEZ

“We had a good race. We have to learn to manage the start of the contest better, since on the first few laps I was at the back of the leading group. In the end, we finished in sixth place and I am happy, because we gave a strong showing of ourselves in a race with many riders at the front. We will extrapolate all that we learnt today to try to fight for the top positions next week.”

KAITO TOBA

“It was a tough race for us. I pushed hard from the beginning but I ran into another rider and I lost many positions on the first lap. Afterwards I tried to regain ground with those at the front, but I suffered a crash. Fortunately, I was able to get back on track and finish the contest. After that incident, my pace was pretty good, so I can at least take away this plus point. However, we must continue to work hard and try to take another step forward next week.”