Cruel end to French GP as Jake Dixon crashes out of the lead, Xavi Vierge also crashes out
A dream maiden Moto2 victory for both Jake Dixon and PETRONAS Sprinta Racing was on the cards at the French GP today, but an anguish inducing Turn 14 crash on lap 20 prevented the dream from becoming a reality. Team-mate Xavi Vierge was also left wanting more from Le Mans, after crashing out on lap four.
Dixon made good progress off the line, moving up to sixth on the opening lap and fourth on the next. Capitalising on his team-mate’s mistake on lap three, the Brit made it past into second, before taking the lead by three seconds on lap seven. Jake rode with a mature head, taking no risks, and let the gap close, before extending it back out to around one second. He looked set to take his maiden Moto2 win, but disaster struck on lap 20 when a Turn 14 crash brought his race to a disheartening end.
Team-mate Vierge had a lightning quick start, immediately moving into second in the first corner. A small mistake on the third lap dropped him down to fourth, but the Spaniard soon recovered and moved himself into third on the following lap. Unfortunately Xavi’s French GP came to an end on lap four, after a Turn 10 highside. Vierge has fractured the big toe in his left foot, the fourth and fifth toes and lateral malleolus in his right foot; he will now undergo further medical checks in Barcelona ahead of the Aragon GP next weekend.
PETRONAS Sprinta Racing will be back in action next weekend (16-18 October), at the Gran Premio de Aragón – the second event of the October triple-header.
Jake Dixon:
That wasn’t the ideal result but it is what it is. The main thing is that I was leading the race and was really fast. We haven’t got long until the next race at Aragón, it’s next weekend, so that’s good. Now I can look back at today’s race and reflect that I was doing a really good job and I know that I’m going to be fast from here onwards. The team are working really well, everyone is doing such a great job and I can’t thank everyone enough. It was unfortunate but these things happen and we’ll come back stronger.
Xavi Vierge:
It is a big shame because we were fighting for the top positions again in this race, after a difficult weekend with the conditions. The race was really difficult because some parts of the circuit were dry, but also there were still some wet patches. I had a good rhythm and I could see that Jake and Sam [Lowes] were fast so I tried to stay with them. I was careful because I saw [Jorge] Martin crash so I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but I crashed with no warning. It’s a pity because the team did an amazing job, since Austria we have been able to fight for top-five positions and even the podium. These last few races we haven’t been able to demonstrate this though. Now I go to Barcelona to check my fractures and I will try to be as ready as possible for Aragón.
