Sensational 2nd place for Garcia at European Grand Prix, Yamanaka 16th

Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders Sergio García and Ryusei Yamanaka took part in the thirteenth race of the 2020 Moto3 World Championship on Sunday, racing at the European Grand Prix at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Garcia earned second place, 0.703s behind race winner Raul Fernandez. Yamanaka finished 16th after a spirited comeback from 30th on the grid.

Race day featured mostly clear skies and pleasant temperatures, reaching 17ºC (ambient) and 16ºC (track) when the contest got underway.

Sergio Garcia started seventh on the grid, thanks to a time of 1:53.230 set in Q2 on Saturday on a wet track. In the Sunday warm up he set the 13th best time, a 1:40.898.

The Spaniard held his seventh place off the start, and after four laps progressed to fifth place. He was fourth in a group that was chasing leader Raul Fernandez, who had broken away at the front. In the final part of the race, he rode alongside Ai Ogura and Tony Arbolino, edging past both of them and crossing the finish line in second place, less than a second behind Fernandez. Garcia now occupies 14th place in the overall standings, with 57 points.

Ryusei Yamanaka started from 30th place on the grid, with his 1:49.915 time set in mixed conditions in Q1. In the dry, in Sunday’s warmup, he clocked the 29th fastest time of 1:41.800.

Off the start he was 24th early on, and continued to gain ground to reach 20th place after ten laps -getting up to 17th on Lap 15. His effort continued to bear fruit, and he would move up one more position to place 16th at the chequered flag, less than a second outside the points. Yamanaka is now 24th in the overall standings with 13 points.

The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3 riders will be back at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on Friday, November 13th, for the first free practice for the Valencian Grand Prix.

Sergio Garcia:

“At the start I was pushing very hard and I was in an intense fight in my group, which prevented me from gaining ground, but I kept going and gained positions. I think that was the key to finally launching my attack. The feeling of getting onto the podium is incredible, because it has been a very tough season. It is also the result of the huge work done by my team. A podium without fans in attendance is different from last year. It seems like a calmer atmosphere, although I prefer how it was back then.”

 

Ryusei Yamanaka:

“Despite being 30th on the grid, I made a good start and gained several positions. It was good, but my pace was not that fast and it was difficult to stick with the group and keep moving up the order -although afterwards I was able to catch up with several riders. At the end of the race my pace was improving. I caught up with the group ahead of me, although I wasn’t able to pass them and I finished sixteenth. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the work that we have done.”