Simon Pulls Back Decent 6th With Grit & Skill

 In Moto2, News

A windy Friday and a sunny Saturday were followed by a wet Sunday in Jerez, at the second round of the 2011 MotoGP season. Only a twenty minute warmup in the morning prepared the riders for the new conditions. The Moto2 category race was won by Andrea Iannone, taking victory for Italy at the Spanish Grand Prix. The highest placing home rider was MAPFFRE Aspar’s Julián Simón, in a crash-filled race on a tough surface.

MAPFRE Aspar rider Julián Simón once again used grit and skill in the Spanish round, and wouldn’t let problems suffered in qualifying or the adverse weather conditions get in his way. He took off from tenth on the grid, and had already moved up three places by the end of the opening lap. The pity came close to the end, as the Spaniard nearly crashed out on the final corner. That was enough for him to lose touch with the trailing group, and he completed the race in solitary. His final position was a creditable sixth, on his 24th birthday.

Teammate Xavi Forés didn’t throw in the towel either. He started lower down the order in 26th, and knew that he had a big task ahead to salvage something from the weekend. The man from Llombay went all-out to gain positions, and moved up eight places before the chequered flag fell. He ended the race in eighteenth, but could have finished in the points had it not been for a run-off with two laps remaining.

6th Julián Simón:
“I think that we should have got a better result, but I can’t really complain when I almost crashed on the last corner. The category is very evenly matched at the moment, and our bike isn’t completely at its best, so we have to keep working in the same way in order to take another step forward in Portugal. I am fairly satisfied with the result, because we managed to get some good points for the championship and finished the race. The asphalt was very bad, and we saw with other riders that it was easy to crash out. I started the race well, and felt comfortable on the opening laps. Iannone was riding well in the wet, and I traed to follow him in order to get to the head of the field. However, I made a mistake on the final corner and lost my chance. The team are working excellently, and I am convinced that in Estoril we will continue to improve and get back on the podium -where we should be.”

18th Xavi Forés:
“I didn’t feel confortable with the front tyre at the start of the race, and I found it hard to keep up with the pace of the riders in front of me. So I took things calmly and waited for the tyre to wear down slightly and pick up heat. I found my speed little-by-little, and was riding round in the 1’55 mark. However, with two laps to go I passed Sofuoglu and Rabat and overran into Kallio. That forced me to go straight on. It was a pity, because I was making a good comeback and would have continued to gain places were it not for this incident. On one hand I am happy to have done so well in the face of the problems, but obviously I am dissatisfied with not getting into the points. We have three weeks before the next game, and we are going to work on something different in order to take the next step that we need.”

Source: Aspar Media

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