Miguel Oliveira crashes out of French GP

A crash while fighting for top positions on a tricky wet-and-dry Le Mans circuit brought a strong weekend to a premature close for the only Indian team in motorcycle Grand Prix racing.

Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira had qualified the Mahindra MGP3O second-fastest, and was lying fifth and fighting hard in a tight-packed group of six disputing the lead on the fourth of 24 laps of the 4.185-km Bugatti circuit at Le Mans.

Despite the Le Mans track being wet before the start of the Moto3 race, the existence of a dry line along the entire track meant that the race was declared a “dry race”.

On slick tyres, just like the rest of the pack, in line with Race Direction’s decision, Miguel Oliveira made a cautious start from the second spot on the grid down into 5th position, moving smoothly through the first corners of this complicated circuit. Riding in the front group, the young Mahindra Racing rider remained very focused and was always on the search for overtaking opportunities to climb the rankings and keep up with the leaders.

However, after five laps the pilot from Almada got caught out by the treacherous conditions of the track and eventually lost control of his MGP3O at turn 2. He touched the wet area of the asphalt after being overtaken by Alex Márquez, who had been closely chasing him.

#44 Miguel Oliveira I leave Le Mans with a mixed feeling. Dissatisfied for not finishing the race and wanting to feel positive that we took a step forward in the evolution of the bike. I did what I had to do, trying to remain focused and not make any mistakes. But turn 2 was quite cold and it was crucial to losing the front.

The team obviously is not satisfied with the outcome of the weekend. First the injury of my teammate Efren Vasquez and then because they didn’t deserve to finish the day with a crash. My thoughts are already concentrating on the next race at Mugello, where the team has to put new ideas into practice.

Source: Mahindra Racing