PODIUM AT JEREZ FOR GONZALEZ, THIRD AT THE FINISH LINE
With a perfect start from fourth place on the grid, Manuel Gonzalez took an early lead in the Moto2 race at Jerez and stayed in first position in the early stages of the encounter. He was then forced to tweak his riding style in order to preserve the tyres until the end and this allowed him to stay competitive until the chequered flag as he crossed the line third, claiming a stunning podium finish in front of his home crow.
Albert Arenas also put together a solid performance as from the front row of the grid he secured a fifth-place finish, courtesy of a fast and consistent place throughout. The rider #75 bagged 11 more points for the standings, which currently see him in eighth place.
Matteo Ferrari found his rhythm in his first Moto2 race for 2024. The wild card rider managed to score a point in what has been a complicated weekend for the Italian.
3rd – MANUEL GONZALEZ #18
“I’m truly really happy! Obviously I would have loved to do more, all riders aim at something better, but I must say I did a great race today. The feeling with the bike was excellent and in the first part of the race I did all I could to stay in the lead as I knew that by setting the pace my lap-times would have been more competitive. Then I had to tweak my style a little with regards to tyre consumption and fuel level decrease, so I struggled a bit more towards the end. It’s an important third place: it’s a dream to be on the podium here at Jerez. The goal is to finish consistently in the top three and we did just that today. It was a great race and I had a lot of fun. I did all I could, it was nice, and I want to dedicate this result to all the fans who came here to support me.”
5th – ALBERT ARENAS #75
“I’m not fully satisfied with this race as we encountered the same problem we had in the last races, even though we should know the step we need to make now: we need to work on the bike balance in order to be even quicker in the race. We keep working with the team, but I’m happy with the speed we found. It was important to be strong here at Jerez and a fifth-place finish is already a step for me. I’m convinced that we can still improve some more: we’re already thinking at Le Mans in order to get even better.”
15th – MATTEO FERRARI #23
“I’m quite happy with the race. It took me a while at beginning to ride well and get up to speed as we started from the back and made some important changes to the bike. I still stayed focused and managed little by little to overtake some riders and ride at my own pace. It’s a shame I wasn’t with the group of fastest riders so I struggled to maintain the speed. I’m happy though: I recovered the feeling that I had lacked this weekend. We bring home a hard-earned point, which was the goal. I would like to thank the team who kept my spirits up despite everything, I gave my best and I’m happy that I managed with this result. A thank you goes also to Nadia, Luca and the whole Gresini Team for the opportunity. It’ll surely work as good training ahead of the next MotoE races, as it gives us a morale boost. Now let’s keep our head down for Le Mans!”
