Sep 1, 2020

FENATI REPEATS 17TH IN AUSTRIA FOR STYRIAN MOTO3™ GRAND PRIX

HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES MAKE UP GROUND BUT JUST MISS OUT ON FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT THE SECOND VISIT TO RED BULL RING

MotoGP remained in Austria and tackled the high-speed curves and layout of the quick circuit at Spielberg for the second weekend in succession. The Sterilgarda Max Racing Team aimed for more competitiveness and improved their grid positions by several rows through a dry and sunny set of Free Practice and Qualification sessions.

Sunday dawned dry and cloudy after overnight rain. The 23-lap Moto3 race kicked off the timetable that brought a period of three Grands Prix in three weeks to a close. Throughout a typically relentless and action-packed affair the Moto3 pack was more spread out and dispersed compared to the previous Sunday.

Romano Fenati tried his best to move up from the second half of the field and survived a close call with Kaito Toba at Turn 3. The Italian was able to gain positions from outside the top twenty and was just over a second from breaking into the first fifteen and being able to grasp championship points at the chequered flag. Alonso Lopez started from 24th place on the grid and improved his standing to 20th by the end of the race; three positions better than his attempt a week before.

MotoGP now moves south, and in three weeks will prepare for another double header: this time around the flat course of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in San Marino for the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The fixture will be the first home event for the team in 2020.

Romano Fenati: “We improved the feeling but not the position in the race, so a difficult day. We have to make a big step. A race like this is not our target and we have to improve immediately to gain some more positions in the championship.”

Alonso Lopez: “I am not happy about the result but I think we have found the path to work to be competitive and this is really important for the next races. I think we can be on a very good level for the next few GPs and aim for the top ten.”

Results – 2020 Moto3 FIM World Championship, Round 6

1. Celestino Vietti (KTM) 37:10.319, 2. Tony Arbolino (Honda) +0.410, 3. Ai Ogura (Honda) +0.938, 17. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) +16.084, 20. Alonso Lopez (Husqvarna) +21.672

Championship standings – After round 6

1. Albert Arenas (KTM) 106pts; 2. Ai Ogura (Honda) 81; 3. John McPhee (Honda) 67; 17. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 14; 23. Alonso Lopez (Husqvarna) 5