Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp`s High Hopes Not Met in Austrian GP Moto2 Race

20-08-2023

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp`s High Hopes Not Met in Austrian GP Moto2 Race

The hot and sunny Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Moto2 Race was a survival of the fittest, with several partakers crashing out. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez was one of the unlucky riders scoring an NC result. Rookie Kohta Nozane, however, benefitted from the misfortunes of the others and used the 23 laps to gain good experience. He finished in 20th place.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp had mixed fortunes in today‘s incident-filled Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Moto2 Race. While Manuel Gonzalez was unlucky to crash on lap 8, Kohta Nozane kept his bike firmly upright and completed the race in 20th place.

Nozane had a good start from P27 and did gain some positions early in the first lap. However, by the time he crossed the start-finish straight for the first time, he was back in his original position. But the sun was out, the temperatures were high, and the race was long. Over the course of the 23 laps, eight riders crashed, with only two being able to resume and finish their challenge. The Japanese rider benefitted from the mishaps and had moved up to 20th place by lap 11. He continued to focus on improving his riding style and held the position to the finish line.

Gonzalez started from P9 and navigated the opening lap with caution as the 28 riders dove into the opening corners. He found himself in 13th position after the first two laps. There were several riders crashing around the Spaniard, so the Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp man had moved up to 11th place when disaster struck on lap 8. A technical issue with the bike caused Manugass to crash in Turn 3 and ended his race prematurely, though the rider was okay.

Today‘s result means Gonzalez remains on 63 points and is now in 11th place in the championship standings. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp goes to 9th in the team championship, also with 63 points.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will be back in action in two weeks‘ time, when they start Round 11, the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, held in Montmeló, Spain.

Kohta Nozane

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"Today it was difficult to get grip, the temperature was so high. During the firsts five laps, I stayed with my group, fighting. But from the middle of the race, I didn‘t have a good feeling on the bike, in particular with the front part, and I couldn‘t push anymore. I need to go faster in the next race. I know the Montmeló circuit, and I like it, so it should be easier for me."

Manuel Gonzalez

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"It was not our weekend. Again we had bad luck, this time in the race. I was struggling to go fast, but my position was not too bad. When I arrived at Turn 3, I crashed, and I didn‘t understand why. The team said I had water on the rear tyre because of a broken piece of the radiator. We have to forget this weekend and look forward to Barcelona because we know our potential."

Gelete Nieto

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, Sports Director

"It‘s a weekend to forget for Manu‘s side. We have not been lucky at all. After the big crash on Friday and the technical issue of Saturday, today a small piece of the bike broke during the race, causing a loss of water and Manu‘s crash. He is ok, and that‘s the most important thing. But it‘s a shame because Manu is strong. He was fast, but to achieve our goal everything must be at 100%.

"We‘ll try again in Catalunya. The track was difficult today, and during the race a lot of riders crashed. Kohta finished the race, but he needs to gain more experience, trying to achieve better results."