Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team’s Manuel Gonzalez showed once again that he is indeed a Sunday rider. Steering clear of the chaos in the original Grande Prémio de Portugal Moto2 race, he made the most of the P7 grid opportunity in the restart. He came close to a podium before crossing the finish line in P5. Keminth Kubo made his return to racing after missing the Americas GP in style by scoring his first ever championship points through securing 12th place in a challenging 7-lap restart.
With the original race ending prematurely with 15 laps to go due to sudden rain causing a multiple rider crash in Turn 2, the rookies had their first experience at a Quick Restart Procedure and a sprint race of just 7 laps. Only 18 riders were allowed join the second race after the multiple rider crash, which thankfully had no serious consequences. However, Gonzalez and Kubo needed to put all their efforts into focusing on the restart.
Gonzalez had originally commenced the race from P21. But thanks to a brave fight, he found himself in P7 on the new starting grid. Though he didn’t have the perfect launch off the line, the Spanish talent was quick to recover and crossed the start-finish straight for the first time in fifth place.
It was a perfect set-up for an exciting and educational race experience. He tagged onto the back of the group fighting for the podium with five laps to go. Two laps later, he made his move and temporarily took fourth place. Though he couldn’t hold on to the position and ultimately finished in fifth, the rookie was thrilled to learn from and battle with more experienced riders and being able to overtake them. He took the chequered flag only 3.199s from first.
Kubo had an impressive but difficult Portuguese GP weekend. He had shown great speed in the wet, but a crash in Q2 meant he wasn’t feeling 100% fit today. Still, he decided to ride and also displayed good pace in the dry. Although he had qualified in P18 due to the crash, the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team protégé was not out for the count. He was promoted to P16 for the restart thanks to his work in the first race.
The Thai rider shone brightly on his first race day after missing the Americas GP. He was making moves and rode to eleventh place in the opening laps, but lost time as the riders he overtook retaliated. The youngster wasn’t fazed though. He continued his race with a solid rhythm. He put his head down and managed to ride to a positive 12th place, scoring him his first four championship points.
Today’s results put Gonzalez in 17th place in the championship standings with 16 points in total. Keminth Kubo makes his debut in the list in 23rd place with 4 points.
The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team climbs up the score board to 11th place, with 20 points.
The team will be back in action next weekend for the Gran Premio de España at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain, from April 29-May 1.
