Fifth Place for Gonzalez after Strong Indian GP Comeback Race

24-09-2023

Fifth Place for Gonzalez after Strong Indian GP Comeback Race

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez rode a mature race at the Grand Prix of India from P16 on the grid to P5 at the finish flag. Kohta Nozane was engaged in a battle for 17th when he crashed in the last corner of the last lap, spoiling his chances of scoring his highest finish of the season.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez had already predicted on Saturday after qualifying in 16th place that he would be able to ride to the front of the field in the Grand Prix of India Moto2 Race. Today he made good on the promise, taking a solid fifth place and 11 championship points. Kohta Nozane was fighting for his Moto2 career-best finish, but a crash in the final corner of the last lap denied him the glory.

The Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp teammates avoided the multi-rider incident right after the start of the 18-lap race that caused a red flag and a restart. The new race would be 12 laps.

Gonzalez restarted from P16 and avoided the first lap tussles. He was a man on a mission and gradually moved up the rankings through overtakes and also some rivals crashing out. He had climbed as high as fifth place by lap 8 but then had a gap of over 2.5s to the riders fighting for third. Having created a margin of more than 1s over the rival behind him in just one lap, the Spaniard had a relatively easy ride for the remaining three laps to take fifth place at the chequered flag.

Nozane had a terrific start in the original race, riding swiftly from P24 on the grid to P18. But a red flag and Race restart meant he had to do the work again. The Japanese‘s second launch from P24 on the grid was solid again and he emerged from the first lap chaos in 19th place. After several riders crashed out, the number-5 rider stayed in 16th position for most of the race, until the final lap. He was overtaken by Borja Gomez, which put the Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider in the company of Alberto Surra and Rory Skinner. The three riders were fighting for P17 heading towards the final corner before the finish line when Nozane crashed, ending his challenge.

Today‘s result means Gonzalez now has 94 points and moves up to 8th place in the championship standings. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp stays in 9th in the team championship, also with 94 points.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will now travel straight to Japan for Round 14, the Grand Prix of Japan, held next weekend at the Mobility Resort Motegi.

Manuel Gonzalez

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"It was a very good Race today. Again P5, it‘s something I can only laugh about. It‘s ’my position‘. But in reality, our potential is higher since a few races ago. Riding from P16 to P5 in 12 laps is very difficult to achieve, and it was also difficult for me to overtake. I‘m still happy because fourth in the championship is close and there are still seven races to go."

Kohta Nozane

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"I had a good race until the last corner. From the beginning till the end, I‘ve been able to battle with other riders. I‘m very sorry to Rory Skinner for the crash. Apart from the result, of course, I think it was my best race so far. Next week it will be my home GP. I'm really excited!"

Gelete Nieto

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, Sports Director

"Manu‘s result is again fifth place. It‘s a very good position, he made a great recovery from P16, but we know he can go higher. The team works at its 100%. Manu was very fast yesterday morning, and we go to Japan with a lot of confidence.

"Kohta did a good Race as well. He was always battling with other riders. He made a mistake at the last corner, and he crashed, but it‘s still his best Race so far. A Race like this is important for his confidence. Next week it will be his home GP. I hope he can repeat or improve on the Race like he did today."