Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez starts the MotoGP summer break on a positive note by collecting eight valuable points at the TT Assen today. Though he had hoped to be fighting further towards the front, his strong start and finish to the 22-lap race earned him eighth place.
Starting from P12 on the grid, Gonzalez grabbed the opportunity to take the inside line in the first few corners, and it gained him momentum. He completed the first lap in eleventh place and soon picked up another spot at the start of lap 2.
The Spaniard was at the back of the group fighting for sixth. He knew he had 21 laps to go in full sunshine, and the heat meant that tyre management would be key. An early battle with Aron Canet for P9 added extra strain, so Manugass decided to bide his time. However, the group was slowly pulling apart.
The number-18 rider gained a position on lap 10, when Somkiat Chantra crashed out ahead of him, but it was short-lived. With four laps to go, he had to let Celestino Vietti past. Gonzalez tried to tag onto the back of the Italian, but he was not able to launch a counter-attack. Vietti, however, was given a long lap penalty, that he had to complete on the last lap. It allowed the Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider through just as he had a second wind. He also overtook Albert Arenas on his final push to hold eighth place across the finish line.
Today‘s result means Gonzalez now has 52 points and climbs up to 9th place in the championship standings. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 moves up to 8th in the team championship, also with 52 points.
Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will be back in action in six weeks‘ time, when they start Round 9, the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, held at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom.
