Gonzalez Finishes Tough Thai GP Moto2 Race in Tenth Place

29-10-2023

Gonzalez Finishes Tough Thai GP Moto2 Race in Tenth Place

Today‘s Thailand Grand Prix Moto2 Race was a tough outing for Manuel Gonzalez. But despite a problem with his arm in the latter stages, he still made up ten positions and finished in 10th place. Kohta Nozane was battling and closely observing other riders in the first half of the 22-lap challenge. After a lonely ride in the second half, he finished in 22nd place.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp teammates Manuel Gonzalez and Kohta Nozane had a strong start to today‘s Thailand Grand Prix Moto2 Race, but they lost some ground in the final stages. They took the chequered flag in 10th and 22nd place respectively.

Gonzalez had said he needed a perfect first few laps, and he stuck to the plan. Starting from P20, he made up six places on the opening lap, one more on the next one, and two more on lap 3. He was then in 11th, but with Aron Canet having to complete a double long-lap penalty, and Jake Dixon and Celestino Vietti crashing out, Gonzalez was soon up to eighth. He had a 0.776s gap to the top seven riders, however, there were threats coming from behind. By lap 11, he was overtaken by Ai Ogura. Manugasss was losing power in his arm at this stage and was not able to defend his ninth position. He was passed by Izan Guevara on the final lap and completed the 22-lap Race in 10th place.

Birthday boy Nozane had a good start from P29 and climbed as high 23rd in the early stages. He was battling with other riders and gaining good experience before eventually fallen back to 25th. With Sergio Garcia taking a fall on lap 8, the Japanese rider gained another spot, but more important was to stay on the back of Mattia Casadei. The number-5 rider was sticking as close to his rival as possible to gain experience at the Chang International Circuit, which is new to the Moto2 rookie. But the gap to Casadei grew bigger later on. The number five focused on his riding and finished the Race in 22nd position due to two crashers in the final five laps.

Today‘s result means Gonzalez now has 122.5 points and holds 8th in the championship standings. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp stay in 8th in the team championship, also with 122.5 points.

The Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp duo will be back in action for the next triple-header, the final three GPs of the 2023 Moto2 season. In two weeks‘ time the Grand Prix of Malaysia will be held at the Sepang International Circuit from 10th - 12th November.

Manuel Gonzalez

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"I had a very difficult Race. My first two laps were very good, and I recovered a lot of positions. From then, I tried to stay with the group fighting for fourth position, and I was not far. My feeling wasn‘t incredible, but I was pretty stable until I started to struggle with my arm, losing strength in the exit of the right corners. It was a long Race, but we have to focus on the positives."

Kohta Nozane

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"The beginning of the Race wasn‘t bad. I just didn‘t have the speed. I‘m very disappointed, but I know the next Sepang track well. I‘ll try hard there again to stay with the other riders and battle with them."

Gelete Nieto

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, Sports Director

"Manu had a great start and a good recovery. He was riding pretty fast, but with 10 laps to go he started feeling pain in his arm, and he couldn‘t push anymore. He still managed to finish in tenth position, starting from P20. It‘s a pity he‘s still suffering with this problem, he‘s strong and he deserves more.

"Kohta did his job, finishing the Race. He made a good start, he immediately recovered some positions and stayed with other riders. At the end he was not finding the speed he was looking for. We all wish him a very happy birthday!

"Now it‘s time to rest one week before the last triple-header."