Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez scored 11th place and significant points in a soaked Moto2 race at the Autódromo Internacional de Termas de Río Hondo. Soichiro Minamimoto had a heroic start to the Gran Premio de la República Argentina and gained experience in tricky circumstances as he rode to 20th place.
Extremely wet conditions meant a shortened race distance, from originally 21 laps to a 14-lap dash.
Gonzalez had a strong start from seventh place and showed guts on the opening lap, completing it in third. But he wasn‘t quite able to match the pace and slowly fell back to seventh over the course of the first four laps. He stayed in the fight for sixth place as long as he could. He stalked Filip Salac but was overtaken by charging rivals in the final laps. The Spaniard took the chequered flag in 11th place.
Minamimoto was on a charge early on in his first-ever Moto2 race. Though he started from 27th on the grid, he gained 13 positions in no time, climbing as high as 11th midway through the third lap. The rookie then engaged in battle with far more seasoned Moto2 riders and learned from their riding styles. The Japanese rider was pushed back down the order but gained good experience that will aid him in future races. He crossed the finish line in 20th place.
Today‘s result earns Manugasss another 5 points. He is now on a 16 points total and in seventh place in the championship standings.
Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will have one week off before they start Round 3, the Grand Prix of The Americas, in Austin, Texas.