Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Make Promising Moto2 Debut in Qatar

07-03-2022

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Make Promising Moto2 Debut in Qatar

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team had a positive start to their Moto2 adventure. Rookie riders Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo impressed with how easy they adapted to racing on World Championship level in their debut race. They secured 20th and 23rd place respectively.

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team had a positive start to their Moto2 adventure. Rookie riders Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo used their debut race to adapt to the World Championship level. They showed great promise, securing 20th and 23rd place respectively.

Gonzalez made his mark on the Qatar GP right from the start. Despite being 24th on the grid, he completed the first lap in 17th place, showing he is a strong contender. The rookie was still dealing with a shoulder injury sustained in FP3 which held him back in defending his position against more experienced riders. He lost a few places, finding himself in 22nd place on multiple occasions, but grinded his teeth. He fought back with a strong finish to his maiden Moto2 race and took the chequered flag in 20th place.

Kubo held his 26 starting position through the first corners and got into the mix of riders eager to battle their way up the order. By lap 4, he was in 23rd place with a gap of over a second to the rider in front of him. The Thai talent put his head down. With clear track ahead of him, he could focus on his own rhythm for most of the race. A battle with Alessandro Zaccone in the final stages lost him a place, but his 23rd place finish is an encouraging start to his debut season.

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team will be back in action at the Mandalika Circuit from March 18-12 for the Grand Prix of Indonesia.

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"This was the first race of the year in Qatar, and we got the result we wanted. We finished the race. That‘s very important for the riders, to get confidence on the bike for the next races. In general, the team worked well. The riders and their crew are getting closer and more confident every day. We know we have not arrived at our maximum level yet. It‘s clear that we have just started this amazing journey. But hard work pays off.

Manu had a great start: he practises the starts during every session. He's always had some difficulties before, but today's race start was great, and we are very proud. Davide, his data engineer, worked a lot on it. On lap 5, Manu started having a lot of pain in the arm. That‘s because of the crash in FP3 and because his leathers were too tight. He couldn‘t ride as smoothly as he or the bike are usually able to. P20 is not what we expected, the pace was not as good as yesterday, but the most important thing is that he finished the race and got more experience.

Kubo had a good race. He was riding with experienced riders, and he enjoyed it a lot. His pace was good, and he had a great feeling with the bike. I‘m very happy about the work he is doing with his team. This is Kubo‘s starting point, now he has to improve every weekend, and I‘m sure he will arrive where we want to be."

Manuel Gonzalez - P20

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"I had a difficult day again, because I still had a lot of pain in the shoulder due to the crash during FP3. I felt no strength in the arm, so I couldn‘t push like I wanted to and as my bike allowed me to. Also, the leather suit was too tight, and I started to struggle already at the beginning of the race. I wasn‘t comfortable on the bike. Anyway, I tried to finish the race. This 20th position is not what I wanted, but I think we are working well, and we can expect better things to come."

Keminth Kubo

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"I started the day in a very positive way, because during Warm Up I had a very good feeling with the bike, and I could make good laps. When the race started, some riders overtook me at the first corner, but I pushed a lot trying to catch them. My feeling was great, I enjoyed the race a lot. I'm very happy with the result, I finished in a better position than where I started. I have to thank my team for their work and of course Yamaha Motor Thailand, VR46, and Yamaha Racing for this great opportunity."