There is no better place for a driver to secure his first podium in a category than at home. That is what happened to Senna Agius at Phillip Island last weekend. After a remarkable performance throughout the weekend, the local hero was able to take advantage of a great qualifying, and race facts, to get on the podium in Australia.
Moto2 rookie Senna Agius crossed the finish line in tears at Phillip Island after securing his first Moto2 podium in front of his home crowd. Having started the race in 19th, the XNUMX-year-old made a brilliant start to the race, claiming ninth position by the second lap.
He then hung on to the group fighting for fourth place, defended for most of the race by Ai Ogura. At the end of the race, he made a few maneuvers to get away from Barry Baltus and Manuel Gonzalez, before challenging the championship leader in a duel. He finally managed to get the better of the latter, before consolidating his fourth position by creating a certain gap compared to the Japanese.
Alonso Lopez, third in the event, was then out of reach. That was without taking into account the latter's fall during the final passages of the event. An avoidable incident for the driver who had been racing solo since Fermin Aldeguer and Aron Canet had taken off. This racing incident nevertheless allowed Agius to believe in the podium.
The rest was simpler, since he only had to reach the finish line while holding his rank to get on the box, which he did.
"I'm still looking for words, it's unbelievable what happened today. The race was so long, confides the latter on the evening of his exploit. I was hoping the last five laps would go by quickly because I wanted to do it and we did it. I'm so happy and proud. All the effort the team has put in over the last few races has paid off. We're rookies this year and my first podium in a home race is obviously something I'll never forget.
I'm really grateful for everything because I had a fantastic bike today, He continues. After yesterday, when we finished P13 in qualifying but could have done a lot better, I went to bed with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. But I knew a lot was possible today with a good start, which was really good. I was able to fight and find my rhythm, and now I'm standing here. I can't wait to see my family, celebrate and enjoy the rest of this great day. Thanks to the team for the hard work they put in every time."
