Team Aspar Team, like the other Moto2 teams, returns to action this weekend in Austria for the thirteenth round of the World Championship. After a three-week summer break, David Alonso and Dani Holgado are approaching the second half of the campaign with ambition and confidence. The two rookies have had a promising first half of the season: Holgado has already been in the fight for the podium several times – fourth in Qatar and Brno – while Alonso secured his first top-3 finish at the British Grand Prix. They are therefore raising their ambitions to finish this rookie season in style.
Currently 13th in the overall standings with 60 points, Dani Holgado maintains a slight advantage over his teammate, who is 16th with 43 points. Last year, the two men shone at the Red Bull Ring in Moto3, with Alonso taking the victory ahead of Holgado, who was third. This weekend, they hope to turn that memory into another performance, despite the competition and demands of the intermediate category.
For Holgado, the break was used to improve technically: "We're arriving in Austria with a lot of enthusiasm after the summer break. We've been able to recharge our batteries and work on some riding aspects that I need to improve on in Moto2. We have to take advantage of this and continue to learn as much as possible from the fastest riders, to build a great weekend and aim for the top positions.", he explains via comments relayed by his team.
David Alonso, who achieved the best result for a rookie this season, has taken a positive view of his first few months in Moto2, but is not satisfied with what he has already built. "We are entering the second half of the season after three weeks that allowed us to thoroughly analyze the first part of the year. We were able to identify where we have more room for improvement, the weak points to work on during the summer. We arrive in Austria more complete, with the objective of not only looking for results, but also to put in constant and intense work from the start and in qualifying. With that, the results will inevitably come.", confides the Colombian pilot.
Ahead of them, Manu González still dominates the championship, with a 25-point lead over Arón Canet. The third-place finisher, Barry Baltus, took advantage of his podium finish in Brno to close the gap, while Diogo Moreira and Jake Dixon complete the top five. Of these, only Dixon (twice) and Canet (once, in Styria) have already tasted the podium at the Red Bull Ring.
For Alonso and Holgado, the challenge in Styria will be to capitalize on the lessons learned from the first half of the season to further assert themselves in the leading group, and why not, repeat their joint success from last year, but this time riding a Moto2.