Born in Madrid on September 23, 1997, although he has lived in Mallorca since childhood, Augusto Fernández began his sporting career in 2006 under the management of José Manuel Lorenzo, the father of MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo.
During his first year of competition, in 2007, in “Cuna de Campeones Bancaja”, he progressed little by little until obtaining a third place in the penultimate race and victory in the last. Minimoto Champion in 2008, his somewhat atypical career then includes the Junior European Cup with a Honda CBR 500R which he won in 2014 before competing in the SuperStock 600 in the Superbike world championship the following year.
In 2016, he obtained 5th place in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 European Championship aboard a Mistral Tech3 before seizing the opportunity to join the world championship the following year from Mugello with Speed Up Racing. He reached the points there twice, in Malaysia with a 12th place and in Valencia with a 14th place.
2018 will see him return to Grand Prix, but this time with Sito Pons, to replace Héctor Barbera from Barcelona. He began to get noticed by arriving 4th in Australia.
For his first full season, 2019 confirms him as one of the strong men in the Moto2 category, with no less than 3 victories and 5th place in the championship still under the colors of the HP 40 team.
At 22, the “last minute” departure of Álex Márquez in MotoGP opens the doors to the world champion team Marc VDS for 2020, alongside the experienced Sam Lowes. The first race in Qatar unfortunately ended in a crash, following contact with Stefano Manzi.
AUGUSTO FERNÁNDEZ: “WE NEED TO STAY POSITIVE AND ENJOY THESE DAYS AT HOME”
Bike rides without leaving the garden, duels on the sofa and weight training with household objects. All seasoned with activities on social networks. This is the recipe for good confinement according to Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS.
How are you ?
" I feel good. I'm spending this time at home with my family and we're all trying to manage it as best as possible. I don't deny that it's starting to be a little hard, but you have to arm yourself with patience, positive energy and get through it. »
What has changed the most in your routine?
“The biggest change is obviously the limitation of movement. I can no longer ride a bike, which was my usual routine outside of Grands Prix. For the rest, my daily life hasn't changed much. I normally train in a gym with my trainer, I try to continue a similar work dynamic at home. On a more personal level, the moments spent with my friends, the outings… I miss all that. »
What do you get out of this situation and what is most difficult for you?
“In my case, the best thing is at the same time what is most difficult for me: being available at home to do what we usually don't have time to do, and enjoying the family, that's what I get something positive from this strange situation. But, at the same time, it was being locked up at home that cost me the most because we had started the season and I had a crazy desire to run. But we must stay positive and enjoy these more intimate days, because soon we will have forgotten and we will be immersed again in our globetrotting lives. »
Have you discovered new facets of yourself during this confinement?
“We play a lot of video games with my friends, and I realized that I'm bad at war and fighting games. I always lose. On the other hand, in sports games like MotoGP, football and the rest, well I'm better and I usually beat them. »
Social networks are full of millions of challenges… Have you participated in them? The one that amused you the most?
“It’s true that there are many of them and that they are very amusing! Perhaps out of all of them, the one I loved the most was juggling the toilet paper roll. I had to train quite a bit and do everything to get through it with dignity! Then I named my brother and the poor scroll ended up destroyed! We really had fun with this challenge. »
Recommend us for these days…
. A book : “Without fear of falling”, by Xavi Torres
. A movie : " In search of happiness "
. A series: “The Least Thoughtful Day”
. Music : Hip Hop or Pop like Travis Scott and Justin Bieber, for example.
. A distraction for a moment of maximum boredom: a good video console game
. A social network to follow: Those of a certain Augusto Fernandez are not bad
How do you train? Have you had to resort to particular techniques to replace activities that you are used to doing outside?
“I train as much as I can. I cycle a lot with a home trainer. I like that, because even if it's static, it simulates the sensations of movement well. It feels like you're riding outside. For bodybuilding, I use weights that I already have at home, and then I invent them. I use and lift whatever I can find! Carafes, pots, whatever comes to hand. »
Is it difficult to maintain your level of training and concentration when you don't know when everything will return to normal? How to mentally deal with this situation?
“The hardest part is not knowing when everything will return to normal. We don't train technically since we can't ride a motorcycle. This is what is most difficult to bear. I try to follow a fairly fixed training routine to stay in shape and to make the days run smoothly. I work while trying to keep a goal. For example, at the moment, according to the calendar still in force, the first Grand Prix should take place in Germany, so I am preparing for that. And if they postpone it, well I will focus on the next race and prepare for it as best as possible. »
A few days after the first race, what is your assessment of this Qatar Grand Prix?
“It's a real shame that I crashed because I had a very good feeling with the bike and I think I could have had a very good race. We had taken a very important step in testing and the driver/bike/team combination was quite efficient. This is why I was so angry that the season was interrupted. We had entered into a good dynamic and the wheels were starting to turn. »
How do you see the category this year, now that everyone has put their cards on the table?
“The season will be as I imagined it. The category will be very tight and will not leave much room for error. The favorites will be there and other names will surprise us. »
Although there are many candidates, which ones are you most wary of?
“It's still too early to make any real predictions, as there are always a few races to go before everyone is in place, but there are a lot of drivers to watch. »
Marini, Martin, Navarro, Bastianini, Nagashima, who is the current leader, Lüthi or Gardner. There are many of them and we must be among them. I can't wait to return to competition to resume our work because I am very happy with the way things are going with the whole team
Source: Marc VDS Racing Team
