Last Friday, Moto3 riders returned to the track after the summer break with the first free practice sessions at Silverstone.
Jaume Masiá picked up where he left off at Assen, the circuit where he dominated the opening practice sessions and took his first victory of the season. The Spanish driver achieved the best time of the day, in 2'11.403, with only Tatsuki suzuki et Diogo Moreira, one and four tenths of a second from Masiá's time. Behind, among the main candidates for the title, Ivan Ortolá finished sixth, Deniz Öncü, seventh, Ayumu Sasaki, ninth and, a little further, the leader of the world championship, Daniel Holgado, which closed the provisional positions of Q2 from fourteenth place…
The pilot Gaviota GASGAS Aspar, David Alonso, has, for his part, returned from his summer break ready to give the best of himself during the British Grand Prix. The young Colombian, who was making his first laps at Silverstone on Friday, finished the first free practice session in the top 10. However, in the afternoon he only did one lap alone and finished 16th, although only two tenths behind the provisional Q2 positions.
« The first day was positive. As it is a new circuit we had to do a lot of laps. During the first free practice session, I was pretty quick with a reference. In the afternoon, I tried to ride alone and I couldn't finish in the provisional positions for Q2. We will keep an eye on tomorrow's weather to choose our strategy. »
A bitter Saturday for David Alonso…
Jaume Masiá once again showed that he was in great shape during the qualifying day. The Spanish driver took his second pole position of the season at Silverstone, after that obtained at the Dutch Grand Prix. Masiá, who had already dominated the dry tests yesterday, was the fastest in a wet test session. AlthoughAyumu Sasaki, Tatsuki Suzuki and Scott Ogden improved their times on the last lap, the presence of a yellow flag on the track invalidated their laps. Despite this, the British driver set the second fastest time of the session and will start from the front row for the first time this season. Daniel Holgado, victim of a heavy fall at the end of the session, will start from third place.
After a final practice session in the rain during which the previous day's times could not be improved, the Gaviota GASGAS Aspar driver, David Alonso, approached Q1 without rain, but on a wet track. Ryusei Yamanaka spent most of the session in the four positions that give access to Q2. Unfortunately, he suffered an incident while completing his first lap and was unable to set a time. The Colombian was unable to return to the track, thus resigning himself from the back of the starting grid for the British Grand Prix.
« I couldn't do any laps in the time trial. I crashed on the first lap when I wasn't pushing hard. I don't really understand what happened. I couldn't get back on the track and tomorrow we will see what we can do in the race. »
David Alonso takes his first victory in the Moto3 World Championship and brings his first victory to Colombia!
David Alonso once again made history by becoming the first Colombian to win a World Championship race! The young Aspar Martinez driver started from last place on the grid, having been unable to complete a lap the day before during qualifying and competing in a race at the Silverstone circuit for the first time. None of this affected the 17-year-old who battled with the best drivers in the category throughout the race. He only needed three laps to grab second place and began battling with drivers such as Dani Holgado, Deniz Öncü, Ayumu Sasaki and Iván Ortolá at the head of the race. Without fear and with a confidence that does not befit a beginner, David Alonso remained strong and, after a continuous exchange of positions in the final laps, he was able to cross the finish line first, ahead of Ayumu Sasaki and the championship leader Dani Holgado. Thanks to these results, the Alicante driver remains at the top of the general classification, with 22 points ahead of Ayumu Sasaki and 32 points on Jaume Masia, who finished eighteenth after crashing on the third lap.
With David Alonso, the Gaviota GASGAS Aspar team experienced a carousel of emotions which ended with the young hopeful's first victory at Silverstone. The best rookie in the category, now sixth in the general classification, won his second podium of the season, but this time by climbing to the highest step of the podium after moving up no less than 27 positions!
« It's an incredible feeling. I started from the back and I knew that was going to make the race difficult for me. Today I got up and said to myself, “You can do this…”. I believed in myself and focused on one thing: getting to the finish line as strong as possible. I was so focused that I didn't think of any strategy for the end of the race. With five laps to go I started thinking about how I could win and with two turns to go I knew I was going to win. Winning my first race is incredible. I want to dedicate this victory to my team, because they work hard, but also to my family and my friends. »
The Colombian started the second part of the championship in style, but what is his previous career?
Although only 17 years old, his track record already extends over ten years…
2013 FMM CHILDREN’S 4,2 MINI-MOTORCYCLE CHAMPION.
2013 VICE-CHAMPION OF MINI-MOTORCYCLES FOR CHILDREN MINI ALEVIN A, VALENCIA COMMUNITY.
2014 PROMOVELOCIDAD CATALAN CUP CHAMPION.
2015 SPANISH CHAMPION COUPE MINI VITESSE MINIMOTARD 65 2T.
2015 BRONZE MEDAL FOR SPORTS MERIT FMM.
2016 CHAMPION MINIMOTARD MADRID 65 2T.
2016 CHAMPION MINIMOTARD 6,2 FOR CHILDREN FMM.
2017 8TH SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS 85 GP.
2018 SPANISH CHAMPION 85 GP. FMM SILVER MEDAL FOR SPORTS MERIT.
2019 5TH HAWKERS EUROPEAN TALENT CUP.
2020 CHAMPION HAWKERS EUROPEAN TALENT CUP.
2020 4TH RED BULL MOTOGP ROOKIES CUP.
2021 CHAMPION RED BULL MOTOGP ROOKIES CUP.
2021 7TH FIM CEV MOTO3 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
2022 7TH FIM CEV MOTO3 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
2023 VICTORY IN THE MOTO3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SILVERSTONE
