It was in Portimão that the CIP-GREEN POWER drivers met last weekend for the Portuguese Grand Prix, the third stage of the season.
After a first day marked by a wet track and rain, Kaito Toba and Maximilian Kofler both had to go through Q1 on Saturday afternoon. But a small fall prevented the Japanese from reaching Q2.
However, Kaito Toba made an excellent start to the race before clashing with one of his opponents and making a mistake while he was in the leading group.
For his part, Maximilian Kofler, who started from the seventh row on the grid, gave everything to come back, but he had to settle for 20th position at the finish.
Head to the Jerez circuit for the next meeting of the season.
Maximilian Kofler (20th) : " The weekend was overall quite difficult for me. I encountered problems from the start. I couldn't ride as fast as I wanted and I didn't feel as confident as I did in Qatar. During the race, I couldn't stay in the group. I tried my best, but it wasn't possible. Now we focus on Jerez. I think I already have a good feeling for Jerez and I want to give my all there. »
Kaito Toba (DNF) : " This week has been very difficult for me. On Friday, the conditions were not very good. I didn't do enough laps to adjust the bike. On Saturday the conditions were better, but I had no confidence in the bike and couldn't push. During the warmup we found some small positive things and I felt much better for the race. I was already in the leading group after two laps. It was a good race, but then I made a mistake and crashed. I went back to the box and they repaired the bike. I tried to do a few laps to gather more information. It was a very disappointing weekend, but we learned a lot. Positive things that we try to keep to focus on Jerez. »
Alain Bronec (Team Owner) : " It was a difficult weekend for the CIP-GREEN POWER team. After a slightly complicated Friday with a wet track during the first session and the return of rain during FP2, Kaito and Maximilian were not able to push on the bike and find the limit. In Q1, Kaito crashed and he was unable to advance to Q2. However, he had an excellent start and a good start to the race. Unfortunately, he clashed with a rider and crashed. Maximilian finished 20th in the race. He leaves Portimão having gained additional experience in difficult racing conditions. Kaito nevertheless made a good start to the race and Maximilian was able to learn lessons from this weekend. We are therefore very optimistic for the future. »
Moto3 Portuguese Grand Prix standings:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
