The Tech3 team can now boast of having completed all the categories offered by the Grands Prix. The French will certainly always be missing the 125, but the 250 is done, with a title what's more, the 500 too, the MotoGP, the Moto2 and now the Moto3. A Qatar Grand Prix deprived of the major discipline brought this milestone to Hervé Poncharal who, rather than focusing on the modest raw results in the race, prefers to focus on a positive general feeling...
« Finally, we had our first Moto3 race of the 2020 season »Comments Hervé Poncharal like relieved. “ I have to say that the whole meeting was a great weekend for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. Both drivers pushed hard and did a good job throughout practice and in the race. We were able to witness an incredible race. » It will be recalled that it was won by the KTM byArenas who thus offered a 100e succès to the Austrian manufacturer. For pilots Tech3, you have to go down to the twelfth place to find trace of one of its residents, in this case Deniz Oncu. The Turk brings back four points, for his debut on the international scene.
« Deniz had a dream start, we were so happy to see him in fourth position for several turns » remembers the French boss. “ As is always the case in Moto3, there were a few touches and a few small errors on the part of the riders, which caused him to lose places. Sometimes he was losing contact with the leading group, doing very good lap times and we were a little afraid to see the last eight, ten laps, because he was faster than the group in front of him. Even though he had a big contact, dropping him to 19th, he passed everyone in front of him and finished 12th, which was his first World Championship points. »
« I'm really happy, he got his best position in qualifying on Saturday with Tech3 and his best race – so far – with us. It is certain that there is still much to learn. We must remember that Deniz is a 16 year old boy. I would like to say that we love him for his energy, his fun, his humor, his very positive attitude, it's like a breeze of fresh air and it's positive. So we will do everything we can to support and help him. But I think he has a great future ahead of him and we are proud to have him with us. »
« I don't want to forget the other side of the box » adds Hervé on a Sasaki 19e. " Ayumu is a very talented rider, a very fast rider and someone who can fight for the top places in Moto3, we know that. At the moment he's having a little trouble adapting his riding style to his new machine, but we're keeping a positive mindset. At one point he was with Deniz. We believe in him, we trust him completely and we know that it will bring us much joy and success this year. »
The Gallic leader finishes: “ So, it was a long stay in Qatar, but it was worth it. We got our first points with Deniz. Now I think we can go home, enjoy these moments, rest and wait for the big news: where the next race will take place... "
Ayumu Sasaki, Qatar Moto3 race March 8, 2020
