Hervé Poncharal and his Tech3 troops were playing at home in this French Grand Prix this Sunday. But the air of the country was not so favorable, although there is no reason to be ashamed of the final result. The top 5 was narrowly missed by Miguel Oliveira who lost his status as best KTM rider in the provisional general classification to the benefit of Pol Espargaró on the podium. The rain played its role, and in particular with Iker Lecuona who discovered it on the KTM handlebars. The rookie still saw the finish and even brought home a point…
It’s a Hervé Poncharal half-fig, half-grape who leaves Sarthe to head towardsAragon, where he can hope for better weather conditions. He thus takes stock for his troops Tech3 of this ninth meeting of the year: “ When we saw the rain coming onto the starting grid, we thought it would be a difficult race with an unpredictable result. We weren't sure if it would be a flag to flag, but in the end it rained hard enough to keep the track wet throughout the race. ».
« Miguel didn't have such a good start, because he was slowed down by Rossi's fall in the first corner, but he recovered very well. We could see that he had the necessary speed and that he overtook the drivers every lap ».
« He joined the group with Alex Marquez and Pol Espargaró. We were very close, quite fast in the group and we thought it would be a fight until the end. Then Dovizioso slowed down a lot, Pol managed to overtake him, we overtook him, he passed us again and we lost a lot of time behind him. Pol had left for the podium and following Dovizioso was enough to slow us down and be within reach of Johann Zarco, who was in medium rear, and in much better shape at the end of the race ».
« We lost position, not only did we not get fourth, but we lost fifth in the very last corner. It can happen, either way, it's only a point between fifth and sixth place ».
“It’s always a bitter feeling to lose a place on the very last corner”
« Miguel showed that he is a very fast and consistent driver in the wet. Our motorcycle was well prepared. Congratulations to KTM for another podium with Pol. Overall it was a positive weekend, although it's still a bitter feeling to lose a place on the very last corner. Congratulations to Miguel, he rode really well and I think we can only be proud of him ».
« Iker was lost, honestly. The first wet race with MotoGP is never easy. We told him before the race "do your best, learn, finish the Grand Prix, educate yourself, get feedback, gain experience" and that's what he did. That's what he did. It was good enough to finish in the points ».
« Getting a point for 15th place is not something glorious, but it is a reward for the hard work of the weekend. He is a beginner, he is learning and feels that in these conditions, there is still a lot to learn. But we are quite positive and happy about this weekend at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix. Let's pack our bags and move on to the next one, which is Aragon ».
MotoGP Le Mans France J3: classification
