Hervé Poncharal experienced many emotions in this Malaysian Grand Prix which closed the grueling overseas MotoGP campaign. The boss of the Tech3 team oscillates between the happiness of a point brought back by his driver Raul Fernandez who celebrated his birthday in Sepang. But also the sadness of having learned of the disappearance of a man who did a lot for motor sports in general and motorcycle sports in particular.
Hervé Poncharal thus comments on Malaysian Grand Prix accomplished by his tricolor troops: “ the race was very difficult here in Malaysia as the weather was very hot and humid, but our two drivers had a good race » he said. “ Once again the start wasn't ideal, but when you start from so far back on the grid you can't hope for much more unfortunately. Still, they both pushed hard and took positions, until they were behind each other ».
Hervé Poncharal continues: " At one point, Rémy Gardner suffered a rear tire crash and lost contact with his teammate. Raul was in a good group closely following Pol Espargaró and Maverick Viñales, and he came back to the pit saying that he almost collapsed because he was so hot behind them. He did not give up, however, and overtook Viñales in the final laps to finish just behind Espargaró. He scored a deserved point with few falls up front. It's a great achievement for his team and for himself ».
Hervé Poncharal: “ we could not have done what we did if Dietrich Mateschitz had not been there«
« Both drivers had a good race, and I think we have seen the progress made by Raul and Rémy over the last two races » mentions the Frenchman. “ There is still one round to go, in Valencia in two weeks. They both know the circuit very well and I hope we can finish the season on a good note, with both in the points ».
Then he concludes: “ of course, I would like to end with the sad news that we have all heard: Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of Red Bull, dies. Many drivers on the grid, our own drivers, our team and our sport could not have done what we did if he had not been there. We must remember that it is thanks to people like Didi Mateschitz that we can do what we love, MotoGP. This day was dedicated to him. He was with us at the Malaysian Grand Prix ».
MotoGP Malaysia J3: ranking
Credit classification motogp.com
