Vierge completes relentless run to 22nd at Sepang

Vierge completes relentless run to 22nd at Sepang

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge produced a solid effort today as he completed the 17^th round of the Moto2 World Championship in 22^nd. The 18 year old Spaniard lined up in 25^th on the grid for the 19 lap battle and leapt into action when the GP began. He moved up two positions at the close of the first lap as he quickly set into his race pace and by the second lap he was running in 22^nd. Vierge continued to muscle his way through to the front of the group and clinched 19^th shortly after. He then lost a position, but carried on his solid pace as he locked his sights on the rider in front. The CEV race winner lapped consistently around the 5.5 kilometre circuit and at just past the midway point, he was in 20^th. As the race distance progressed in the GP at the Sepang International Circuit, which the young Spaniard was competing at for the first time, Vierge slipped back one position. Yet, he remained fully focused and gave his all before crossing the line in 22^nd place. The end result marks another weekend of constant improvement for the young Spaniard and leaves him confident ahead of the final round at Valencia, which is finally a familiar track for him.

On the opposite side of the Tech3 Racing Team garage, Marcel Schrotter endured a tricky Moto2 race today which unfortunately ended prematurely and marks a disappointing close to the final flyaway event. In the hot and humid conditions, the young German kicked off the penultimate round of the 2015 Moto2 World Championship from 17^th on the grid and when the lights went out, he shot forward as he determinedly set about trying to climb through the field to a points scoring finish. He completed the opening lap in his grid position but was then squeezed back one place in the following lap. Yet, he aimed to bite back straight away as he fought in the pack of five. He continued his momentum, but luck went against him and he fell during the 3^rd lap. However, Schrotter bravely remounted and attempted to see out the race, until he was forced to retire on the 9^th lap. The 22 year old will seek to bounce back and make amends at the next Grand Prix in Valencia in two weeks. .

Xavi Vierge – Position : 22^nd  – Championship : Not Classified

“It goes without saying that it was a very tricky race for me but I am happy that I could finish it. Yesterday when I completed the qualifying, my feeling with the Mistral was very good and I had a solid rhythm which left me confident for the race today. However, in the event itself, the sensations on the bike were just not quite the same due to the conditions. It was challenging in every lap, so I tried to change my riding style and I did my best to adapt, but no matter what I tried, I felt no improvement. Therefore , I just focused on finishing the race halfway through, as I need to learn as much as possible this year. I gave my all right until the chequered flag, but in the last corner Raffin touched me, yet I luckily caught the bike and crossed the line. It was really tough today, but I will stay confident for Valencia. I want to say thanks to the team for their great work and hopefully we can have a much more positive time in Spain at the final round.”

Marcel Schrotter – Position : DNF – Championship :21th – Points : 31

“In the end, it’s a disappointing close to the event because no matter how difficult the weekend is, you never want to crash out of a GP. We are here to fight and we all want to finish the race but unfortunately that didn’t happen for me today. This weekend it took us quite a while to understand which direction to head towards at this track. It’s normal to make a few small alterations at each different circuit, but for us we always have to undertake some big adjustments to the setup. It was the same situation here today. The conditions changed as it was much hotter and so the bike behaved differently this morning when compared to yesterday. We also struggled with the tyres in this race and it was a real challenge as soon as the GP began. I had quite a good start and was then fighting as hard as I could in order to climb up the field. However, I didn’t feel comfortable and people passed me because I couldn’t brake late and the bike struggled to turn. Eventually, I fell, which is a real shame, so I want to say sorry to the team. However, I will certainly look to finish my collaboration with the Tech3 Racing Team with a strong result in Valencia.“

Hervé Poncharal : Team Manager : 

“Obviously it’s hard to hide our disappointment about today’s result. We were quite optimistic about Marcel going for a point scoring finish, which would have been a positive close to the three fly away races. Yet, unfortunately like a few other riders, he crashed which is a real pity because he had a good pace, but at the end of the day, this is racing. On the other side of the garage, for sure, I was expecting more from Xavi. In the closing moments of the race he made a mistake and lost a lot of time, but still, he had a really good start and in the end, he could have been a lot closer to the guys in front. Nevertheless, we have to see the positives and it’s clear that he learnt a lot at this race. He already knew how tough it is to compete at the World Championship level and now he has experienced how challenging the conditions are in Malaysia. In addition, he has gained some more important knowledge about how crucial the riders physical conditions are and also the tyre management. Now we hope that both riders will bounce back at Valencia and close the season positively.”