Vierge battles to 14th in hard fought Argentina GP

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge determinedly clinched his first World Championship points in what was a challenging race at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo today. The young Spaniard started from 23^rd as the track continued to dry from the morning rain. Nevertheless, Vierge bolted forward and elevated up six places at the close of the opening lap. He stuck into his pace and rode rapid times with his sights set on a point scoring finish. The 18 year old moved into 15^th at just over half distance and quickly opened a gap on the pursuing riders. Then on the penultimate lap, he jumped up again and powered to the end as he secured a valuable result in his inaugural appearance at the Argentine circuit.
Meanwhile, Isaac Viñales fought the tricky conditions in Argentina and crossed the finish line to gain more valuable race experience. The class rookie launched from the 9^th row of the grid and completed the first lap in 26^th. He quickly set into his rhythm and maintained his consistency as time progressed before eventually meeting the chequered flag in 24^th, closing a tough weekend for the 22 year old. He now focuses on the next event at the Circuit of the Americas in one week.

Xavi Vierge

Position : 14^th - Championship : 21 - Points : 2

“I am very happy with the end result and it’s great to finally score some championship points. I needed to complete a GP inside the top fifteen, because last year, I fell on several occasions when I was fighting in that position, which was the same case in Qatar. Yet, we are all pleased about what we achieved here, especially as the race was really challenging. I had a good start, remained calm and every lap I focused on the times and continued pushing. A few riders fell which shows how tough it was, but anyway I must say thank you very much to the Tech3 guys for their excellent work. Of course, our goal is to finish higher but this is the first step for me, so now I am excited for Texas where I hope we can have another strong result.”

Isaac Viñales

Position :  24^th - Championship : Not classified

“I found the race tricky today, but I pushed nonstop and I am pleased that I got some more Moto2 experience under my belt. To be honest, I haven’t felt completely comfortable on the bike for the whole weekend, even though the team and I worked hard to solve the issues that we had. The qualifying didn’t go too well, so the GP was always going to be difficult, especially with the circuit being how it was after the rain. Yet, when the lights went out and we started, I did my best, so the end position is not where I want to finish, but I am encouraged and fired up for the next Moto2 event in Texas."

Hervé Poncharal : Team Manager

 “I’m really happy with the Tech3 Racing Team’s performance here. After the disappointment in Qatar, where we missed out on some points, which I feel were well within reach, we left the track with a bitter taste in our mouths. However, we never gave up and didn’t stop believing that our guys could do it. Xavi did a top job and even though he has never raced here before and despite the fact that the conditions weren’t easy in terms of weather, he managed to have an incredible Grand Prix. He had a good start and rode some strong lap times, which eventually resulted in 14th. This was his first point scoring finish in the Moto2 World Championship so I hope there’s plenty more to come, but it’s definitely a superb conclusion for us and we need to continue pushing. On the other side, Isaac rode a really strong GP and his pace was encouraging but unfortunately he was too far back on the grid to make the most of it. Having said that, this is promising and I hope that it will give him a big boost. Next up we head to the Circuit of the Americas, where hopefully both riders can clinch some more points.”