POSITIVE MOTO2 RACE FOR SAMA QATAR ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM

Jake Dixon makes up positions to finish 17^th, with Xavi Cardelús crossing the line in 21^st

The Moto2 race in Argentina produced drama before it had even started, with pole setter Xavi Vierge, set to line up at the front of the grid for the second successive year at Termas de Río Hondo, unable to take up his position after breaking down on the warm-up lap. In his absence, Marcel Schrotter, Remy Gardner, Álex Márquez and Lorenzo Baldassarri battled for the win, with Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona close behind. In the end, victory went to Baldassarri, backing up his win from Qatar to consolidate his early championship lead. Gardner and Márquez completed the podium, with Lecuona finishing as the top KTM in fourth.

The Grand Prix of Argentina ended in positive fashion for the Sama Qatar Ángel Nieto Team, with Jake Dixon finishing just outside the points-scoring positions in seventeenth place after overcoming some brake issues early in the race. The British rider started from 27^th on the grid after a penalty for another rider and he made up more positions throughout the race to eventually take 17^th. His teammate Xavi Cardelús also made progress from his starting position to finish 21^st in Argentina, the Andorran battling in the group over the early laps but eventually losing touch and riding alone for the final few.

17^th Jake Dixon: “The bike is still not where we want it, I was struggling today under braking and couldn’t get the bike stopped as I’d like, which cost me a lot of time. Up until half distance I couldn’t work out the best way to ride around it, so it’s not ideal but we have finished the race and that’s a positive. Now we’ll continue to build on it in Austin.”

21^st Xavi Cardelús: “The start of the race was positive, I was able to stick with the group but gradually they escaped. The difference was very small but enough for me to lose the slipstream and from there the gap increased. We will keep working on every aspect and try again in Austin.”