In the toilet block: Manuel Gonzalez celebrated just like Valentino Rossi used to

The German Intact team found itself in a good starting position for the Moto2 race at Misano. Senna Agius secured pole position in qualifying, whilst championship leader Manuel Gonzalez secured fifth on the grid. Drama ensued for Agius after the start: the Australian and Daniel Holgado were taken out by Angel Piqueras in the first corner – ending the race for all three riders.

Gonzalez was one of the beneficiaries of the incident and moved up to second place behind KTM Ajo rider Collin Veijer. Gonzalez rode behind the Dutchman for a few laps before taking the lead on the fifth lap. He then held on to it right until the chequered flag. The Spaniard finished around 2.5 seconds ahead of Veijer.

“I’m absolutely delighted with this win, because in recent races we knew we had the pace to win but lacked the opportunity,” said Gonzalez. “Here we had the speed, the right set-up and the confidence, and we seized the opportunity. However, I was lucky not to be caught up in the crash at the first corner. After that, I had good pace, even though Collin put me under a lot of pressure.”

How did he experience the crash in the first corner? “On Saturday, we discussed as a team that things might get a bit more dangerous with Muñoz and Piqueras, as they’re not used to riding so far up the field on the first lap,” emphasised Gonzalez. “You have to assess the situation carefully when you can’t see where the riders directly in front of you are braking. You have to stay calm. We were lucky it didn’t happen to us. I hope the riders are okay, because the crash was heavy.”

Critical moment due to a track limits warning

Things got critical once again for the Intact rider in the final laps. He’d received a track limits warning; another infringement would have resulted in a long-lap penalty, which would have cost him the win. Gonzalez remained focused and secured the victory. “Towards the end, I had a bit of trouble with my right arm, as Misano is a track where I struggle physically because there are so many right-hand bends with hard braking points,” the 24-year-old had to admit. “So I tried to stay calm, avoid mistakes, and I’d also received a warning for going off the track. So I told myself: ‘This isn’t the right moment for a long-lap penalty.’”

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Gonzalez secured his fifth win of the season at Misano. After a few less successful races, he was back on top of the podium in Italy. In the World Championship standings, he extended his lead over Izan Guevara (Pramac), who finished sixth on Sunday, to 47.5 points. “Given the previous races, it was extremely important to have built up a bigger points gap between myself and the riders behind me. Especially as we had some bad luck at Silverstone and, instead of extending our lead, we lost points,” said Gonzalez, referring to the British Grand Prix, where he celebrated a lap too early and finished only 14th due to a bent exhaust. The action continues next weekend at the Red Bull Ring. “I’m looking forward to the next races, hoping to keep winning, because that’s what I want and what we’re capable of. Austria is a circuit I also like and where I’m quick. So we’ll try to win there again.”

Legendary victory celebration

Manuel Gonzalez celebrated his victory at Misano in a special way – by imitating MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi. The background: after his 250cc victory at Jerez in 1999, Rossi parked his Aprilia at the side of the track and disappeared into a portable toilet. Gonzalez followed suit in Misano. “I’d been wanting to do this victory celebration for a few races now. But I was lucky to be able to do it here in Misano, in his home country,” smiled the Moto2 rider. “I always try to celebrate in a fun way. I did it for the fans. Perhaps in future I’ll try to copy another rider’s victory celebration. I’d always like to do something new, but we don’t have much time once the chequered flag has been waved. I enjoyed the moment!”

Gonzalez feierte standesgemäß – wie Valentino Rossi in Jerez 1999

Foto: motogp.com