World Championship leader Gonzalez (6th): The difficulties he had to contend with

Moto2 World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez once again had less than ideal weekend at Aragon. In qualifying, the Intat rider secured 4th on the grid. In the race, he was unable to challenge for victory. Nevertheless, he put up a valiant fight and finished the Grand Prix in 6th place.

“It was a tougher race than we’d expected, because on Saturday the feeling was still pretty good. Nevertheless, we knew Sunday would be difficult. When I was riding in the group in the higher temperatures, I didn’t feel comfortable in the corners,” Gonzalez lamented. “I couldn’t handle the bike the way I would have liked. So I had to fight a bit to stay in the mix, and I tried to finish the race as well as possible without making any mistakes. Ultimately, sixth place isn’t what we’d hoped for, but we need to focus on the positives we can take away from this.”

World Championship standings: Izan Guevara closes the gap

World Championship rival Izan Guevara finished second at MotorLand Aragon. The Pramac Yamaha rider managed to reduce his deficit in the overall standings to 32.5 points. “It was the first time we’d had to contend with such difficulties. Even so, we were still quite close to the others. It’s a matter of small details,” said Gonzalez. “Looking ahead to the next races, we have tracks coming up where I feel more comfortable and am stronger. So we’ll work even harder and return to Misano with even more momentum. Many thanks to the team for their hard work and support.”

Team manager Jürgen Lingg added: “With Manu, it was clear to us right from the start that it wouldn’t be easy for him here. Nevertheless, he surprised us on Saturday morning with the fastest time. But we took this result with a pinch of salt. He didn’t feel entirely comfortable during the race, particularly with the front end. We need to investigate exactly what caused this and mustn’t waste any time, as Misano is just two weeks away.”

Gonzalez secured his last victory in Hungary at the start of June. This was followed by 5th, 2nd and 6th places in Brno, Assen and at the Sachsenring. At Silverstone, the 24-year-old made a fatal mistake: He crossed the finish line first and began celebrating – one lap too early. Gonzalez eased off the throttle slightly, whereupon Daniel Holgado crashed into the back of his bike. The collision bent the exhaust on Gonzalez’s Kalex – he fell back and crossed the line in 14th place.

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Manuel Gonzalez und Ivan Ortola

Foto: Gold & Goose