Top-5 Finish for Gonzalez at Portuguese GP

2023-03-27 03:21
Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp enjoyed a strong result at the first round of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship. Manuel Gonzalez was the sole rider for the team as Kohta Nozane is recovering from an injury in the lumbar region. The Spaniard was pushing hard for a podium result, but ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place.



GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL
RACE



LOCAL TIME: 12:15 GMT

AIR TEMPERATURE: 21°C

TRACK TEMPERATURE: 31°C

WEATHER: SUNNY / HUMIDITY 60%





Portimao (Portugal), 26th March 2023



Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez put up a brave fight for a place on the Moto2 rostrum at today‘s Grande Prémio de Portugal. He ultimately secured fifth place in the opening round of the Moto2 season, giving a preview of the potential of the Spanish talent for the remainder of 2023.

Gonzalez started from fifth on the grid. He lost two positions on the opening lap, but it was only temporary. He overtook two riders going into Turn 1 on lap 3. He then slipped by Filip Salac, who was pushed wide. It wasn‘t long before he also passed Celestino Vietti to take over the role of head of the group chasing the leading duo.

However, danger was coming from behind. On lap 9, Tony Arbolino used the slipstream to overtake Gonzalez. The Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider kept pushing to follow the Italian but wasn‘t quite able to match the pace. Losing strength in his arm in the latter stages of the 21-lap race meant he also had to relinquish fourth place, but he still finished fifth, equaling his best intermediate class finish.

Today‘s result earns Manugasss 11 points and fifth place in the championship standings.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will now travel straight to the Termas de Río Hondo track for next weekend‘s Gran Premio de la República Argentina.

The team once again send their well wishes to Kohta Nozane. The Japanese rider sustained an injury to his lumbar vertebrae in yesterday‘s P3 session. The team hope to be reunited with the rookie soon once he has made a full recovery.



GELETE NIETO
GELETE NIETO
SPORTS DIRECTOR







Today we managed to have a very good race. Manu's times were fast and constant until his arm began to tire. But the important thing is that we have shown that this year we will be fighting with the best. I want to thank Yamaha and Correos Prepago for the support we are receiving.

We all wish Kohta a speedy recovery. The team is already missing him, and we hope to have him back with us as soon as possible.




MANUEL GONZALEZ
MANUEL GONZALEZ







P5 in today's race: I think that's a great result! We worked really well during the pre-season tests and throughout this weekend. I thought I would be able to fight for the podium today, but we just need to continue our work like we are doing. We will fight for more podiums and more wins, I'm very sure. I'm happy with this result. See you all in Argentina, where we can improve even more.

Source: Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Moto2 Team

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story