The Colombian rider finished ninth in a race where Dani Holgado wasn’t allowed to make it past the first corner
CFMOTO European Privilege Aspar experienced a day of mixed emotions in Moto2; David Alonso managed to climb to ninth place, while Dani Holgado saw his hopes of contending for top honors dashed by contact with another rider before reaching the first corner —a particularly bitter outcome given that the Spaniard had started second on the grid. Holgado had high hopes for the San Marino race, having secured a podium finish there during his rookie season last year. With this DNF, Holgado has been overtaken by his teammate David Alonso in the Moto2 standings; the Colombian now holds fifth place, leading Holgado by two points. As Senna Agius was also caught up in the crash involving the CFMOTO European Privilege Aspar rider, Iván Ortolá now holds third place, leading both of them by twenty points.
David Alonso delivered a solid performance in San Marino, moving up from fifteenth on the grid to finish ninth, eleven seconds behind the winner. The Colombian rider started the race with a minor muscle tear in his left bicep, yet this did not prevent him from fighting to close the gap to the leaders. On a day that saw two of the top six riders crash out, Alonso views the seven points he earned as a positive result, allowing him to climb to fifth place in the overall standings.
9th David Alonso (+11.408): “We started today’s race with a minor tear in my left bicep due to yesterday’s crash. I felt really good on the first lap, even though there was some pain, but I ran wide a couple of times and lost all the ground I had gained. The pain eased up as the race went on, and I was able to maintain a steady pace. I didn’t finish in the position I wanted, but we did make it to the top 10. Scoring points —and getting as many as possible— was the priority today. We were ready for much more this weekend, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan, so I’m happy with these points. We have to seize every opportunity to build as much momentum as we can. Now it’s time to let my bicep heal for the Austrian race and keep working the way we have been.”
Dani Holgado (crash): “It was a pretty positive weekend, despite today’s result. It’s a shame it ended this way. I got caught up in a crash at the first corner; unfortunately, I went down and couldn’t continue. I’m a bit frustrated about missing out on the race, as I’d felt really good all weekend and think I could have achieved a strong result. That’s racing: sometimes these things happen —one day you’re the one causing it, the next it happens to you. You have to stay calm; the most important thing is that I’m okay. Now we need to focus on Austria; we’re in great form and have to keep working the same way. I want to thank the whole team because they gave it their all to provide a super-competitive bike, and they succeeded.”
