CFMOTO European Privilege Aspar are keen to fight for the top spots once again in the final European double-header before travelling to Asia
The CFMOTO European Privilege Aspar riders arrive at the Misano – Marco Simoncelli circuit ready to give it their all following a highly positive weekend at Aragón. David Alonso returned to the podium at the MotorLand Aragon circuit and rounded off a weekend full of progress with a thrilling final lap in the battle for second place. The Colombian has rediscovered his good feelings, something reflected in his results: in the last five races he has been on the podium three times, including a victory at the Dutch Grand Prix. After a slight dip in form, he managed to turn things round at the Aragon Grand Prix, fighting his way up the field to stage one of the season’s best battles alongside Izan Guevara. Alonso will have another chance to continue closing the gap on his team-mate in the standings, who is just five points ahead of him.
Dani Holgado was unable to secure a podium finish in Sunday’s race and the good work carried out alongside the team did not yield the reward it deserved, but the Spaniard once again demonstrated the high standard he is currently performing at. After a week’s break, both riders are back in action to tackle the final two races on European soil before the Asian leg of the season begins. Holgado has four podium finishes to his name, including one victory, and this weekend he is aiming to add to that tally at a Grand Prix where he already finished on the podium last season, crossing the finish line in third place. The strong performances and consistency that have characterised him throughout the season have seen him establish himself in the top five of the overall standings, just twelve points behind the rider in third place.
Manu González remains the category leader, but his absence from the podium at MotorLand, combined with Izan Guevara’s second-place finish, has narrowed the gap between them even further. The two Spaniards are separated by 32.5 points, meaning the battle for the championship is set to become even more thrilling in this final stretch of the season. Third place remains with Senna Agius, who is 26 points behind Guevara; whilst in fourth place is Iván Ortolá, four and a half points behind. Fifth and sixth places go to Holgado and Alonso, who have 137 and 132 points respectively.
Dani Holgado: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Misano. Last year I felt really good there; I felt very comfortable and even managed to get on the podium. I’m really motivated to keep working with the team, who are doing a great job. I want to take another step forward to have a good race and end the weekend on a high note. I’ll try to give my all both on and off the track to be at my very best.”
David Alonso: “One of our objectives at Misano will be to maintain the same riding intensity with which we finished at Aragón. This will help us stay on the right path, not lose our way and get the bike set up well. It’s important to go into Sunday as prepared as possible: we know we’re competitive in the race, but we also need to be competitive on Friday and Saturday, so we’ll be working on that.”
