The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider finished the Japanese Grand Prix in fifth place, whilst his team-mate Dani Holgado came eighth
The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar riders came away with positive results from one of the closest Moto2 races of the season. David Alonso finished fifth, just half a second off the podium, whilst Dani Holgado finished in eighth place. Izan Guevara’s victory has shaken up the standings in the intermediate class after Manu González was forced to start the race from the pit lane due to a technical issue just before the lights went out. The gap between the two has now been reduced to 10.5 points. Alongside Guevara, Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac took second and third place on the podium respectively.
Following the hard work put in by the CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar riders over the weekend, the moment of truth arrived this Sunday with the Moto2 race. The intermediate category is becoming increasingly tight as the season progresses, and making a mistake can prove very costly. David Alonso and Dani Holgado got off to a good start and stayed with the leading group. The Colombian rider gave it his all in pursuit of a podium finish, but the blistering pace of the front-runners made it far from easy. Ultimately, Alonso crossed the finish line in fifth place, just one and a half seconds behind the winner. Dani Holgado also tried to keep up with his rivals and, although he gave it his all right to the end, he fell behind the leading group once the race had reached the halfway point. Sunday’s eighth-place finish in Japan leaves a slightly bittersweet taste, but the Spaniard has another chance to return to the top spots next week in Indonesia.
5th David Alonso (+1.554): “I think I rode at a high level and was always up front right until the end. I’ve spotted some interesting things that will help me keep improving. For example, I’ve realised why I sometimes run wide at the first corner, and it’s because of the slipstream when all the riders are bunched up together. If you look back, it’s very rare for the top six riders to finish the race with just two seconds separating them, and all setting record lap times. In this situation, I think the position on the first lap had an even greater impact on the final result. On Sunday you have to give it everything you’ve got, but to do that you have to work really hard on Friday and Saturday.”
8th Dani Holgado (+7.069): “It’s been a weekend of hard work and the race was a bit tricky. I needed to be a bit quicker lap by lap. It’s not much – two or three tenths – but we need to keep working to iron out a few details and get back in the fight for the podium. I want to carry this form into Indonesia so we can be more competitive next week.”
