Dani Holgado has secured his third podium finish of the season after finishing third in the Italian Grand Prix

CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider Dani Holgado has returned to the podium at Mugello. The Spaniard finished third in a race where tyre management made all the difference, particularly in the final laps. Holgado even battled for second place, although on the final lap he was overtaken by Celestino Vietti, who ultimately took second place. Manu González now has three wins to his name following his victory at the Italian Grand Prix and has consolidated his lead in the standings. David Alonso faced a difficult race in which he didn’t feel at his best and finished eighteenth.  

The intermediate category race at Mugello proved a real challenge for the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team. Dani Holgado made a good start that allowed him to stay among the frontrunners, but he kept his cool and waited for the right moment to attack. The Spaniard did a great job throughout the weekend to arrive at Sunday with good pace, something he made the most of, particularly in the final laps. At this point, Holgado decided to push further to take second place and, at the same time, try to defend himself from other riders who were also closing in on him. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider even lost third place in the final corner but managed to retake the position on the straight to regain third place in the final metres. This result marks his third podium of the season, following his finishes in Thailand and Brazil. His team-mate David Alonso also made a good start, staying in the top 10 during the opening laps. However, the Colombian never quite felt comfortable on his bike, particularly with the rear tyre, so he was unable to ride with the desired fluidity and gradually lost positions until crossing the finish line in eighteenth place.  

3rd Dani Holgado (+5.462): “I’m really happy to have achieved this podium; it feels great after going so many races without doing so. It was a very difficult race to manage; almost all of us were struggling with the front tyre. I started off more calmly, until I saw riders with a slightly slower pace than mine and decided to go for the podium because I wanted second place. It took its toll on me in the final laps and they caught up with me; I was trying to give it my all, but I couldn’t push any harder. Third place is a very positive result after starting the weekend a bit behind and having to go through Q1. I managed to turn the weekend around; I’d pretty much written it off, but I need to keep learning how to handle certain moments better. This category has taught me another lesson: you have to know how to stay calm when there’s a rider ahead of you. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot once again. It’s an important result because it gives me extra motivation to keep going. When things don’t go to plan, it’s tough, but we’ve never stopped trying. Both the team and I give it our all and we’re always united.”

18th David Alonso (+25.944): “I wasn’t able to compete in this race. In the first two or three laps I stayed with the group, but then I started to notice I couldn’t turn properly. I felt the rear of the bike was sliding out in the corners and I was riding very slowly; it was like driving a front-wheel-drive car and entering a roundabout too fast. More and more riders were overtaking me, but we’ll analyse what might have happened. I’ll take away the positive feelings from the weekend and the good work we’ve done.”