Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso needs to score six points more than José Antonio Rueda to secure the title of 'Rookie of the Year'

Southeast Asia welcomes the World Championship again with a new race weekend for the Moto3 category riders. Buriram (Thailand) hosts the last stop of the triple-header that began in Indonesia. Two grands prix later, however, the situation at the top of the classification remains practically unchanged, with Jaume Masià in the lead of a group of three riders, which includes Ayumu Sasaki and Dani Holgado, separated by a minimal difference. Sasaki was able to cut two points off the leader in these two races, but Holgado has lost ground with Masià and from being nine points behind he is now 18 points off. The opportunities to come back are running out and, this Sunday, when the race ends, there will be only 75 points up for grabs and three more options to reduce the gap or secure the title. The Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso and Turkish Deniz Öncü wait, tied in fourth position, for any of them to fail to finish the season in the top three.

The rookie of the year in the Moto3 category wants to grab his title already in Thailand. Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso has 180 points in his debut season in the World Championship, compared to José Antonio Rueda's 111. There’s a 69-points difference between them, so Alonso will need to get six more than his rival on the Buriram weekend to secure the title. Both arrive again at a circuit unknown to them, as on the last four races, in which Alonso has managed to score 13 more points than his compatriot. The situation is totally different for the other Gaviota GASGAS rider, Ryusei Yamanaka, who has experience on the Thai track since he debuted there in 2015 with the Asia Talent Cup. He has even had time to get on the podium in Buriram in four occasions, always second or third. This week he aims to continue adding more points to his tally, as he has been doing in the last twelve grands prix, to get closer to the top 10 overall in the final part of the championship.

David Alonso: “In Thailand we will have to continue working along the same lines as until now, focusing on ourselves and on our pace to arrive at the race in good condition. It is another new track for me, so we will try to take advantage of all the laps and be well positioned in all the sessions.”

Ryusei Yamanaka: “I know the Buriram circuit because I rode there when I was competing in the Asia Talent Cup. It is a track that I like and where we will find completely different conditions than in Phillip Island. In Thailand it will be hotter, and we will try to take advantage of this to achieve a good result.”