It was a special race day for Augusto Fernandez from GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 who celebrated his one hundredth Grand Prix in Mugello, at the Gran Premio d’Italia, the sixth round of his rookie season in MotoGP™. Both Jonas Folger and the number 37 were not having the easiest weekend so far in Italy with difficulties to find their marks on the Tuscan layout, so the aim of the day was to try reversing the situation to end the weekend on a positive note before heading to Germany for the next round.
After a tricky Saturday involving a big crash and a disappointing Sprint, Augusto Fernandez did a reset overnight and headed to the twentieth position on the grid to start the Italian Grand Prix with the motivation to do well on the long hole. When lights went out at 14:00 (GMT+2), the rookie lost a position to Lorenzo Salvadori and seemed to struggle to get into the rhythm at the start. The tough track conditions (hottest of the weekend) added a difficulty for the rookie on the long distance, but he remained focused, trying to follow the others while concentrating on his own rhythm. As the race went on, he found progressively more confidence, his race pace improved and he started to catch up with the riders ahead of him, managing to overtake Salvadori on the ninth lap. He rode his fastest lap on lap 14 in 1’48.012 as he continued to get closer to Michele Piro and Raul Fernandez, and eventually passed them both within the final laps of the race. He passed the checkered flag in P15, and scored a point, a good reward after a tough weekend for the rookie.
Jonas Folger continued to struggle today at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. After the Sprint, he was a bit disappointed with the lack of feeling on the track and had hoped to feel better today. He was starting from the back of the grid. When the lights went out, he remained at the back, trying to stay with the others, but went a bit wide in the second lap, meaning that he completely lost contact with the rest of the class. From there, he was alone and focused on his own, on his pace, with the main goal to complete the Grand Prix. With a few crashes in front, he passed the checkered flag in nineteenth as he completed his fourth round with the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3.
It was a tough weekend overall for the team, who finishes on a positive note with a point scored by Augusto’s side. We will now focus on the next round as we are headed to Sachsenring, for the German Grand Prix, from June 16-18.
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Position: 15th
Championship: 14th
Points: 31
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Position: 19th
Championship: 21st
Points: 7
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