The barometer rocketed up with every passing second at the 2022 Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in Spain as it witnessed Izan Guevara scoop a dominant win in Moto3 for the Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team. Immediately after the Moto3 chase, Jake Dixon locked in 4th place and a decent points haul for the Inde GASGAS Aspar Team Moto2 Team.
- Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team’s Moto3 rider Izan Guevara races to perfection by taking his second win of the season, and fourth consecutive podium, while team-mate Sergio Garcia gets so close to the podium in 4th place. The duo are now 1-2 in the championship
- Inde GASGAS Aspar Team Moto2 rider Jake Dixon tallies an impressive points haul in Catalunya by finishing 4th, while teammate Albert Arenas unfortunately retires following a technical issue
- The Aspar team celebrates a historic 500th Grand Prix at the 2022 Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
Both Aspar GASGAS Moto2 and Moto3 crews had many reasons to celebrate at the 2022 Catalan Grand Prix. Not only was it an historic 500th Grand Prix for the entire crew but the GASGAS teams came away with a win and a huge points haul across both classes.
Locking in his fourth consecutive podium of the year Izan Guevara scorched ahead from his 3rd place grid slot, in what was a perfectly judged race. The 17-year-old made a lightning start, sliding into second position almost immediately. He was chased closely by teammate Garcia who had leapfrogged up the order from his P7 grid slot.
The GASGAS duo circulated at the front for the entire 21 lap race; fighting off attacks from rivals Tatsuki Suzuki and 16 year old class debutant David Muñoz. At mid race distance (lap 11) there was very little to call between the leading group of riders, however on lap 15 Guevara lit the fuse and pulled out a 0.5 margin. This might not sound like a lot, but in the crucible of Moto3, tenths of a second can make the difference between podium and back of the pack.
On the final lap, Guevara had pulled out a mighty 1.62 seconds to seal his second victory and fourth consecutive podium of the year. What’s more the 25 points earned from the win, propel Guevara up to 2nd in the championship. Meanwhile, teammate Sergio Garcia retains the top spot in the championship, having narrowly missed out on the podium by 0.056 of a second – finishing fourth.
In a quick fire succession of action, Moto2 rolled out onto the 4.67km Barcelona Catalunya Circuit immediately after the Moto3 thriller. Inde GASGAS Aspar Team Moto2 rider Jake Dixon arrived in Barcelona in confident form, having finished 6th at the last Grand Prix in Mugello. The 26-year-old British rider qualified strongly into 4th and made his intentions clear off the lights, by blasting into the lead. In what turned out to be a relentless tussle between Dixon and rivals Celestino Vietti, Aaron Canet and Augusto Fernandez, Dixon was narrowly shuffled into fourth position at the final flag. Meanwhile teammate Albert Arenas had qualified into the top five with blistering pace, and spent the majority of the 22 lap race chasing down podium positions; circulating as high as 2nd place on lap 14. Unfortunately a technical problem ended his charge just three laps from the end. Nevertheless Dixon and Arenas hold station in the championship standings on 11th and 15th respectively.
Next up is the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on the June 19th.
#11 – Sergio García: “A tricky day because we didn’t quite get the set-up right. The bike worked well but we just missed the final touches to get it suited to my style. Anyway, I’m satisfied. I made a mistake on the last lap because I thought we had one more to go so I didn’t attack the riders ahead of me and finished 4th. We’ll keep working and get ready for Germany.”
#28 – Izan Guevara: “A great race for me, really good for the championship and my fourth consecutive podium in the world championship. I’m happy for the team. My pace was incredible and I pushed to the last corner to make it happen.”
#75 – Albert Arenas: “I’m still frustrated. Just two laps from the end and we had a problem. Overall, I guess I’m happy with how the weekend went because we were competitive for the podium and at the front of the pack. We worked well and had a good rhythm. We also found more things we know we can improve. All we can do now is think of the next race.”
#96 – Jake Dixon: «It was annoying to be at the front the whole race and then to lose a podium on the last lap! Anyway, I gave it everything today. We know where we need to improve. We finished 0.6 from 1st and now we need to get our heads down for Sachsenring and do better and be stronger next time.»
Results – 2022 Moto3 World Championship, Round 9:
1. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 21 Laps; 2. David Muñoz (KTM) +1.975, 3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) +1.985, 4. Sergio García (GASGAS) +2.036,
Championship Standings – After Round 9:
1. Sergio García (GASGAS) 150pts; 2. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 134pts, 3. Jaume Masia (KTM) 103pts,
Results – 2022 Moto2 World Championship, Round 9:
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 22 Laps; 2. Aron Canet (Kalex) +0.081, 3. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) +0.522
4. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) +0.646, DNF. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) 3 Laps,
Championship Standings – After Round 9:
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 133pts; 2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 117pts, 3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 109pts, 11. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) 55pts, 15. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) 35pts,