Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team rider Sergio García extends his championship lead with a third win of the year while Izan Guevara takes a brilliant third consecutive podium. Inde GASGAS Aspar Moto2 racer Jake Dixon scores a solid top five finish with teammates Arenas and Pasini in 10th and 15th.
- Sergio García extends his series lead by securing a third win of the season. Izan Guevara blasts to 2nd in the race and the championship.
- Jake Dixon returns to form in Moto2 with a solid 6th position and 10 championship points, while teammate Albert Arenas battles into the top-10 after challenging Grand Prix.
- Mattia Pasini races to 15th in a blistering wildcard appearance for the Inde GASGAS Aspar Moto2 team.
Steeped with history and character, a visit to the fast and old-school style Mugello circuit in the foothills of Tuscany is always a special moment for any motorcycle racer. The legendary Grand Prix venue has been the scene of some titanic battles over the years, and happily the 2022 Italian Grand Prix was no different.
While the weekend opened with scorching conditions, giving the Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team and Inde GASGAS Aspar Team riders ideal riding time in practice, Saturday and Sunday’s cooler temperatures brought an extra level of drama. Headwinds and changing 23°C degree track surface meant the riders would have to use every ounce of skills and strategy to deliver the goods after lapping a full race distance on the undulating 5.24 Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. By the chequered flag they had all delivered: a win, trophies, points and more.
In Moto3, Sergio García scorched away from his second-row grid slot of 4th, to cut through an incredibly tight pack and take his third win and fifth podium of the year. 20 laps of tense racing saw the top-ten separated by mere tenths of a second. However, as now is almost becoming a trademark of García and fellow GASGAS racer Izan Guevara, it all went down in the closing lap, and final corners.
A photo finish between García and Guevara was out for review at the line. Guevara – who started in P5 and had spent the majority of the race distance in contention for the podium – had actually slipstreamed his teammate to the line but an earlier track limits infringement meant he was demoted a place into 2nd. Despite the relative demotion, it is still an awesome result for Guevara – who now moves up to 2nd place in the championship, with four podiums – including a win – to his name in the season so far.
In Moto2 Jake Dixon made a brave showing at Mugello after not finishing the last three races of the season. The British rider fought his way from a P9 qualifying slot up to 6th, just two tenths of a second behind rival Augusto Fernandez. What’s more the result gives Dixon a solid 10 points to his championship campaign, bumping him up a position from 12th to 11th.
Elsewhere teammate Albert Arenas also rode a gritty race to finish inside the top 10. Arenas had initially qualified in 13th, and despite making a good start, tangled with riders in the opening lap. This dropped Arenas to the back of the pack. However a determined performance over the remaining 20 laps saw the Spaniard rush back into 10th place.
For Mugello the Inde GASGAS Aspar team also welcomed Mattia Pasini. A veteran of the category with a previous two wins, four podiums, and eight pole positions. Pasini started from 5th and the 36 year old Italian finished 15th due to a solid performance.
Next up is the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya on the 5th June.
#11 – Sergio García: “Yeah I’m really happy! For me, the last race here at Mugello last year was the most difficult – it’s really difficult to win here – so I’m very happy to get this result. I want to dedicate this race for my friend – for Hanno – and for all his family.”
#28 – Izan Guevara: “I’m really happy for my third consecutive world championship podium. It gives us good points for the championship. I’m really happy for my team to get these two positions as well. In the last sector I hit track limits, so I got put back to second. I’m really happy with my pace in the race – I will try to push at more at the next race in Barcelona.”
#75 – Albert Arenas: “It was a really complicated start to the race with a mess into the first corner and then into the first chicane there was contact with other riders and I lost some positions. I was around 21st and could recover to make another top ten with a good rhythm. I’ll take that from today. I could make places and learn things. The team worked so well and we’re making progress every session. We’re fast and have to profit from this. It’s my home GP next in a few days and we’ll be motivated again.”
#96 – Jake Dixon: “It has been a difficult weekend, but overall the race was not so bad. I hadn’t finished the last three races so I was a bit nervous at the beginning here and I had to come back from a long way. Not bad, and something to build-on for Barcelona. I still need to improve on a few things but I had a good feeling at the Barcelona test and I knew Mugello would be tricky for me. I’m already looking forward to next week.”
Results – 2022 Moto3 World Championship, Round 8:
1. Sergio García (GASGAS) 20 Laps; 2. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 39:43.193 (1 place penalty), 3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) +0.012
Championship Standings – After Round 8:
1. Sergio García (GASGAS) 137pts; 2. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 109pts, 3. Jaume Masia (KTM) 95pts,
Results – 2022 Moto2 World Championship, Round 8:
1. Pedro Acosta (Kalex) 21 Laps; 2. Joe Roberts (Kalex) +4.051, 3. Ai Ogura (Kalex) +6.749, 6. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) +12.513, 10. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) +14.748, 15. Mattia Pasini (GASGAS / Kalex) +18.750
Championship Standings – After Round 8:
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 108pts; 2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 108pts, 3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 89pts, 11. Jake Dixon (GASGAS / Kalex) 42pts, 15. Albert Arenas (GASGAS / Kalex) 35pts, 30. Mattia Pasini (GASGAS / Kalex) 1pts