First podium of the year for Taiyo Furusato
Lusail International CircuitHonda Team Asia rider Furusato misses out on QatarGP victory by 0.009 seconds
The Moto3 race at Qatar featured the intense battles and tight packs that are typical of the lightweight class, where Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato was ultimately disappointed at the chequered flag to miss out on the victory by only 0.009 seconds, while Honda riders made up five of the top nine places.
The young Japanese talent successfully made his way through the field, after starting the 16-lap affair in 12th place, to be part of the podium fight throughout the race. Furusato headed into the final corner of the last lap as the race leader but was ultimately beaten to the line by only 0.009 seconds, and he had to settle for the second step of the podium.
Behind the leading pack, Riccardo Rossi showed potential to be in the podium fight come the end of the 16 laps. However, the Rivacold Snipers Team rider was unable to keep pace with the leaders and crossed the line in fifth place. SIC58 Squadra Corse riders Luca Lunetta and Stefano Nepa, along with Rossi’s team-mate Nicola Carraro, made it five Honda riders inside the top nine, as they finished in seventh, eighth and ninth places respectively.
It was ultimately a disappointing race for Leopard Racing with David Almansa, who took the chequered flag in 16th place after a Turn 16 crash on lap 9, and team-mate Adrian Fernandez, who came into the pits to retire from the race on the same lap.
Meanwhile, Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – Mlav Racing) crossed the line in 18th, with Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) one place behind in 19th.
The next race for Honda’s NSF250RW riders will see them tackle Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in Spain (25 – 27 April).
To be honest I can be happy for being on the podium for the first time this year, but of course I’m not happy I missed out on the win. It’s been a good weekend, where we focused on the race rather than on the one lap qualifying pace. As always, we knew that I could come back through in the race. I had a massive crash on Saturday morning and the team worked hard to fix the bike, so I appreciate them, and overall I can be happy with today.
To be honest I can be happy for being on the podium for the first time this year, but of course I’m not happy I missed out on the win. It’s been a good weekend, where we focused on the race rather than on the one lap qualifying pace. As always, we knew that I could come back through in the race. I had a massive crash on Saturday morning and the team worked hard to fix the bike, so I appreciate them, and overall I can be happy with today.
