Foggia And Suzuki Just Miss The Podium At Le Mans
Le MansDennis Foggia (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) rode a superb restarted Moto3 race at Le Mans today, leading most of the 14 laps.
However, the last lap didn’t go Foggia’s way – the 21-year-old Italian lost the lead in the first few corners of the last lap and lost a podium finish at the penultimate corner, just a few hundred metres from the chequered flag.
Foggia started from pole position for the first time in his career and was understandably disappointed with his fourth-place finish. Team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) was also in the thick of the victory fight but crossed the line just behind Foggia in fifth.
The race was red-flagged during the second lap, after a rain shower caused numerous riders to fall, and restarted on a dry track, with the sun shining again, over 14 laps, instead of the original 22.
Foggia and Suzuki were the star performers throughout much of the 14 laps, often running one and two, but finally running out of luck when it mattered most. Foggia now stands third in the championship, 17 points off the lead, while Suzuki is ninth.
Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team Honda NSF250RW) was also in the battle for a podium finish in the early stages but was victim of a couple of aggressive moves from rivals that pushed him down to tenth at the finish. Nonetheless the 26-year-old still holds seventh in the championship, with the first of his two home races, the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, to look forward to in two weeks.
Grand Prix rookie Mario Suryo Aji (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW) had a great ride in the first part of the race, into the points when the red flags came out. He was hoping to go with the front group in the restart but a rival got in his way, losing him so much time that he lost contact with the leaders. Despite finishing 22nd he was happy with his pace.
Fellow rookie Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW) started the second part of the race quite cautiously, in case parts of the track were still damp from the earlier rain. However, he was too cautious and lost too many positions to be able to get himself into the contest for a point-scoring position. He finished 25th, determined to learn from his experience for the next few races.”
The Moto3 grid next travels to Mugello and then to Catalunya, Spain, for back-to-back races on May 29 and June 5.
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I made a good start before the red flag, so when the race stopped I was 14th. At the restart I was optimistic because I saw I could stay with the top guys. But I found one rider who disturbed me and I lost contact with the front group. The positive is that our pace was like the top guys. But again, I was penalised by my position on the grid. I need to learn how to manage to start closer to the front of the grid. I'm happy about the team’s performance because my bike was better than at Jerez. I'm excited to get to Mugello.
In the first race drops of rain started to fall. Many riders crashed, so Race Direction decided to red flag the race. At the restart I was riding very cautiously, maybe too much. The result is not what I expected. Finally, I did my best lap at the last lap. That means I need more experience to manage this type of situation.
