The MotoGP paddock was back racing in Malaysia for the first time in three years today in front of a crowded Sepang International Circuit. Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s riders Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner were starting the nineteenth round of the season from P20 and P22.
No rain showed up today in Malaysia, but this still left warm and humid conditions making it extremely tough for the riders. Spaniard Raul Fernandez, who was celebrating his twenty-second birthday today, took a good start. Within the first couple of laps, he had set his race pace and appeared comfortable. Through challenging track conditions, he managed to pass both Alex Marquez and Maverick Vinales within the final laps to finish fifteenth, with a tenth point in the bag before flying back home after six weeks away.
Remy Gardner did not take an ideal start and lost a few positions at the start, but still managed to complete the first lap in twentieth, his starting position. He progressively set up his pace as he found himself behind his teammate but started losing grip. His rhythm slowed down and he finished the race in eighteenth. Tech3 KTM Factory Racing will now head home for a week of rest before the season’s finale in Valencia, Spain, in two weeks.
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Raul Fernandez
Position: 15th
Championship: 25th
Points: 10
"Normally, when it is my birthday during race weeks, I don’t have good races, but for once I am really happy about this year's. The team did a great job with the bike because I was feeling like I wanted to. We changed the settings for the race and I enjoyed riding the bike like a kid. I am very happy to have scored a point, and I will head home with a really good feeling and looking forward to heading to Valencia in Spain, in two weeks."
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Remy Gardner
Position: 18th
Championship: 23rd
Points: 10
"Today’s race was tough physically. We started ok but I knew it would be difficult with the heat and humidity. I tried to save the tyres as much as I could but the rear was dropping quickly. I gave all I could today."
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Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
"Very tough race here in Malaysia because the weather was very hot and humid, but our two guys had a strong race. One more time, the start was not ideal, but when you start so far down the grid, you can not expect much more unfortunately. Still, they both pushed a lot and grabbed positions, until they were one behind another.
At one point, Remy Gardner suffered rear tyre dropping and lost contact with his teammate. Raul was in a good group following closely the likes of Pol Espargaro and Maverick Viñales, and came back to the pit box saying that he almost collapsed because he was very hot behind them. He did not give up though and passed Viñales within the final laps to finish just behind Espargaro, and scored a deserved point with not so many crashes at the front. This is a great achievement for his team and himself.
Both riders did a good race, and I think that we have seen over the last couple of races the progress made by both Raul and Remy. There is one more round to go, in Valencia in two weeks. They both know the track really well and I hope that we can finish the season on a high note, with both in the points.
Of course, I would like to finish with the sad news that we all heard today as Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. Many riders of the grid, our own riders, our team and our sport could not have done what we have if it was not for him. We have to remember that this is thanks to people like Didi Mateschitz that we can do what we love, MotoGP racing, and today was dedicated to him. He was with us today."
