Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, April 3rd 2023 - Tony Arbolino took his first win of the season, his fourth in Moto2, to move to the top of the championship table. A position that Dani Holgado also occupies in Moto3.
The only GASGAS Tech 3 rider present in Argentina, Augusto Fernandez did not disappoint at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. Seventeenth on the grid, the Spaniard finished his first sprint race in sixteenth position after having to run off the track to avoid Joan Mir, who fell just in front of him. Sunday afternoon saw the reigning Moto2 World Champion compete in his first wet MotoGP race. It was a rewarding experience that saw Augusto battle it out with none other than Fabio Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro before crossing the line in eleventh place. “I had a lot of fun," commented the Spaniard. “I learned a lot from riding with those more experienced riders. I had good pace and I feel we are making progress." In the points for the second time in two Grands Prix, Augusto is 14th in the MotoGP standings. In a fortnight’s time he will be joined in Texas by Pierer Mobility Group test rider Jonas Folger. Pol Espargaro continues to recover from surgery on a broken jaw sustained in his crash in Portugal.
As fast as he is solid, Tony Arbolino is making the most of his second season with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Third in Portimao, the Italian scored his first win of the season in Argentina. Eighth on the grid, Arbolino had already pulled back four places before the end of the first lap. Once in the lead, nobody could stop him. “I'm very happy with the team’s work," he said. “I feel better and better on the bike.” With this win, the Elf rider takes the overall lead. His teammate Sam Lowes was tenth after starting from 14th on the grid. “The rain didn't help me," admitted the Brit. “I lacked confidence over the first few laps, but I finished better.”
Winner in Portugal, Dani Holgado confirmed in Argentina that he is now a contender for the World Championship title. On a wet track that saw several of his rivals crash out, the KTM Tech 3 rider stayed on his wheels to cross the finish line in fourth place. Thanks to this result, the Spaniard retains the lead in the overall rankings. Filippo Farioli had a tougher time on a track he was discovering in difficult conditions. Twentieth in practice, the young Italian finished 21st in the race. For the CFMOTO Racing team, David Almensa, who had been called up at short notice to replace Joel Kelso, injured in Portugal, came very close to pulling off an exploit. With the podium within in his grasp, the young rookie, who was taking part in his first ever Grand Prix, fell on the last lap of the race. He was able to restart the race and cross the finish line in 17th position. As in Portimao, Xavier Artigas was again in the points with an eighth place.
| CATEGORY | RIDER | RACE | CHAMPIONSHIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOTOGP |
Pol Espargaro |
DNS |
|
|
Augusto Fernandez |
16th and 11th |
14th(8 points) |
|
| MOTO2 |
Sam Lowes |
10th |
8th (15 points) |
|
Tony Arbolino |
1st |
1st (41 points) |
|
| MOTO3 |
Dani Holgado |
4th |
1st (38 points) |
|
Filippo Farioli |
20th |
28th (0 point) |
|
|
Xavier Artigas |
8th |
7th (16 points) |
|
|
Joel Kelso |
DNS |
15th (7 points) |
|
|
David Almensa |
17th |
24th (0 point) |
