Jerez, Spain, May 2nd 2023 - Qualifying on pole for the 19th time in his career, Sam Lowes made an excellent start to cross the line first and taste victory for the first time since the 2021 Emilie Romagne Grand Prix.
Augusto Fernandez was unable to break into the top ten this time around, but he did manage to finish the Spanish Grand Prix in the points, with the Tech 3 rider crossing the line in thirteenth position. The day before, he finished seventeenth in the Sprint race. “My pace was much better today," he commented. “I was in a group of faster riders and that helped me understand a lot of things. I now have four MotoGP races behind me and I know where we need to improve. Brad and Jack's results this weekend are a great source of motivation." Still recovering from injury, Pol Espargaro was once again replaced in Jerez by Jonas Folger. The German test rider struggled on a track made slippery by the heat and failed to finish in the points.
Sam Lowes showed he has what it takes in Jerez with the 32-year-old Brit taking pole, victory and the fastest lap of the race. “I knew I had the pace this weekend and that Pedro would be strong," said the Elf rider. “We had a little bit more than the others. This is a very important step. I struggled in the first few races, but at least I scored some points even if it was difficult. With this win we are in a good position. I have to keep this momentum going.” No one was able to stay with Lowes, not even Acosta, who is now joint leader in the overall standings, equal on points with Tony Arbolino. Arbolino was fourth in Jerez after getting the better of Ogura and Canet. “I finish this weekend with a positive feeling," said the Italian. “We were in trouble at the beginning of the weekend and I knew it would be difficult for me to fight for the podium, but we didn't give up and this result is more than honourable."
Dani Holgado thought he would be on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix, after leading for much of the race, but he was forced to back off on the final laps due to the same arm pump problem he suffered from at the last race in Texas. "In the end I finished sixth and am obviously disappointed," said the Tech 3 rider, who retains the overall Moto3 lead. Holgado will not be taking part in next week's tests but will instead undergo treatment before the French Grand Prix. Filippo Farioli scored his first points of the season in Jerez with a fourteenth place finish. A solid performance by the Italian rookie who started down in 23rd place on the grid. Back to racing after injuring his ankles in Portugal, Joel Kelso gritted his teeth to cross the finish line in eighteenth position. His CFMoto team-mate Xavier Artigas was seventh, 0.7 seconds behind the winner.
| CATEGORY | RIDER | RACE | CHAMPIONSHIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOTOGP |
Pol Espargaro |
DNS |
|
|
Augusto Fernandez |
17th and 13th |
16th(17 points) |
|
| Jonas Folger | 19th and 17th | 22nd (4 points) | |
| MOTO2 |
Sam Lowes |
1st |
5th (43 points) |
|
Tony Arbolino |
4th |
2nd (74 points) |
|
| MOTO3 |
Dani Holgado |
6th |
1st (59 points) |
|
Filippo Farioli |
14th |
24th (2 point) |
|
|
Xavier Artigas |
7th |
5th (41 points) |
|
|
Joel Kelso |
18th |
19th (7 points) |
