Two wins and an exploit at French Grand Prix

MotoGP

Hard working rookie Augusto Fernandez is coming on in leaps and bounds. On only his fifth MotoGP outing, the GASGAS Tech 3 rider rewarded his team by crossing the line in fourth place. The previous day Augusto crashed out of the sprint race, as did Jonas Folger, who is still standing in for Pol Espargaro. “I also crashed this morning in the warm up," admitted Fernandez. “I lost a bit of confidence and that's why I decided to choose the soft front tyre for the long race. The gamble paid off. I had a good start and managed to stay in touch with the leaders. I had a good fight with Aleix Espargaro in the last laps to hold on to my fourth place.” Jonas Folger also finished in the points, crossing the line in 13^th place.

Moto2

After winning last month in Argentina, Tony Arbolino took his second win of the season at the Bugatti circuit. The Elf Marc VDS Racing rider led the French Grand Prix from the first to the last lap. “This race was tough physically," explained the Italian. “I caught a cold in practice and from the third lap I started to feel tired. But I still managed to hold on to first place. I owe this victory to the team, who did a great job. We were not at our best on Friday but we found technical solutions that helped me a lot in the race.” With Pedro Acosta crashing out, Tony Arbolino has consolidated his position as leader and now has a 25-point advantage over his Spanish rival. Qualifying in pole position, Alex Lowes crashed just before a second incident forced race direction to bring out the red flag. The Brit had to take the second start from the pit lane but made a great comeback to take 15^th place.

Moto3

Third on the grid, Dani Holgado made an excellent start and took the lead at the first corner. And despite pressure from Ayumi Sasaki, who hung on behind him for the whole race, Holgado didn’t falter, with the Elf rider staying out in front all the way to the chequered flag. “I had an incredible pace," said the Spaniard. “My arms were a bit sore in the last few laps, but I didn't give up. I am very happy to win here, at my team's home GP.” Thanks to this victory, Holgado has regained his lead in the overall rankings. After scoring his first points in Jerez, Filippo Farioli had to settle for 18th place in Le Mans. As in Spain, Xavi Artigas crossed the finish line in 7th position. A result that allows him to take 5th place overall. As for Joel Kelso, he found his way back into the points by finishing 11th.

MotoE

Tech3 E-Racing team’s two new riders made a good start to the MotoE World Championship, which kicked off at Le Mans. Alessandro Zaccone and Hiraki Okubo both finished in the top ten in the two races held at the French Grand Prix. “It was a good weekend," commented Hervé Poncharal. “Even if we didn't finish on the podium, we managed to score some important points. After the first two races, we are 6^th and 7^th place in the riders’ championship. We know what we have to do to improve our performance and that starts with qualifying on Friday.”