Tech3 Racing Team rider Marcel Schrotter fought tirelessly to close a tricky weekend with a solid points scoring finish in the 16th round of the 2015 World Championship aboard the Mistral 610. Despite the 22 year old nursing an injured right elbow after a heavy crash in FP3 yesterday, he confidently looked towards the race and then bolted forward from 20th on the grid when the battle began. The young German pushed through the intensely competitive pack and completed the opening lap in 17th as he stuck into his race rhythm. After aggressively manoeuvring through the fierce field, Schrotter was back in the points after four laps but slipped back two places one lap later as he dived into the four way fight for 15th. With ten laps having been completed, the brave German fought with Cardus and Corsi whilst continuing his speed as the race distance counted down. With 8 laps left to run, Schrotter was riding in 16th before moving back into the points again on the 19th lap. Yet, this was just a brief point in his climb upwards, which then progressed a couple of laps later when the 22 year old moved into 13th position as he carried on his fight with Corsi right until the end of the race. By the time the chequered flag was shown, Schrotter had expertly sped past the Italian rider to snatch 12th place.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Tech3 Racing Team pit box, Xavi Vierge produced a determined performance at the meandering Phillip Island Circuit to finish in 19th position. The Spanish youngster who was visiting the 4.4 kilometre circuit for the first time, qualified in 25th position and when the lights went out, he shot forward as he looked to climb through the field. After a typically frantic opening Moto2 lap, Vierge crossed the line in 21st having overtaken four riders as he joined the pack of four battling for 19th. With a third of race distance almost completed, the 18 year old was involved in a tough battle with Syahrin where the two exchanging passes frequently. The Spaniard then brilliantly dived past Raffin to clinch 19th as he tried to continue his ascent with the finish line inching closer. In the final stages of the race, Vierge was once again involved in an intense battle with Simon and Raffin, before crossing the finish line in 19th place in his 8th Moto2 World Championship race.
Marcel Schrotter – Position : 12th – Championship : 19th – Points : 31
“In the end, it was a satisfying outcome to the weekend that was particularly difficult for me and we have to be pleased with the final result. Yesterday I had a big crash where I damaged my elbow and knocked my head, but during the race, with the adrenaline and some painkillers, I felt much better than I did in warm up. I tried to push as much as possible at the beginning of the GP but there was a small technical issue, which we now have to analyse, as my bike cut out a few times. Therefore, I lost a few positions and the group in front moved away. Anyway, I joined the pack with Morbidelli, Corsi and Cardus as we all fought together. We switched places several times but after a while, I saw that my pace was quicker than Corsi’s. I also realised that we were catching Morbidelli, so I tried to not interrupt Corsi too much and I sat behind him. This meant that I could relax a bit and that was good for my arm also. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t come together in the end and we couldn’t overtake Morbidelli, yet I am happy that I managed to finish at the front of the small group. Seizing 12th was a solid result after the really challenging weekend that we had and the team did a great job here. We need to make another step forward at Sepang, but we will take this positive momentum over to Malaysia and then do our best as we aim for another strong finish.“
Xavi Vierge – Position : 19th – Championship : Not Classified
“Fortunately, I can leave this amazing track feeling satisfied after a positive close to another weekend of learning in the Moto2 class and I collected a lot of knowledge today which fills me with confidence for the future GP’s. Ever since, I joined the Tech3 Racing Team I have had to learn nearly all of the tracks, as well as who my rivals are and I’ve had to take everything step by step. Now, I feel we are really getting somewhere. It was certainly a challenging weekend because although the track was brilliant, it was physically demanding as well and there was a lot of wind, which made the battle even harder. I started the GP well and after setting into my race rhythm, I managed to stay in the fight with Syahrin and Simon. Lap by lap I made progress, but I wanted to finish ahead of both of them, yet this wasn’t possible this time so I stayed calm and concluded the race as I didn’t want to risk crashing out. However, I gained a huge amount here and I look forward to racing again on my Mistral next week in Malaysia. Thanks to the team for their superb work and also, thanks to the sponsors.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager :
“It was a good end to the Australian event and we are very pleased with both rider’s results. Marcel had a massive crash and really hurt his right elbow yesterday so last night we were not even sure if he could race today as the pain was too much when he was braking on the track. Anyway, he did and I was more than happy to see him have a good start and then get into a strong group with Corsi and Cardus. In the end he got the best out of them and finished in 12th, which is a great performance when you consider how bad he was physically. Therefore, I want to thank him for trying that hard and hopefully his condition will be much better in Malaysia. On the other side of the pit box, Xavi learnt a lot and had a solid race. You can clearly see that he’s learning as he set his fastest lap on the very last one in the GP. He was fighting with Syahrin and Simon who are really experienced and fast Moto2 riders so for sure, he’s gained a lot of knowledge. I’m pleased with what he achieved today and when you compare his performance with that of Edgar Pons who is his main rival in the Spanish CEV championship, Xavi finished 11 seconds ahead, which is very positive. So it’s mission completed for both guys and we will celebrate a bit tonight before we head to Sepang where we can hopefully repeat this result.”