Schrotter fires through the wet to seize 9th in Japan
Tech3 Racing Team rider Marcel Schrotter produced his best result of the 2015 season in today’s wet Motul Grand Prix of Japan after clinching 9th position aboard the Mistral 610. The eventful race day began with adverse weather conditions as treacherous rain and mist shrouded the circuit, which caused all of the warm up sessions to be delayed due to safety concerns. The action eventually commenced, yet as a result of the interruption, the Moto2 race was shortened to 15 laps at the 4.8 kilometre circuit. When the lights went out, Schrotter who was starting from the rear of the 7th row, was optimistic of a strong finish after having completed the warm up in 9th. He bolted forward and aggressively pushed through the fierce pack before elevating up to 18th by the close of the first lap. The young German’s perseverance paid off as he consistently moved up one place almost every lap, to meet the end of the 6th lap in 12th as he looked to continue his climb. Shortly after, he dived inside Sam Lowes and pressed onwards as he was driven by his determination to finish inside the top ten. With two thirds of the race distance completed, he had carried on his rise by moving into 8th before attempting to open a gap to the three pursuing riders. He continued to give his all and as a result he met the chequered flag in 9th. His thorough effort in Japan saw him overtake a total of twelve riders in what was an impressive performance and sets him up confidently for the next round.
On the other side of the Tech3 Racing Team pit box, Xavi Vierge endured a tricky race today and crashed during the 5th lap despite his best efforts at the rain affected Motul Grand Prix of Japan. Vierge undertook a solid start, in what was his first visit to the legendary Twin Ring Motegi track and lifted himself from 27th on the grid up to 21st, having overtaking six riders by the close of the opening lap. After riding another 4.8 kilometers, the young Spaniard was two positions higher and fully intent on surging past the target in front. However with a third of race distance covered, Vierge fell heavily due to the weather, marking an unfortunate close to the weekend. Nevertheless, the 18 year old will now look to bounce back strongly at the Phillip Island circuit in next week’s round 16 battle in Australia.
Marcel Schrotter – Position : 9th – Championship : 21st – Points : 27
“I am very happy with the result today as it is my best finish of the season so far and it’s a good close the weekend despite it being a tricky race. Initially, I didn’t have the start that I wanted to, even though it wasn’t too bad and in the first two corners, I wasn’t able to improve my position a lot because I was held up a bit because everyone was really close together. However, after that I began to move up step by step as I knew that I had a good pace in the wet so I was confident about continuing my climb through the field. The conditions were more challenging than this morning because there was less grip on the track and I struggled with this but once I was in 10th, I saw the group in front even though there was a gap and so I continued to push. Yet, at around half way through the race, I started to lose even more front tyre grip and I couldn’t get close to the limit in the areas where I knew I was quicker than the others, especially in the braking. Unfortunately, Lowes passed me on the last lap which is a pity but 9th is a positive result even though I could have possibly finished higher. Still, it was a tough race and we are pleased with the outcome, so now we need to improve in the dry conditions and the wait won’t be too long as Australia is up next week.“
Xavi Vierge – Position : DNF – Championship : Not Classified
“Of course, I didn’t want to end the first of the three fly away races in this way but today the conditions were really tricky. We started quite well on Friday and I made continual steps forward throughout the practice days here. Yet, I was a bit disappointed with my qualifying, but at the same time I was ready to give everything in the race and I was looking forward to the fight even though the rain certainly complicated matters. When the GP began, I had quite a good start but I also felt that I was lacking rear grip as soon as the wheel turned so I tried to be patient and ride more carefully. Still, I was faster than some of the riders in front of me and began to move through the pack. I got up to 19th but on the fifth lap I lost the rear as I couldn’t control the bike anymore and found myself in the gravel. It’s a real pity as I am sure that I could have scored my first world championship points this weekend. However, I want to thank the team for the good work they have done during this weekend and I’m looking forward to the next track in Phillip Island which is one that I have always dreamed of riding on.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager :
“I must be honest and say that I think that the weather helped the Tech3 Racing Team a bit today, because we all know how fast Marcel is in the wet. He had a really good feeling in the warm up this morning and I don’t want to say that we did a rain dance, but we knew that wet conditions would be good for us. Marcel had a nearly perfect race as he didn’t push too much in the opening laps because it was quite crazy as always in the Moto2 class. He took his time and then once everything calmed down, he made his moves and overtook a lot of riders. With three quarters of the race being completed, he was running in 8th and we were pleased with his progress. It was a pity that Lowes caught him right at the end, but anyway, we are very proud of Marcel and it is his best result of the year by far, so hopefully in the next few races he will be as strong and have some more positive finishes. On the other hand, Xavi made a lot of ground from his starting position and got as high as 19th place before he fell. I think he pushed a bit too much but he was not the only rider to do this. He is a rookie and had to learn this circuit from scratch as he needs to gain knowledge in the Moto2 class. There may have been a possibility of him scoring some points, but it’s just disappointing for him to not reach the chequered flag which has to be his main target. The positive thing is that both riders are in good shape and ready to go to Phillip Island so we hope for the same from Marcel and a better result for Xavi.”