Schrotter perseveres to clinch points in chaotic season finale
Marcel Schrotter rode to an expertly executed point scoring finish at the last race of the 2015 season to end his partnership with the Tech3 Racing Team in a positive manner. The race began in tricky circumstances for the French based Moto2 team with both riders being involved in a collision on the first lap, which caused the red flag to be shown. Once the shortened 18 lap race recommenced, Schrotter started from the rear of the 7th row of the grid and impressively overtook seven riders on the first lap before setting into his race pace. He kept up his solid rhythm throughout the GP and jumped into 15th with two thirds of the race distance having been completed. The 21 year old then coolly carried on his effort before closing his two year spell with the Tech3 Racing Team in the points.
Meanwhile Xavi Vierge concluded the season with a hard fought battle to 17th at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana. The 18 year old kicked off the fight from the head of the 8th row and climbed up to 17th by the close of the first lap. He determinedly set into a consistent pace which saw him remain on the fringes of the points before locking horns with Ricky Cardus. Vierge then passed him and carried on pushing before reaching the finish line in this position, marking a positive close to the weekend as well as the year for the Spanish rookie.
Marcel Schrotter – Position : 15th – Championship : 20 – Points : 32
“What a last race! I am very happy to complete my final GP aboard the Mistral 610 with a point scoring result. At the beginning, I nearly thought that it was all over at the second corner on the first lap where I was involved in the crash and fortunately the red flag was shown. To be really honest, it was almost a blessing because we got the restart and the chance to try again. I must say thank you very much to the team who repaired the bike so quickly when the race was stopped. After the impact, the right handlebar and throttle didn’t move so it was tough to get back to the pits. I had to fight with the marshals, who wouldn’t let me go, but I pushed them away and started the bike on my own! The crowd saw it and they all cheered, so it was a bit of a funny start to proceedings! Anyway, the team fixed everything and this shows how good my mechanics can work together and how well they understand each other. Afterwards, I gave my all in the race and finished in the points, so we have to be happy with that even though we were struggling a bit with the bike. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay with Folger who was a bit faster than me, yet I’m pleased to finish the year in a positive way. The season was not what we expected, but I’m proud of what the team and I achieved together and I’m glad that I joined.”
Xavi Vierge – Position : 17th – Championship : Not Classified
“Overall I am happy to close the year with a good feeling although, I have mixed emotions because I am a bit disappointed as I just missed out on the points. It was a tough race and even though we were aiming for a top 15 finish, it was just out of our reach as the other riders were pushing to close the year strongly. Nevertheless, I’m really happy about this experience as I’ve learnt a lot in terms of track knowledge and how professional you have to be in a World Championship. Therefore, I am already fired up for the forthcoming season as we already know how we can improve the bike and my riding style. I really don’t want to miss the opportunity to give a big thanks to the team and Herve for believing in me and I’m already very excited to show everyone my true potential in 2016.“
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager
“The last race is always a bit sad as it’s the end of a long season. We’ve worked with Marcel for two years and have had some up and down moments together, but the highlight was 2014 where he finished in 10th in the championship. We’ve had some good times, but for many reasons, this year wasn’t as good as last, yet I’d like to thank Marcel for his commitment and for helping us develop our special Moto2 project and we all wish him good luck for his new challenge. Regarding today’s race, unfortunately both guys were involved in the crash at turn 2, but I’m happy that we got them back on the grid and the team did an excellent job so I must say thanks to them. Despite the first lap incident, Marcel got 15th and one last point in his Tech3 account so thank you to him as well. Whilst it’s the end of one adventure with Marcel, it’s the beginning of another for Xavi. He is young but has already been very close to the points on quite a few occasions which shows his high potential. Yet today, he was also unfortunately involved in the incident during the first lap, but when the race finally got going, his lap times were very close to his teammate which means that he is already at a good level. Therefore, we know that during the winter, we will work hard together and come back stronger next year as we hope he will be a regular point scorer. I also want to say welcome to Isaac Vinales who will be joining us for his debut on the Mistral 610 on Wednesday at the test at Jerez. Next year we will have two young Spanish riders who will push each other, so we go into the winter break with a positive frame of mind and we’ll have some more news about the Tech3 Racing Moto2 project to announce very soon.”