Jason Dupasquier and Ryusei Yamanaka finished the inaugural race respectively 10th and 14th
The 2021 season began as tradition on the Qatari track of Losail. And it was definitely a great start for Carxpert PrüstelGP and both their riders. After a very difficult rookie season, Jason Dupasquier finally reached his first points with a great 10th place. Ryusei Yamanaka showed a fast adaptation to his new bike and team, with a 14th place and a constant fight in top-10.
Already on Friday the team had a very good feeling, as both riders showed an impressive performance and were able to set great lap times on both sessions.
The work continued on Saturday. Due to the very hot temperature in the morning free practice, no riders was able to improve his best laptime of the previous day. This was a great opportunity for Jason Dupasquier, as he made it into Q2 thanks to his 5th fastest lap overall of the previous day.
Ryusei Yamanaka had to face Q1. Unfortunately he couldn´t show his real potential and had to start from the 21st position of the grid.Jason Dupasquier instead, at his very first time in Q2 was able to get a 12th place on the starting grid, his best career result so far.
On Sunday´s race Jason Dupasquier had a great start, and in the following laps, he was joined by his teammate Ryusei Yamanaka who recovered many positions. Both riders, constantly in the top-10, were fighting with the front group. After a thrilling 18-lap race, Jason Dupasquier finished 10th and Ryusei Yamanaka 14th, due to a small mistake in the last lap.
The whole team is extremely happy with the job done by the riders. It was definitely a good start of the season and the improvement will continue also next weekend.
Jason Dupasquier #50, 10th
What a first race!!!! We had a positive official test here and we improved a lot also in the race weekend. Thanks to the 5th place of combined free practice I was directly into Q2. I qualified 12th, which was a great starting point for the race. I had a good start, we fought a lot with the other riders! I am very happy with this 10th place and the first points in World Championship. We showed our potential and we want to continue like this also next weekend. A big thanks to my team, my family and all those who support me!
Ryusei Yamanaka #6, 14th
It was definitely a positive weekend! In the race I started 21st but I was able to catch the front group a few laps later. We fought a lot, I had a lot of fun and I could learn a lot from more experienced riders. I did many overtakes, especially in the last laps of the race. I did a little mistake and unfortunately I lost many positions. I showed I can fight in the front group and the goal is to repeat this performance also next weekend! I want to thank my team for the amazing job they did.
Pictures by © [2021] RLekl
