MotoGP™ World Championship Grand Prix racing rushed around Italian asphalt for the second time in 2022. Round fourteen of MotoGP™ came to San Marino at the end of the peak summer season but the climate wasn’t sunny and stable.
Rain showers, particularly in qualifying, createdcreated a mixed and tricky track state where the riders had to discover new limits of traction and performance.
Carlos Tatay immediately hit the pace with lap-times in the first Free Practice sessions that settled the Spaniard into the top ten and mere fractions of a second away from contention for Pole Position. Xavier Artigas, on the second CFMOTO Moto3™ machine, was also closely placed. Qualification was complicated by short rain showers that briefly dowsed the track. Tatay was able to seize a decent 6th on the grid for Sunday, although he was dealing with illness, but Artigas was frustrated down on the 9th row.
Moto3™ was full of the usual hustle and bustle on the opening laps. Artigas was able to make some strong overtaking moves to gain positions while Tatay dropped back into the third group, on the edge of the top ten and running just five seconds away from the leaders. After 23 intense and exhausting circulations Tatay could not make the finish after a fall on Turn 1 while Artigas finished 20th, a result of being handicapped by a Long Lap penalty when he moved wide at Turn 2.
The Constructors standings remain the same for CFMOTO with 21 points separating them from 4th position. Tatay and Artigas are 9th and 12th in the rider’s points table.
The fifteenth Grand Prix of the season takes MotoGP to the sweeping circuit of MotorLand Aragon for the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragón, a short trip southwest of the city of Barcelona.
#43 Xavier Artigas I P20
“A really tough race. I lacked a fast feeling here and just fought all I could right until the end. It was perhaps the hardest GP of the year and it just emphasises how we need to keep working to improve and get better to be more competitive. We’ll hope for more in Aragon and we won’t stop giving 100%.”
#99 Carlos Tatay I DNF
“It was a really positive weekend on the bike but it was such a shame to be dealing with a fever. I wasn’t sleeping well and it hit me for the race. I couldn’t get into good positions. I was suffering a lot and physically was not near 100%. I tried my best but I made a mistake near the end. Sorry to the team because we were coming back to competitiveness. We have to keep this focus and try again in Aragon.”
Results Moto3™ Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
1. Dennis Foggia, (ITA), Honda 39:21.864
2. Jaume Masia (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.289
3. Izan Guevara (ESP), GASGAS +0.334
4. Deniz Öncü, (TUR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.453
5. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +4.955
20. Xavier Artigas (ESP), CFMOTO +25.556
DNF. Carlos Tatay (ESP), CFMOTO
Pictures by © [2022] RLekl
