Mandalika shimmered in the heat haze for the fifteenth round of 2024 MotoGP and the third Grand Prix to take place at the scenic seaside circuit on the Island of Lombok. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 watched Pedro Acosta charge to 3rd place in Q2 quali and then 6th in the 13-lap Sprint. Teammate Augusto Fernandez crashed out with two laps to go after starting from P21 on the grid.
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 joined the rest of the MotoGP paddock in the rush from Misano and last week’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to land in Lombok and adjust to the heat for the second of three events in a row. The 4.2km circuit with 17 corners provided sunny skies, breezy conditions and difficult 30-degree temperatures during the Friday and Saturday sessions.
Pedro was immediately up to speed on Friday and set times near the top of the chrono in Practice to secure Q2, just 0.3 from P1 and more lap-record busting pace. Augusto had to negotiate Q1 and his best lap led to 11th in the session and translated to 21st on the grid. After 15 minutes of Q2 action Acosta was 0.5 from Pole Position for 3rd place and his third front row of the season.
13 laps of Mandalika charged the excited of the passionate fans on the island and those who made the short journey to the increasingly more popular tourist spot. Acosta fought in 3rd and briefly held a top five spot until the battle intensified. He came home in P6 by the flag. Fernandez gave all he could in the blast through the hot climate and was unlucky to lose traction and fall two laps from the finish.
Pedro Acosta, 3rd in qualifying, 6th in the Sprint: “Generally a nice day because we were able to be very competitive in Q2 with the medium rear tire. We were making some changes to the bike in qualifying to look for something better and they worked but then also we need to work out how we can take out even more. We have to be happy with another top six and to a bit closer to the others. We need to keep going.”
Augusto Fernandez, 21st in qualifying, DNF in the Sprint: “A difficult day. I crashed in the Sprint but I was already struggling and didn’t have the pace. My start was good and I was in a decent position but we lacked speed. I’m slow in the faster corners and I feel it. We are looking for solutions and we are working. Tomorrow will be hard but we’ll try for another good start and then hope to move forward.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A mixed feeling today here in Indonesia. Pedro produced some magic this morning and we know how difficult it is to be on the front row in MotoGP, especially for a rookie. The Sprint was a bit trickier and we struggled to use the good grip of the soft tire and lost some time in the mid-part of the race. Anyway, he made some fast laps and took some points. We need to improve the bike to take the maximum of the soft tire; this is our weak point at the moment, and I think tomorrow in the main race then the medium tire will suit us well. Tough weekend so far for Augusto in these conditions. We need to go back to base and we need to finish the race to move forward. We’ll refocus and see what he can do tomorrow.”
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