Belated sunshine arrived at a cool and breezy Silverstone circuit for the ninth round of 2023 MotoGP and GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 emerged from the British Grand Prix with more world championship points and battle experience. Augusto Fernandez started from the second row of the grid and rode to 11th position while Pol Espargaro negotiated his first GP distance of the season and claimed 12th.
Silverstone swapped persistent rain and a wet track for chilly winds and cloudy skies for the ninth Grand Prix race program of the year. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 had a positive day through changeable conditions on Saturday that saw Augusto Fernandez roll his GASGAS RC16 into 5th place after Quali
Sunday doubled the laps and doubled the intensity. The 18 corners and near-6km layout was a challenge with the unamiable summer temperatures and the effects on tire warmth and choice of rubber for the full distance. At a late stage in the race brief showers meant sections of Silverstone were treacherously slick. Fernandez was running mid-pack initially but improved as the laps counted down. His 11th place represented the ninth Grand Prix he has acquired world championship points: decent going for a rookie!
As the engines cooled in pitlane Fernandez comfortably sits 13th in the championship standings and 10 points from the next nearest rider ahead.
Augusto Fernandez, 11th:
“It was a tricky weekend but we paid today for our lack of experience with dry conditions here. We had an awesome quali and Sprint but we missed some key track time. I lost positions at the start because I didn’t quite have the confidence I needed but I learned every lap and was building up the pace. In the end my rhythm was not bad at all. We’ll take the points and keep going.”
