After the heat of Jerez, MotoGP combated cooler conditions at Le Mans for the SHARK Grand Prix de France. The breezy but bright climate did not prevent GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez from achieving a best qualification rank of the season so far in 12th.
Augusto Fernandez felt the full force of the GASGAS RC16 braking power for one of the hardest tracks on the calendar for stopping. The Spaniard, a former winner and podium finisher at Le Mans in the intermediate category, was fast on Friday and hunted the top ten. He was close to automatic Q2 status and earned the slot with a decent lap in Q1. Augusto drilled the GASGAS to less than a second from Pole Position and was 12th.
During the Sprint, AF37 was aiming for points collection in the formative stages but lost front end traction at the off-camber Chemin aux Boeufs.
Augusto Fernandez, 12th in qualification, DNF in the Sprint:
“It has been a good day but it didn’t end so well in the Sprint. The decision to use the medium front tire was not the best because I’d been feeling good with the soft but we were wary of the higher temperatures in the afternoon. I made a good start but ran wide in Turn 9 and lost a few positions. I was struggling a little bit and then crashed and wasn’t really sure why. I think we have good pace for tomorrow – and a good position – so we just need to make the right decisions and be ready to go.”
