A ram-packed Sachsenring welcomed the MotoGP circus for the 25th time and for the seventh round of the 2023 season. The short, curling layout was the stage for GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez to capture 14th position in the 15-lap Sprint.
GASGAS Factory Racing dashed north across Europe this week and swapped the heat of Mugello for the cooler and more unstable setting of Sachsenring, west of Dresden. The historic German course could not be more of a contrast to the track that hosted round six in Tuscany. Sachsenring’s slow, swirling anti-clockwise trajectory presented a very different challenge to the speed and fast turns of the previous round.
As usual, the fans flocked to the venue that has been the habitual site of the German Grand Prix since 1998. Augusto Fernandez has fond memories of the track, having dominated the 2022 Moto2 race there, and was learning to cope with the increased speed and performance of the GASGAS RC16. The Spaniard posted lap-times around the top five in the wet P3 session on Saturday morning. He was then 5th in Q1 as the tarmac dried which meant 15th on the grid. In the 15-lap Sprint he was part of a compact group going for the top ten and ended the chase just three seconds from this mark; sealing 14th and with valuable experience and knowledge for the GP tomorrow.
Augusto Fernandez, 15th in qualifying, 14th in the Sprint:
“It is a hard race here because it is so difficult to pass. It’s hard to advance much further forward than where you find yourself on the first laps. We had good pace and we were part of a strong group. We are there, and now we have an idea for the race tomorrow. I just need a better start – because I lost a couple of positions today – and then try to save the tire.”
