The 15th season of the Moto2 World Championship has commenced with the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team riders on P12 and P25 on the starting grid. The race proved unpredictable, particularly because the Pirelli tyres behave differently compared to the Dunlop’s used in previous years, and the team leaves the Qatari Gran Prix with a bittersweet feeling.

The first lap saw Jeremy Alcoba losing many positions due to several contacts with other riders. He also encountered traffic in front of him, making it impossible for the Spaniard to navigate the initial chaos. He crossed the line in 22nd position, and it was time to start his incredible comeback. Over the next three laps, he recovered one position per lap, securing P18 by the 4th lap. He remained stuck behind Oncu for a while, but managed to overtake him in lap 12. Alcoba finished the race in 12th position, overtaking Van der Goorbergh in the last corner and earning 4 points in the championship. 

Ayumu Sasaki’s start was also challenging, resulting in him losing three positions on the first lap. However, he managed to recover all of them by lap 6, but an unfortunate crash ended his race prematurely. Sasaki still needs more experience on the Moto2 bike, but after the Qatar Grand Prix, he has gained important insights to work with. The Japanese rider is fully motivated for the upcoming GPs, and can‘t wait to be back on track.

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team will be back in action for the Grande Prémio Tissot de Portugal the weekend of the 22nd and 24th March. 
GELETE NIETOGELETE NIETO 
SPORTS DIRECTORWe have a bittersweet feeling for this first race of the year.

It’s unfortunate about Ayumu‘s crash, it would have been important for him to finish the race. He still needs to gain experience with his Moto2 bike, and surely he will in the next GPs. We‘re glad he is okay.

Despite an unlucky first lap where he lost many positions, Jeremy made a great comeback. If the start had been different, he could have battle for a better position. But these are the races, and it’s a risk we always face. 

We‘ll be ready again for the Portimao GP.
JEREMY ALCOBAJEREMY ALCOBA
I‘m very disappointed for the first lap. The truth is I‘m not happy at all. 
I lost many positions on the first lap, I finished it in 22nd position. I had several contacts with other riders, so it‘s been a difficult race. 

For half of the race, I was not feeling comfortable with the tyres, but towards the end, I was feeling very good on them. We need to understand why and what happened. With a smoother Lap1, we could have been able to battle for P7-P8, so that‘s a pity. 

Anyway, I‘m happy with the work we did, I thank my team. Let‘s try again next race.