So much rain fell before and during the Moto2 race at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic where riders were participating in the 11th round of the MotoGP season. It meant that it was a case of staying on, not making a mistake and finishing the race in as best a position as possible.
Fourth podium of the year for Folger after he won in Brno
Dynavolt Intact GP rider Jonas Folger claimed his fourth podium of the year after he make a great start and pushed throughout the race and went on to win his first race with his team. It was a much needed result that has followed several disappointing ones in the first half of the season.
Folger was quickest during the warm-up and his form continued throughout the race. He was chased by Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) who was able to at first apply pressure before deciding to settle for second in the conditions. British rider Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Racing) shown his strengths in the wet and was able to claim the final spot on the podium; a result that he has welcomed after having to retire from the last two rounds.
Big jump in the championship after race win
Folger started from seventh on the grid and soon pushed his way to the front where he led for the rest of the race. The German rider claimed the full 25 points which meant that he is now jumped from seventh in the championship up to fourth behind Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) who did not perform well in the wet despite starting from pole, and Rins who is second and Lowes in third.
After the “long race” Folger was made up saying “We finally made it!” Throughout he said he “tried to makes as little mistakes as possible” which he admitted “wasn’t easy” as he knew they were “doing very fast lap times” and he was also aware that “Alex (Rins) was closing in right behind” him.
Folger confident after morning’s warmup
Folger said, “It was clear to me that I was going for the podium!” After the warm up he knew they had “an excellent pace”; he “also felt really comfortable on the bike” and noted that he “didn’t have any chaotic laps during the war up session”. He felt that this led to him being able to “achieve the lap times” that he did.
Folger found the raced to be “fairly relaxed” however this was the case “except the last few laps” when he said he “risked a lot to gain the four second advantage”.
The German rider, who will rind for the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team next season in the MotoGP said, “Everything fit today!” He declared that “the victory was important” for them and “the points were extremely valuable”.
Afterwards Folger thanked his team who he felt, ”did a brilliant job”. He said, “We have chosen the ridght set up for a wet race and performed very strong together today.” Now he thinks, “Even a win in the rain makes us very confident especially since we improved to fourth in the championship.” He described it as “an amazing feeling” now he feels that, “Everything has been reshuffled and we need to do whatever is in our power to secure this position.”
Rins closed the gap between him and Zarco in the championship
Second in the race was Spanish rider Rins who qualified to start the race from seventh on the grid, but started from sixth as Garage Plus Interwetten rider Thomas Luthi was ruled out. After a great start he worked hard to chase Folger throughout the race which he felt was “difficult”.
During the wet race he felt that the “track was hard” and he had to remain “concentrating during all returns”. He knew that “Folger had a very strong pace” and he found that in the “closing laps” that he “could not follow his wheels”.
Rins however, thought “the result was good” and said it “brings us a little closer to the top of the standings” in the championship as he has closed the gap between him and Zarco to 19 points after the Frenchman finished 11th claiming only five points compared to Rins’ 20.
Lowes happy with the overall outcome
Third after the 11th round at Brno was British rider Lowes who was happy with how the race went and the outcome overall. He started from fifth on the grid and finished in third, nine seconds behind race winner Folger. Lowes said that “given the situation” that he thought the “third place is a very important result” for him.
He thought that “in the dry” that he had “a great chance to win” as he knew he had “rode well all weekend” and that he also “felt very competitive”. But he was reassured as he found he was “able to keep a good pace also in the wet” when he said he “didn’t expect to be so fast”.
Important impact on the championship
Thinking about the championship he said, “Today we still managed to beat Zarco.” Although he though “it would be possible to reach” Rins with “7-8 laps to go” he decided that he “preferred to avoid risks” as he was aware that his last two results had been DNFs, and instead he said it was “really important to finish the race”.
The 12th round of the season takes place at Silverstone, England, which will be Lowes home GP. He said, “This performance is also important ahead of my home race at Silverstone, because also there we may face a variable weather variable and today’s result gives me great confidence.”