Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory Racing Team opened the historical Moto3 GP season with a podium place when pole position starter German Sandro Cortese finished third at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar.
– Tough, help really tough race. I am pleased with my result and with the whole GP weekend. Pole position and third place at race gave a good start for the long GP season, Cortese said happily.
Spanish Maveric Vinales took an easy victory crossing the finish line 4,3 seconds before the fast Italian rookie rider Romano Fenati. Cortese who fought for the third position throughout the race crossed the finish line 18 seconds after Vinales.
– We are at good level but there is still lot of work ahead of us. We aim to catch Vinales at the next GP, said Cortese referring to the Gran Premio bwin de España that is held after three weeks.

The whole trio
at top eight

KTM factory team did all in all a strong job in Qatar. Cortese´s team mates Australian Arthur Sissis was seventh and Briton Danny Kent was eight.
– Today we were not just yet able to fight for the victory but other vice the over all result was pretty encouraging and promising for the future, said team leader Aki Ajo. – When all the three factory riders are amongst eight fastest riders we know that we are on time with the schedule of this new and challenging project.
– All of our riders managed to reach their own personal level and even crossed it. Additionally we didn´t have any bigger technical problems. However, one should remember that this was just first race with these bikes, Ajo continued.
Sissis, who had a great start and was at his best third, managed to reach World Championship points already from his second GP. Last year he competed at 125 cc class at Malaysian GP with a wild card.
– I went twice too wide and lost my possibilities for better results. But all in all this was a great start for my first full GP season. I can´t be anything but pleased because I improved my performance all the time during the weekend, Sissis rejoiced.

COMMERCIALBANK GRAND PRIX OF QATAR
Moto2 Race Classification:
1. Maverick Vinales Spain, Blusens Avintia, FTR Honda 38.40,995
2. Romano Fenati Italy, Team Italia FMI, FTR Honda + 4,301
3. Sandro Cortese Germany, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM + 18,013
4. Luis Salom Spain, RW Racing GP, Kalex KTM + 18,200
5. Miguel Oliveira Portugal, Estrella Galicia 0,0, Suter Honda + 18,745
6. Zulfahmi Khairuddin Malaysia, AirAsia-SIC-Ajo, KTM + 19,052
7. Arthur Sissis Australia, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM + 19,466
8. Danny Kent Great Britain, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM + 21,098
9. Louis Rossi France, Racing Team Germany, FTR Honda + 21,153
10. Alex Rins Spain, Estrella Galicia 0,0, Suter Honda + 28,733
11. Alan Techer France, Technomag-CIP-TSR, TSR Honda + 29,775
12. Hector Faubel Spain, Bankia Aspar Team, Kalex KTM + 29,813
13. Niklas Ajo Finland, TT Motion Events Racing, KTM + 35,940
14. Alberto Moncayo Spain, Bankia Aspar Team, Kalex KTM + 35,983
15. Jakub Kornfeil Czech, Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta, FTR Honda + 38,641

Moto3 World Standing 2012
1. Vinales 25
2. Fenati 20
3. Cortese 16
4. Salom 13
5. Oliveira 11
6. Khairuddin 10
7. Sissis 9
8. Kent 8
9. Rossi 7
10. Rins 6
11. Techer 5
12. Faubel 4
13. Ajo 3
14. Moncayo 2
15. Kornfeil 1

Next GP:
29of April, Jerez, Spain.