Jaume Masia finishes fifteenth and Dani Holgado crashes early on

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders rounded off the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday. The eighteenth race of the season was a tough one, in which Jaume Masia finished fifteenth after fighting in the front group, while Dani Holgado crashed at the start of the contest.

Masia began the Australian Grand Prix from the second row, in ninth. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider steadily moved up the order early on to slot into seventh place. Masia fought to stay high up in the chasing group and tried to catch up with the leaders. Past the halfway mark, the race tightened up further, and Masia lost places to cross the finish line in fifteenth position. He occupies sixth in the overall standings, with 164 points.

Holgado was facing an unfamiliar circuit at Phillip Island. The Moto3 rookie had a good feeling during the weekend and started the race from thirteenth, on the fourth row of the grid. He held his spot and then gained places, although a crash on the opening laps ended his race earlier than expected. With 88 points, he is tenth in the Moto3 standings.

The next race will be the Malaysian Grand Prix, from October 21st-23rd.

Results (Race)
1. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 37:38.762
2. Deniz Öncü (KTM) +0.345
3. Sergio Garcia (GasGas) +0.460
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +0.560
5. Stefano Nepa (KTM) +7.428
15. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +22.414
DNF. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2022
1. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 290 points
2. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 225 points
3. Sergio Garcia (GasGas) 223 points
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 207 points
5. Deniz Öncü (KTM) 174 points
6. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 164 points
10. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 88 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“It has been a difficult weekend for the Moto3 riders. The conditions at Phillip Island are always very challenging, with the cold, the wind and the rain. The starting positions for Jaume and Dani were promising for a good result. However, Dani crashed at the start and was unable to continue. Jaume, on the other hand, was unable to catch up with the front group, but at least he was able to score a point. In Malaysia we will be fighting for good results again.”

#5 JAUME MASIA

“Today we couldn’t fight to be at the front. We needed to be more competitive, although our starting position was good. I’m sure that things will go better in Malaysia and we’ll try to get a good result.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“It was a difficult race due to the crash on the second lap. I’m happy with how we worked over the weekend. It is a very fast circuit and the conditions in Australia are usually tough, but we leave here satisfied. Now it’s time to focus on Malaysia and face the last race of the flyaway with enthusiasm.”