In Malaysia, David Alonso scored a historic thirteenth victory, which puts him a little further behind Valentino Rossi's previous record of eleven victories in 125cc, during the 1997 season. The Colombian, however, was not in the mood for celebrations, and took the opportunity to donate his generosity to the city of Valencia, which is currently going through a disaster.
This Sunday in Malaysia, no bottles were opened on the podium, and the winners of each category remained very sober in their way of celebrating. In addition, the flag of the Valencian Community, currently affected by devastating floods, flew in the hands of the drivers who sat on the box in each category. A mark of support for the victims, after the events of the week.
David Alonso, victorious for the thirteenth time this season in Moto3, was no exception to the rule. In Malaysia, he extended the record for victories in a season a little further, and now overtakes Valentino Rossi by two lengths. The Aspar driver, however, equaled another of the Doctor's records: that of the greatest number of consecutive victories in the smallest class.
The Moto3 World Champion has indeed become the first to achieve six victories in a row in the category under this name. The only one to have done it before him, when the latter was still the 125cc championship, was Valentino Rossi. Another triumph, during the last round of the season, would allow him to erase the No. 46 from the shelves, before leaving the smallest class to join Moto2.
However, it was not the right day to celebrate records for the driver whose team is based not far from the floods. Instead, David Alonso was content to take his lap of honor with the region's flag.
“I just wanted to cross the finish line and show the flag of the Valencian Community, he confides upon arrival.
I struggled to be professional and do my job this weekend. I achieved this victory thanks to my team, because since they are far from their families, at least I can give them this triumph. Today the records are in the background, no matter the result, I ran them. »
This is not the only tribute that Alonso pays to the city of Valencia, since he also assured that he would donate his entire victory bonus to the collection fund created by MotoGP to help the victims of the disaster. A gesture which shows great respect and generosity despite his young age, and which allows him to conclude a psychologically difficult weekend with the feeling of having accomplished something outside the circuits.
“Today I win, but I cannot celebrate this victory. Today I was flying for a reason, continues David Alonso. I was driving for Team Aspar, and all its members who come from Valencia. As well as their families in Valencia. It was difficult for me to keep my head in the race. I just tried to do my job this Sunday and cross the finish line without any problem.
So it's for all of them, I'm doing it for the team, for Valencia. I wanted to say that my bonus for this victory, I will give it to Valencia. The team, Aspar, will pay it to me, and I will donate the money to the team's 'Gofundme' for Valencia. Now that we're done [la tournée asiatique]there are more important things. So let's go home and try to help them.” concludes the latter.
As a reminder, Alonso and his team were to celebrate their success in Moto3 near Valencia, shortly before MotoGP's meeting with the Ricardo Tormo Circuit to celebrate the final of its championship. The event was, however, canceled for obvious reasons.
Photos :
Team Aspar
