Last Sunday, Manuel Gonzalez won his first victory in the World Championship, at the end of a Moto2 race with an improbable scenario in Japan, during which he defeated the native of the country, Ai Ogura, to whom victory seemed promised.
The scenario of the last Japanese Moto2 Grand Prix could not have been invented. On the starting grid the drivers were ready to face a dry race. But as soon as the lights go out, it starts to rain. The red flag was then directly raised. The restart provided for a race of only 12 laps and the choice of tires offers the drivers on the grid a difficult choice to make.
Among the drivers who opt for slicks, Manuel Gonzalez and Ai Ogura quickly stand out, the first mentioned even has the luxury of overtaking up to three opponents in the same corner.
The Spaniard, who started fourteenth, progressed, driver after driver at a crazy pace, until returning in the wake of the local hero, Ai Ogura, in the lead since the fourth lap, and who already sees himself enthroned on the highest step of the podium in front of his audience.
The championship leader, however, will not be able to resist a tough opponent, who takes the lead shortly after halfway, to move towards his first victory in the world championship.
“Today was one of those days where destiny is in your hands, he confides upon arrival. I managed to handle it in the best way! I pushed hard, saw Ogura far away, when I was second, and realized that today would be ‘that day’. When I came out of the pitlane the track was very wet, but it had dried quickly the day before, so I realized I could go with the slicks. »
Looking back on the numerous maneuvers he performed with disconcerting ease during his crazy comeback, Gonzalez admits to having difficulty believing that his pace was so much higher than that of his rivals. The final laps, however, were filled with anxiety about making a mistake, as many have come during a weekend where the weather has not often been kind to the drivers.
“I overtook drivers inside and out, had a lot of fun, felt like I was in a game on the PlayStation, he continues. But the last few laps, I looked at the board and they never passed. I knew I was going to win, but I had to stay calm and focused so as not to make any mistakes. I won and it was magnificent. Now we will try to repeat this to ourselves in the future. »
On the other side of the garage, it was a time of disappointment. After the warm-up lap, Albert Arenas chose to enter the pit lane to get rid of his slick tires and put on wet tires to start the race. Without error, the No. 75 would have offered itself at least a seventh place by retaining its initial choice, since only six drivers attempted this risky bet on Sunday morning.
“Today I made the wrong choice, there is not much to say. It was raining, then it dried up and I chose rain. I’m really happy for Mani and the team, we are all working hard to achieve good results. I am very angry that I made this choice: all we have to do now is learn from these mistakes and come back even stronger.”
concludes Albert Arenas.
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