The Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto left Alex Escrig with mixed feelings, as he once again demonstrated his competitiveness in Moto2. The rider from Puçol started Friday in 15th place in FP1, but managed to bounce back in the practice session to secure his direct passage to Q2 with a solid 11th place, thus achieving one of his set objectives. “It’s been a bittersweet weekend. We knew we had potential, because we’d been very quick in testing, and that meant we arrived with higher expectations than usual. We had a few problems on Friday, but we achieved our goal of going straight through to Q2,” said the rider.
Saturday confirmed the positive signs. In a FP2 session marred by rain, the Samurai took a step forward with a creditable sixth place, showing confidence in tricky conditions. In Q2, Escrig put in a brilliant performance to qualify second and secure a front-row grid spot. “Getting the front row put us in a very strong position for the race,” explained Alex, aware of the great opportunity ahead of him following a solid performance in all conditions.
However, Sunday’s race did not allow him to turn that potential into the expected result. The rider from Puçol did not get off to a good start and, as he was trying to make his way up the field, a collision with another rider caused a problem with his front brake, which affected the rest of the race. Despite the difficulties, he managed to hold on and cross the finish line in ninth place, picking up points that keep him eighth in the overall championship standings. “We had a brake problem that prevented us from fighting for the positions we’d hoped for. Lap after lap, it became increasingly difficult to ride and we kept losing places. It’s a shame, because the potential was there to fight for a great result,” he lamented.
Despite the final result, Escrig is focusing on the positives from a weekend in which he once again demonstrated speed and consistency. “We’re performing at a very high level and maintaining consistency. If we keep this up, the results we’re looking for are sure to come. I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work,” concluded the rider, who continues to make steady progress in the championship.