17 August 2022 – Red Bull Ring – Spielberg – Austria

The thirteenth stage of the Motorcycle World Championship will take place on the beautiful circuit located in Spielberg, Austria. Over the years the Red Bull Ring has undergone a profound renovation of the track and infrastructure, thanks to which today it represents one of the most beautiful circuits of the entire Championship. This year, to increase safety, a chicane has been inserted before Turn 2. This new layout will represent a great challenge for our technicians, who will be called to take on all their knowledge, to quickly adapt the Husqvarnas to the needs of Ayumu and John.

The last Grand Prix, held at the Silverstone circuit, did not end in the best way for our riders. In fact two laps from the end, Ayumu to avoid the leg of another driver, hit the rear wheel of the innocent S. Garcia and both crashed on the asphalt. Ayumu in the impact had rather important bruises on the body, especially on the arm. He’s on the mend now, and he’s going to do his best this weekend to get his shape back. Surely it was a real shame, because Ayumu, before the fall, was fighting for the podium, achieving the fourth best lap of the race and even has been leading the race in some situations. The Austrian Grand Prix will be an excellent opportunity to redeem himself. Because of this mistake, Ayumu will have to serve a double Long Lap Penalty in the race.

John in the British Grand Prix was fighting for the podium until a few corners from the end, crossing the finish line in seventh place. Our British driver started the weekend at the Silverstone Circuit showing great speed, in fact on Friday he was the fastest, with a time very close to the All Time Lap Record and in the race he achieved the third best time. The race was characterized by a long group of drivers, and this caused many changes in front. John a few corners from the end was fourth but, after suffering an overtaking, he was forced to widen his trajectory, losing several positions. Our British driver closed his race less than 1 second from the winner. Also for him, the Red Bull Ring will be an excellent opportunity to redeem an unfortunate first part of the season.

Below you can find the interviews of our two drivers and our Team Owner, the six-time World Champion Max Biaggi.

AYUMU SASAKI : “I am recovering well after the crash in Silverstone. It did not end up the way we wanted to, but I am recovering slowly, I feel better every day and I feel like I am capable of riding in Austria. I am happy for that and I can’t wait to ride there, on the new modified track.I still don’t know what the track will look like with the new chicane, but The Red Bull Ring will always be one of my favorite tracks. It is the home GP for Husqvarna and also for my sponsor, so I can’t wait to go there and give the best again.”

JOHN MCPHEE : “Spielberg is always a circuit I look forward to racing at. Especially this year with the new turn two, I’m excited to get there and start the weekend. I’ve had some exciting races there in the past so we’ll work hard all weekend, to get the Sunday result we’re aiming for!”

MAX BIAGGI – TEAM OWNER : “At the last Silverstone Circuit Grand Prix, we did not collect what we could potentially have done. A shame, because both Ayumu and John have been fast throughout the weekend. Moreover Ayumu will have to serve two Long Lap Penalty because of the mistake. As always nothing is written, so it will be necessary to work well, to gain the necessary speed to recover this gap.”

Statistics

The chronometric references on this circuit this year will vary, due to the change of the layout. However, we report the records and the results recorded during the last Grand Prix held here.
Two races took place last year at the Red Bul Ring, one week apart. In the first race it was P. Acosta, who preceded S. Garcia and our R. Fenati. D. Binder got the best lap in the race. with the time of 1’40.659, to the average of 154.4 Km/h. D. Öncü with the time of 1’36.453 has obtained the Pole, to the average of 161.1 Km/h.
The following week, S. Garcia won, ahead of D. Öncü and D. Foggia. I. Guevara got the fastest lap in the race, with a time of 1’36.058 and an average of 161.8 Km/h. Our Romano Fenati got the Pole, with the time of 1’35.850 and at 162.1 Km/h average.

In the Austrian Grand Prix, Ayumu’s best result was fifth last year, while John was third in both the 2019 and 2020 editions.

Here are the records made in these years with the old layout.
The All-Time Lap Record was obtained in 2019 by T. Arbolino, with a time of 1’35.778 and an average of 162.3 Km/h. I. Guevara last year got the Best Race Lap, with the time of 1’36.058 and at 161.8 Km/h average. Our Romano Fenati in 2021 got the Best Pole, with a time of 1’35.850 and an average of 162.1 Km/h. 223.1 Km/h is the Top Speed achieved by D. Öncü in 2021.

Schedule – Local Time (GMT +2)

Below you can find the times to follow the Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing.

Thursday 18 August
17:00 – Press Conference

Friday 19 August
09:00 – 09:40 – FP1 Moto3
13:15 – 13:55 – FP2 Moto3

Saturday 20 August
09:00 – 09:40 – FP3 Moto3
12:35 – 12:50 – Q1 Moto3
13:00 – 13:15 – Q2 Moto3

Sunday 21 August
09:00 – 09:10 – Warm-Up Moto3
11:00 – RACE Moto3