05 June 2022 – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Spain

The Catalan Grand Prix was full of twists and with a bit of good luck the Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing could have picked up an even better team result.

John brings home a great seventh place, very important, especially considering that he missed five races and in the last Grand Prix he unfortunately slipped. The intense setup work, that John did with his team this weekend, paid off. In fact, due to his long absence because of the injury, there was no time to organize a profitable development work, looking for alternative solutions, which improved the feeling with his Husqvarna. John was in the lead group until a series of accidents broke up the group. Without losing heart and with a great pace, since he scored the fourth fastest lap of the race, John made many overtakings, climbing up the group and thus gaining 9 very important points for the world ranking.

We are happy to have had Ayumu in the pits during the race. Our Japanese driver is much better and his recovery, from the injury to the collarbone, proceeds in the best way. Ayumu got to observe his bike driven in the race by rookie David Salvador. David today made a great race! In fact after starting from the sixteenth position, at the end of the first lap he passed already eleventh. On the third lap he got the third best time of the race, and without any fear, he made many overtakings, which led him into the leading positions. In fact, on the eighth lap our rookie was fourth. Unfortunately, on the next lap in turn 10, a mistake of another driver, who arrived long in braking, hit the rear wheel of David, caused the fall of our driver. Fortunately, in the accident David did not get any physical damage but, given the speed displayed in the first laps of the race, it was a real shame.

We leave you to the words of John, David and our Team Owner Max Biaggi.

JOHN MCPHEE : “I felt quite good on the bike. I felt that my pace was good, and I thought that the work we have done on Friday really helped with the feeling on the rear of the bike. When I had the track clear in front of me and could push, my pace was really strong and I felt really really good. I had the biggest problem in braking in a tussle. I think overall P7 is a solid result, not where we want to be of course, but we were only 3 seconds from the victory. The good point is we know where we have improved, and we know what we need to improve. Everything is going in the right direction. At Le mans I was physically destroyed after the race and in Mugello I have only done half the race distance and felt very tired. I am definitely not at 100%, but today I am feeling a little bit better. The braking phase needs to be improved, but today went quite well. The speed is there, the lap time is there, and whenever I am alone and running at my own pace we were really fast. We just need to be able to fight more. Next races are Sachsenring and Assen, so bot flowing tracks. I have been really strong in both tracks in the past and I have been on the podium. We will keep working hard to get the results results we aim for.”

DAVID SALVADOR : “Today was a great race for me. In fact I made a good start and this was very important, as my starting position was not the best. At the beginning of the race, I tried to climb back up the group, trying to preserve the tires for the phase final race. In fact the last laps of my previous races in the Grand Prix, those were my weak point. Unfortunately I was hit in turn 10 and I fell, but I’m happy for how I led the race up to that moment. I want to thank the team, with which I managed to make a great step this weekend. This is very important for my future. I also want to thank the Team sponsors and my personal sponsors.”

MAX BIAGGI – TEAM OWNER : “Today I was very happy to see Ayumu again. We are discussing the future with him, and I am confident that we can continue a good story together. In the race. David Salvador showed great speed and without the fall, caused by another driver, today we could have collected a great result. David had a great growth in the races he raced with us. John takes home a good seventh place, important for his ranking. The absence due to injury unfortunately can still be perceived, not only for what concerns the physical preparation, but also for what concerns his process of adaptation to his Husqvarna. We now have a week off before the next race at the Sachsenring.”

Results Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya 2022– Race

1. Izan GUEVARA (GASGAS) 38’22.351, 2. David MUÑOZ (KTM) + 1.975, 3. Tatsuki SUZUKI (Honda) + 1.985,
7. John MCPHEE (Husqvarna) + 3.341, NC – David SALVADOR (Husqvarna) – Crash on the ninth lap in turn 10. Rider uninjured.

World Championship Classification Moto3 2022 – After Race 9

1. Sergio GARCIA (GASGAS) 150 pts; 2. Izan GUEVARA (GASGAS) 134 pts; 3. Jaume MASIA (KTM) 103 pts;
6. Ayumu SASAKI (Husqvarna) 75 pts; 17. John MCPHEE (Husqvarna) 24 pts.