24 April 2022 – Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – Portugal
We had two days of rain, with low temperatures and very difficult conditions. Ayumu made two small slips, but he never made big mistakes. He has always been convinced of his potential and this has been reiterated every day. Then came the race and Ayumu did not betray the expectations and won the second podium of the season.
Starting from the tenth position on the grid, Ayumu was very cautious in the first laps thinking he would get familiar with the track, for the first time dry. He crossed the finish line of the first lap twelfth, but from there on he began a spectacular comeback. On the third lap he was the fastest on the track and with a lot of maturity he started to climb up, without getting into unnecessary battles, which would only have wasted his time. On the long straight he always came out of the slipstream and in this way, he maximized his comeback, against the leader of the race, which in the meantime gained almost a second and a half. From the fifth lap, the gap of the chase group, in which Ayumu is located, began to shorten and on the tenth lap the comeback ended. The small group that played the victory was composed of 5 drivers and Ayumu fought with the knife between his teeth and led the race on several occasions. On the finish line of the penultimate lap he was first, but have been overtaken, due to the slipstream, by two drivers. He ended his race in third place, concluding an amazing and mature comeback. It is Ayumu’s third fastest lap in the race, with a time of 1’48.558. Thanks to the points of this podium Ayumu is seventh in the world ranking, with 45 points.
David, our rookie encountered some understandable difficulties in the race, as for him it was the first real round on the dry track. Starting from the rear, at the finish line of the first lap, he passed eighteenth. David battled around those positions for most of the race. The large group of Moto3 was, as always, very combative and David defended himself, ending the race in twenty-second position. To report for him a penalty, for exceeding the limits of the track.
We’ll leave you to the words of Ayumu, author of a wonderful podium, David and our Team Owner Max Biaggi.
AYUMU SASAKI : “It is always good to be on the podium, but especially today, I had a great pace. At the end of the race I was following Izan because he had a good pace, and Sergio was leading by a second or a little bit more. I did not use his slipstream, and we walked together until we reached Sergio. I was saving the tires a lot and I felt good in the last 5 laps. I was really looking for a win here and I am a little bit disappointed. On the last lap, into turn one, when Masià overtook me, I lost a few positions and I had to fight back for the podium. That was the maximum I could do today.I am a little bit disappointed, but we are strong in wet and dry conditions, confidence is higher than ever and this is really good. We will go to Jerez, where we had very good tests during the winter. We are really looking forward to it.”
DAVID SALVADOR : “We are doing a good job in this category, even it is new for me. We will have to work a little harder to get more confidence in the middle of the corner with the engine brake. When we will improve on that, we will be able to take a big step forward. Compared to Austin we improved, especially about my feeling with the bike. I did the race in the middle of a fast group, and this will allow me to have more experience in the fight. Jerez will be a good circuit to improve, but it will be necessary to work well from qualifying. I want to thank my Team, my Sponsors and my Family.”
MAX BIAGGI – TEAM OWNER : “Great race for Ayumu that, with constancy and without making mistakes has completed a good comeback. From then on, he always fought in the leading positions, finishing on the podium. Since the beginning of the championship Ayumu has always shown great speed and with a bit of luck we could have already conquered a victory. We do not give up and will continue to fight to win the highest step of the podium.”
Results Grande Prémio Tissot de Portugal 2022 – Race
1. Sergio GARCIA (GASGAS) 38’17.725, 2. Jaume MASIA (KTM) + 0.069, 3. Ayumu SASAKI (Husqvarna) + 0.110,
22. David Salvador (Husqvarna) + 30.402.
World Championship Classification Moto3 2022 – After Race 5
1. Sergio GARCIA (GASGAS) 83 pts; 2. Dennis FOGGIA (Honda) 82 pts; 3. Jaume MASIA (KTM) 54 pts;
7. Ayumu SASAKI (Husqvarna) 45 pts, 18. John MCPHEE (Husqvarna) 11 pts.
