The Tech 3 Racing Team’s first visit to the spectacular Circuit of the Americas (COTA) proved to be a challenging affair, with Danny Kent and Louis Rossi finishing in 18th and 24th respectively.
Kent was unable to capitalise on an encouraging 13th position on the grid because of a small gearbox issue, but he did brilliantly to fight his way back through from outside of the top 20 in the early laps to claim a respectable 18th place finish at the chequered flag.
With 19 more competitive race laps under his belt, the British rider gained more valuable experience on the Mistral 610 machine and he is confident when the World Championship moves to Europe for the next race in Jerez that he will be able to battle for his first points scoring finish.
Today’s second round of the 2013 Moto2 World Championship at the long and technical COTA track was a big learning experience for Frenchman Louis Rossi.
Despite the best efforts of his Tech 3 Racing crew to improve his feeling and confidence with the Mistral 610 machine, Rossi never felt comfortable to push close to his normal potential and he finished in 24th position.
Danny Kent 18th:
“I am a little bit disappointed with the outcome of the race, particularly after such a positive qualifying that put me 13th on the grid. I had a problem with the gearbox going from second to first and it was creating a big problem for me entering the corner. I think that’s what put Nakagami out of the race too, so we weren’t the only one with a problem. Unfortunately it meant we finished the race with no points and that’s a shame because I am sure I could have been in the top 15 today. I am still learning so much with every lap I complete and I am looking forward to going to Jerez and fighting for my first points there.”
Louis Rossi 24th:
“It was a really difficult weekend for me because right from the first practice I didn't have a lot of confidence on the bike. I just couldn’t push with any confidence at all and we have to try and understand why it turned out to be such a difficult weekend. I want to thank my Tech 3 Racing Team because the bike was the best it has been all weekend in the race and I had slightly more confidence than on Friday and Saturday. Until about six laps from the end I could push harder but then the end of the race I had to slow down a lot. We have collected a lot of useful data during this weekend in Texas and we need to analyse it all in detail to make sure we have a better performance in the next races because where I finished today was nothing like I know what my full potential is. We tested in Jerez in the winter and I am looking forward to going there and being much more competitive.”
Herve Poncharal - Team Manager:
"We were confident we could score our first points with Danny here in Texas today because qualifying went well and he had a good feeling with the bike. But after a bad start and a few first laps where he struggled to find the right rhythm because of the gearbox problem it put him too far behind to reach the points. That's a pity and disappointing but he still showed great fighting spirit with a good recovery during the second part of the race. It was a bit like in Qatar where he was very fast in the second part of the race and easily good enough to see him battling around 10th to 15th. But by that time the gap was already too big. He is gaining experience and that is the most important thing and i am sure it won't be long before he is a consistent challenger in the points. Louis had a very tough weekend but at least he managed to finish the race and gain some experience. Both of them are learning a lot and are now ready for the first European race in Jerez where both have good track knowledge and where Danny in particular made a good job during the test one month ago."
Tech 3 Racing Press Release
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