In his role as replacement rider for Spaniard Pol Espargaro, Jonas Folger completed his mission with GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team in Sunday’s race in hot condition in a good 14th place.
Jonas Folger not only ended the first half of the season in the best possible way at Assen on Sunday, but also his adventure in what was a totally unexpected return to the starting grid of the premier MotoGP™ class two months ago. When the chequered flag was shown for the last time before Silverstone on August 5th, Folger added two more points to his tally when he finished fourteenth in the “Cathedral of Speed”.
Folger started the weekend’s main race at the historic TT Assen on Sunday from twenty-second spot on the grid. He managed a good start and also quickly left the impression of feeling more comfortable aboard the KTM RC16 than in yesterday’s sprint. The problems with the front that had occurred on Saturday were resolved in this morning’s warm-up session, which was very positive for the 29-year-old German rider.
The full-time test rider for the Pierer Mobility Group with KTM and GASGAS brands managed to stay within tenths of a second to his team mate Augusto Fernandez in the opening laps. A mistake by Raul Fernandez gave Folger the opportunity to overtake and move into the top 15. On the eleventh lap he set his fastest race lap in a 1´34.589, just 0.396 seconds off his team mate’s personal best. Finally, Raul Fernandez passed him again, but Folger finished the race with consistent lap times and crossed the finish line in fourteenth place. It is the third time he ended up in the points, a nice way to say goodbye going into the summer break.
#94 Jonas FOLGER
GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, KTM RC16
Grid position: 22 / Race: P14
“I am finally happy with the step we took and with today’s race. It is nice to end my adventure for the last six races with the Tech3 team in this way. First of all, I would like to thank the whole team, who have always been understanding of my situation, who have tried to find solutions to my problems, who have taken away my doubts and who have stayed calm when I was not feeling well.... I am very grateful to have been able to work with them and to return in racing for a while. Coming back was very special for me and I will never forget these weeks together, which will help me a lot in my role as a test rider for Pierer Mobility Group. Thank you, I will continue to cheer you on, and I will be watching Pol Espargaro in the hope that he makes a great comeback. Thank you all for everything!”
#DutchGP - MotoGP™ Race Classification (26 Laps):
1 Francesco BAGNAIA / ITA / Ducati Lenovo Team / Ducati / 40´37.640
2 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Mooney VR46 Racing Team / Ducati / +1.223
3 Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / +1.925
14 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 / KTM / +45.609
MotoGP™ World Standing:
1 Francesco BAGNAIA / ITA / Ducati / 194
2 Jorge MARTIN / SPA / Ducati / 159
3 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Ducati / 158
22 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / KTM / 9
