On Sunday after 27 gruelling laps, Jonas Folger crossed the finish line in 16th place in Le Mans. He was glad to have made it through the long race, but also immediately pointed out the key areas where there is room for improvement.
32-year-old Jonas Folger put in very solid performances this weekend as a substitute for Maverick Viñales. His crash during the Sprint on Saturday afternoon had no further consequences, so he was able to take part in Sunday morning’s warm-up as planned — the final preparation for the Grand Prix that afternoon.
The 10-minute session took place in dry conditions. Shortly afterward, it began to rain. It was only a brief shower, so the 4.1-kilometer track at the Circuit Bugatti dried out quickly. When the race started, the conditions were clear: the entire field lined up on slick tires.
Folger, who had started from the back of the grid, had a good reaction when the starting lights went out, just as he had the day before. For one lap, he was right on the heels of the riders in front of him. But starting on the second lap, his lack of racing experience became apparent, and the gap began to get bigger.
#94 Jonas FOLGER (Red Bull KTM Tech3, KTM RC16)
Startplatz: 21 / Rennen: P16
«Those were an incredibly gruelling 27 laps today. Leading up to Saturday after qualifying, I had already made some good progress and felt like I had a better control of the bike in certain areas. But a race is always a different story, and it showed us that we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I wasn’t able to replicate the laps from practice or qualifying over the full distance. Also, I didn’t feel particularly comfortable with the seating position, so I think we need to focus more on that if I get another chance to race, because I had problems with my arms and lost strength in my left shoulder. That was another reason why I couldn’t keep up the pace, and since I was riding alone, I didn’t have any points of reference either.»
«But in any case, it was great to complete the entire race, especially without any major mistakes, and to gain this valuable experience. I now know exactly what we need to keep working on. Looking at the weekend as a whole, I’m satisfied with my performance. I managed to achieve my personal goal over a single lap: not losing more than three seconds, except for the first practice session, which was almost like a fresh start for me. I had hoped for a bit more from the race. But maybe I’ll manage it next time, if I get another chance. First of all, I’d like to thank KTM for selecting me for this role, and of course the entire Tech3 team for their fantastic support throughout the weekend. A special thanks goes to my crew, who were so patient and helped me incredibly.»
MotoGP™ Sprint (27 Laps):
1 Jorge MARTIN / SPA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / 41´18.001
2 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / +0.477
3 Ai OGURA / JPN / Trackhouse MotoGP Team / Aprilia / +0.874
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16 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / Red Bull KTM Tech3 / KTM / +73.229
MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Aprilia / 128
2 Jorge MARTIN / SPA / Aprilia / 127
3 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO / ITA / Ducati / 84
…
#94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / KTM
