Moto2 – Toni Elias, Vladimir Ivanov and Fausto Gresini talk about the Losail race

There are no words to describe the fantastic fourth place achieved by Toni Elias in the first Grand Prix in the history of Moto2. After ten days of suffering and psychological ups and downs due to the double surgery he underwent on March 30th, the Team Gresini rider strongly wanted to be part of the game and try to bring home an impressive result. He arrived in Qatar with little hope of racing but he gritted his teeth and managed to get on track, achieve a legendary pole position and remain in the fight for the final victory as long as his strength could hold. He couldn't have done better than this, now he can go home happy and content and think about regaining his strength for the next Japanese Grand Prix. Impressive debut for the Russian Vladimir Ivanov, an absolute first that makes him happy and confident for his future in Moto2.

Toni Elias (4th) “I'm very tired but happy to have taken important points with my fourth place. I think and believe that I couldn't ask for more from myself and I'm also satisfied with having finished the race because I risked falling several times due to the aggressive conduct of some riders. Throughout the weekend there were moments in which I thought I wouldn't be able to do it, then yesterday's pole position gave me the strength to face the race with a different spirit and I finished fourth, a result that goes well beyond expectations. of the eve. The whole race was very hard but in particular when, towards the end, the tires started to lose consistency, they were no longer performing and I was struggling to control the bike because I didn't have the strength to move to better manage the wear of the tires . I resisted as long as I could, then at the end I gritted my teeth and regained an important position. I am "cansado" tired but happy very happy. ”

Vladimir Ivanov (26th) “I'm happy because I finished the race and for me it was a great and important experience because the level of the championship is completely different from those I have participated in previously. I'm a bit sorry for having a bad start but in the second part of the race I started to pick up the pace and I enjoyed it. I gained more experience and I will take advantage of it for the next races. ”

Fausto Gresini “I can only be happy for this race which started out decidedly uphill. Yesterday we were a bit deluded about the pole position but we knew that today the race would be very difficult. But you have to consider that before coming to Qatar we didn't even know if we could participate so today's result is extraordinary. A fourth place is a legendary feat and repays Toni for his great desire to race and demonstrate his worth. Toni is great and made me and the whole team happy. Now, there are fifteen days before Japan and this is a very positive fact for us. ”

Gresini Racing team