30/04/2023

Lukas Tulovic scores in Jerez, Senna Agius fights for P21

Lukas Tulovic of the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 team collected his first world championship point at the Jerez Grand Prix in sunny Andalusia, while Senna Agius, as Darryn Binder's replacement, rode a consistent race and finished in 21st place.

German Lukas Tulovic had to wait a long time to record his first World Championship point this season. Initial bad luck with injuries was followed by a crash during his comeback in Austin, Texas. The 22-year-old now tackled the fourth race weekend of 2023 with caution, and worked intensively on his performance improvement, narrowly missing the chance for a front grid position in qualifying. A mediocre start initially saw Tulovic lose positions, but as he found his rhythm towards the middle of the race and knew how to manage his tyres, he eventually managed to move up to the 15th position. Relieved to have finished the race and taken home a World Championship point, the determined 2022 European Champion is already looking forward to the next race in Le Mans, France, where he will try to get a better starting position to make it easier in the race.

At the start of the 21-lap race, Senna Agius, who normally rides for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team, battled with team-mate Lukas Tulovic for 21st place and even managed to defend it to the end in a hard-fought race under the hot Andalusian sun. Next week, the Moto2 European Championship season opener awaits the young Australian in Estoril, Portugal.
On Tuesday, 2nd of May, Lukas Tulovic and his team will lay further foundations at the Jerez test in order to be successful in the upcoming races, starting with the Grand Prix de France in Le Mans from the 12th - 14th of May, where hopefully Darryn Binder will also be able to compete again.

Results

Race
1. Sam LOWES/ GBR/KALEX
2. Pedro ACOSTA/ SPA/ KALEX – (+2.841)
3. Alonso LOPEZ/SPA/ KALEX – (+9.618)
15. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ KALEX – (+26.709)
21. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – (+36.812)

World Championship standings
1. ACOSTA Pedro/ SPA/ 74
2. ARBOLINO Tony / ITA / 74
3. CANET Aron/ SPA/ 52
16. BINDER Darryn/ RSA/ 10
21. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ 1

Lukas Tulovic

P15 – (+26.709)
Moto2 World Championship 2023 - P21 - 1 Point

"I am happy that we were able to finish the weekend like this and take home a point. It's a bit of a shame that things didn't go so smoothly at the start of the race. I gathered the start and then fell back a bit. It took a few laps until I overtook a few riders and was able to ride my rhythm. That cost me a lot of time. Without all that, I might have been able to fight for eleventh or twelfth place. Nevertheless, I am very happy with the race result. I had a strong pace after the first third of the race and we can build on that. Now we'll see if we can find one or two-tenths of a second in the test and to make the bike work a bit better in the hot conditions. And then just keep working constantly and try to start further at the front into the races with a better group and then learn more gradually."

Senna Agius

P21 – (+36.812)

"I'm struggling to smile about finishing the race this way because I didn't really have anything in the beginning, nor in the end. I didn't have a big drop, I was just not having much speed out there and I was on the limit right from the beginning. Anyway, I just have to learn from it, coming from a different championship to this one comes with a lot of differences and I just tried to handle everything as best and as quickly as possible. I now have a bit more experience in order to do a better job in this paddock next time. I'll go back to CVE next week and hope to do a good job there and see what the future holds. This weekend, I learned how to handle all the emotions and keep calm on a track that is not my favorite one. A big thanks to Jürgen and the whole INTACT GP Team for allowing me to replace Darryn this weekend. I wish him all the best in the next GP."

Jürgen Lingg

Teammanager

"Considering our injury series, we have to be modest and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Darryn a speedy recovery because we hope to have him back with us at Le Mans. It's not easy for Lukas either after the injury and the difficult Austin weekend, but he fought back well in the race today. Jerez is always a difficult race because the temperatures, but also the power density, are simply very high. Thanks to his fighting spirit, he was rewarded with a point in the end. He can now build on that and I think if we continue to work like this, the corresponding results will follow. As a junior rider, Senna did his job very well, even if he was not personally satisfied with himself. Still, it was a good job and exactly what we expected. We also got to know each other better this weekend and I think he has a lot of potential for the future. We are happy to have finished with both bikes for the first time this year."

Spanish GP Moto2

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