Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez finished within a few points of his second podium of the season, coming fourth overall at the MXGP of Trentino after two excellent performances that were just marred by slight errors in each of the races.
The Pietramurata track is a famous and familiar circuit for all the riders, both for its beautiful scenery and for its tight, tricky hard-pack surface. This weekend the race was ran in the clockwise direction and once again it provided great entertainment for the large number of fans who packed the hillsides around the venue.
In race one, the Honda CRF450R rider got a good start, rounding the first bend in around fifth or sixth, but he quickly moved forward and by the end of lap one was in second position. Despite putting on pressure throughout the race, he was unable to make any pass on the leader and instead he looked like he would cruise to second place. Unfortunately, a mistake on the penultimate lap saw him drop to third and that’s where he crossed the line. It was a disappointing end to what was a great ride, but he still had a great chance at a podium if he put in a similar ride for race two.
And that’s how it was looking after once again working his way forward on lap one. He crossed the line for the first time in fourth place, riding a decent pace, and matching those around him. However, around the midpoint of the race, another small crash cost him a few positions, and with it went his chance of an overall podium. Instead, he had to settle for fourth overall, just three points off the podium, but with a points tally from the weekend which secured fifth place in the world championship standings.
Fernandez now has a weekend off in order to prepare for two ‘home’ GPs, in Portugal and Spain. The Agueda track in Portugal is very close to where the #70 grew up riding, so he has a lot of fans across the border, while Spain is his home country and the grandstands will be packed at the circuit, and if he continues riding in this manner, they’ll be cheering him onto the podium positions.
Ruben Fernandez 70
Although I came fourth overall, I am a bit disappointed with how things turned out. I was in second place for the whole of race one, but then I made a small mistake and finished third. I know it was still a good ride but to lose that right at the end was tough to take. Then in race two another small mistake cost me while I was riding in fifth place and I dropped another couple of spots. However, I am very happy with my first lap of both races, with decent starts and moving through the field in those hectic first few corners. Fourth is a good result and I should be pleased with that, but I know I need to fix those small errors for the upcoming rounds of Portugal and Spain, which I am really looking forward to.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
It’s one of those good-bad days when if you look at the end results you should be pleased, but you know that it could have been even better. For the majority of both races, Ruben rode excellently and looked smooth and comfortable on this tricky Trentino track, but a couple of mistakes at critical times cost him a chance at an overall podium. It is still a step in the right direction though and we head to Portugal, knowing that things are getting back to how Argentina went and that is a positive thing.
Words: Press Release | Photo: @shotbybavo
