RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP leaves Misano without points to start Asian tour

The RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team failed to score any points in the Moto2 race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday. Zonta van den Goorbergh crashed on the second lap due to a false neutral while Barry Baltus finished in 18^th position. The entire Grand Prix paddock now leaves for Asia where the next two race weekends will take place.

After a very strong qualifying day, the Moto2 race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was eagerly anticipated with high expectations. Van den Goorbergh and Baltus showed they were very fast on Saturday but now had to translate this into the 20-lap race.

Unfortunately for Van den Goorbergh, that went wrong very early on as he had to go straight into the gravel trap on the second lap and crashed. The Dutchman had made a good start though and was riding in the top ten but due to a false neutral he could not stop the bike in time, resulting in a crash.

Baltus, on the other hand, had a very difficult opening phase of the race and he dropped outside the top 20. The Belgian still managed to move forward a bit but would not score any points in the end.

Barry Baltus – P18: “This was not the race I expected to have. Because of the first two laps, my race was more or less ruined already. I lost multiple positions so my race was done, even though the pace was there. My rythym was good but I had to come from too far back. We need to keep pushing as there are many races coming in quick succession now.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh – DNF: “A false neutral early in the race brought an early end to what could have been a very good race. Yesterday we had a good day and managed to make a big step with the bike so we need to take that feeling to Indonesia. It’s a shame we couldn’t score here today, I really expected to take at least a few points after such a good qualifying. Unfortunately it was not to be but we can get straight back to work next weekend. We have a long trip through Asia ahead of us with a lot of races in a row, where we need to see that we do start rewarding ourselves with points.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager: “We had a really good weekend and went into the race with a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, everything soon collapsed and our race was basically over after two laps. Zonta had a really good start but got a false neutral which caused him to go straight and eventually go down. That’s incredibly disappointing because this was a really good chance to score well, and I’m talking about a place in the top ten.

Barry gave it away in the first few laps which put him in a position where it is very difficult to get out of. His lap times were good but it is a very difficult circuit to overtake. Then you keep riding where you are riding which ultimately made it a disappointing race day for us.

The team continues to work very hard and this is not what they and our partners deserve. It has to improve and the next races will be crucial in that respect. We are going into the overseas races with a lot of good spirit and I am convinced that those good results are going to come.”

The entire MotoGP paddock is now packed into flight cases to fly straight to Indonesia where next weekend (27-29 September), the fifteenth Grand Prix of 2024 will be held.