Double points haul in final Moto3™ Grand Prix of the season

The 2021 Moto3 world championship reached a conclusion around the flat and winding Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain for the eighteenth and last round of the Grand Prix campaign.

Husqvarna Motorcycles approached the end of its second season in Moto3 competition with Romano Fenati in the top four of the standings and with a victory and four podium appearances notched during 2021. After a rainy start to Free Practice the rest of the weekend was sunny and surprisingly mild in terms of temperatures.

Fenati was the main pacesetter on the FR 250 GP and secured the 8th fastest lap-time in Q2 to occupy a slot on the third row of the grid. He was less than a second away from the Pole Position effort and all signs pointed to another close and intense Moto3 contest on Sunday.

The red light went out at 11.00 on raceday to launch 23 laps of action. Fenati went on the prowl in the middle of the top ten and as part of the breakaway group of twelve riders. He survived numerous skirmishes that saw over half a dozen crash out if the running. Fenati crossed the line in 12th. He managed to bank eleven top ten results from the eighteen rounds of the season and finished 5th with 160 points: 11 behind Jaume Masia in 4th place.

Adrian Fernandez negotiated a tricky weekend. The rookie had a fast crash during practice on Friday and then had to endure a double Long Lap penalty during the race for slow riding during Qualification on Saturday. Fernandez circulated mid-pack at one stage during the actual sprint on Sunday morning but then recovered strongly to reach the flag in 14th. The Spaniard ends the season with 22nd position and 30 points.

The Sterilgarda Max Racing Team can anticipate the winter break and then two new recruits for the FR 250 GP in 2022 with Ayumu Sasaki and John McPhee stepping into the squad.

Romano Fenati: “I’m happy to finish this year and it has been two amazing years with this team where I learnt a lot, more than with any other team. I’m not so happy with the result today but now I have to focus on our next goal. Thanks to everybody.”

Adrian Fernandez: “A very difficult race for me with the two Long Laps but I had a good feeling on the bike and went step-by-step and lap-by-lap. I got back to 14th, which wasn’t too bad. I want to thank the team and my family. It’s been an incredible first year in GPs for me and I have learned a lot.”

Max Biaggi, Team Principal: “The last race of the year and a bit of frustration. We had the chance to reach the top three of the championship but we couldn’t make it with Romano. It’s not the way we wanted to end the season. It has been two intense years with Romano but we had some nice moments. More points for Adrian and he fought back well to get into the top fifteen. I wish him well for 2022 and it has been good to see him progress. We’ll look to next season now.”

Results – 2021 Moto3 World Championship, Round 18

1. Xavier Artigas (Honda) 38:30.302, 2. Sergio Garcia (GASGAS) +0.043. 3. Jaume Masia (KTM) +0.232 12. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) +2.461, 14. Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna) +13.298

Final world championship standings

1. Pedro Acosta (KTM) 259pts; 2. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 216pts; 3. Sergio Garcia (GASGAS) 188pts; 5. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 160 pts; 22. Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna) 20 pts.