Brno, Czech Republic 6 August, 2017: Aspar Mahindra team rider Albert Arenas, in his come-back ride after missing three races through injury, claimed a brilliant place in the championship points today, overcoming a time-sheet penalty that meant he had to start from last on the grid.
The 20-year-old Spaniard surged through on a damp 5.403-km Brno circuit from 32nd place to finish 12th, having caught and moved into the thick of a group disputing sixth place. Arenas was less than four second from the front of that pack.
Back in the saddle for the first time since a last-lap crash in the Italian GP on June 4, Arenas was hit with the penalty because of a technical time infringement in practice. He and another rider were moved back 12 grid places as a result.
Arenas started his salvage work from the fall of the flag. On the first of 19 laps, he had already cut through from 32nd to 21st place, and he continued to make progress throughout the 44 minutes. By mid-race he was already up with a group of top fast riders, where overtaking was more difficult. Even so, he continued to make progress.
It was an encouraging experience for the only Indian constructor in the World Championships, but also disappointing. Had he started further forward, a strong top-ten finish would have been well within his grasp. Last year a Mahindra wearing a Peugeot badge was first in a wet race at Brno, with another MGP3O coming in second.
Today, the next-best Mahindra rider was Arenas' team-mate Lorenzo Dalla Porta, 19th, one place ahead of Jakub Kornfeil on the Saxoprint Peugeot, a rebadged Mahindra MGP3O.
The race was won by championship leader Joan Mir (Honda). The next race is the Austrian GP, next weekend.
Albert Arenas, Aspar Mahindra Moto3
"I'm really happy to be back and with this result. Coming from last to 12th is quite incredible! But it was really difficult, I had to stay fully concentrated the entire time. I felt really good at the start and I pushed and began to overtake riders. I saw that everything was going better and better so I kept going. It was difficult because if I made a small mistake, the gap became very big. The key was that I felt good in the wet right at the start of the weekend and we could build from there. I started with a good feeling even though yesterday was a complete disaster, I was wishing for the rain. A big thank you to my doctor, physios, trainer and team who all worked so hard to get me fit and achieve this result."
Mufaddal Choonia, CEO Mahindra Racing
"That was a great salvage job by Albert. It’s not only that he finished 12th from last on the grid, which is very commendable, but even more that there were not a lot of accidents in the race, so this was a genuinely hard-earned position. It is a shame he started so far back. He clearly had the pace of the riders from fifth to tenth. We cannot stress enough the importance of a good grid position but after where he did start, we are happy with today's achievement."
About Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing is the only Indian constructor in the Moto3 class of the FIM MotoGPWorld Championship Series. Competing with the best-of-the-best in the world for six years running, it has seen phenomenal success since its debut in 2011.
Mahindra Racing supplies the Mahindra MGP3O a single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 250cc motorcycle to the factory Aspar Mahindra Team and other customer teams. Mahindra also supplies an official Peugeot Motocycles derivative of the MGP3O to the factory Peugeot MC Saxoprint Team.
The 2017 Mahindra Racing rider line-up includes:
- Albert Arenas (SPA) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA) [Aspar Mahindra Moto3]
- Jakub Kornfeil (CZE) and Patrik Pulkkinen (FIN) [Peugeot MC Saxoprint]
- Manuel Pagliani (ITA) and Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) [CIP]
Mahindra Racing made history in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix taking the first-ever podium for an Indian constructor. In the same season, the MGP3O recorded top-five finishes in 10 of the 17 rounds, a pole position, three circuit lap records, and a third position in the Constructors Championship.
The 2014 season saw a further three podium finishes for the Indian constructor, including second place at the German Grand Prix.
In 2015, Mahindra Racing put up a fierce fight at the front of the pack throughout the season, and recorded a podium finish at the French Grand Prix.
2016 got off to a strong start with Aspar Mahindra Moto3 Team rider Francesco (Pecco) Bagnaia securing a third place podium finish at the opening round in Qatar. The Italian teen picked up podiums in Jerez (Spain) and Mugello (Italy) before making his historic first win in Assen (Netherlands) Mahindra's maiden victory in the World Championship. It proved the high-level performance capabilities of the MGP3O. Two more victories followed with John Mcphee dominating the field in a wet Czech Grand Prix and Pecco taking a wonderful seven-second win in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Besides its commitment to the World Championship, Mahindra Racing supplies MGP3O machines to Team Aspar and Team LaGlisse in the World Championship feeder series the FIM CEV Repsol International Championship (Moto3 Junior World Championship). Grand Prix legend Max Biaggi will spearhead Mahindra's effort in the 2017 Elf CIV Italian National Championship.
Mahindra's bold decision to take on the world's best at the highest level of motorcycle racing has won the team a number of prestigious awards in India, including:
- Mobil1 Motorsport Award NDTV Car and Bike Awards, 2017, 2013, 2012
- Motosport Award Autocar India, 2017
- Bikesport Award of the Year Times Auto Awards, 2017
- Racing Bike of the Year Zeeignition Auto Awards, 2016
- Motorsport Award Bike India Magazine, 2013
- Motorsport Award of the Year ZigWheels Awards, 2012
For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.
About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.
A USD 19 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.
In 2015, Mahindra and Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world's largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times Boldness in Business Award in the Emerging Markets category in 2013.
Visit us at mahindra.com
twitter.com/MahindraRise
facebook.com/MahindraRise
For further enquiries
Mr. Darius Lam
General Manager
Group Communications
Mahindra Group
Phone: +91 22 2491 6818
lam.darius@mahindra.com
Mr. Harry Lloyd
Mahindra Racing Moto3 press officer
HPS Jardine
Phone: +44 1628 450 731
Mobile: +44 7450 624 931
Harry.lloyd@hpsjardine.com
