M2: Qatari GP: Marc VDS race report

TOUGH DEBUT FOR MARC VDS RACING TEAM

The Marc VDS Racing Team had a tough Grand Prix debut in the first ever Moto2 race in Qatar tonight. Hector Faubel's 22nd place was an impressive result given his lack of track time, but Scott Redding was bitterly disappointed to finish one place further back in 23rd, after losing out in the first turn and then running off track early in the race.

Redding, who started from the fifth row of the grid, was pushed out wide into turn as the 41 riders in today's Moto2 race jostled for position. The 17-year-old Briton clawed back some places on the run down to turn two, but then suffered the same fate as the field battled for the fastest line through the left-hander.

A missed gear at the hairpin also proved a costly mistake for the youngest rider in the race, as it forced him off track and through the gravel trap. Redding rejoined the race to battle it out with teammate Faubel, Claudio Corti and Arne Tode, eventually finishing in 23rd place.

Hector Faubel also fell foul of the traffic heading into turn one, losing contact with the group ahead of him. The 26-year-old Spaniard recovered quickly and, after finding a good rhythm on his Suter MMX machine, managed to improve significantly on his qualifying lap time during the course of the race.

Faubel was happy with the progress made during his debut weekend with the Marc VDS Racing Team, but will be looking for further improvements during a two-day test at Mugello ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Hector Faubel #55: 22nd Position
"Overall I am very happy with how the weekend has gone. I knew it would be very hard in the beginning because of my inexperience with the bike and with the team. However, everyone has made me very welcome and worked tirelessly to help me improve with every lap. The Suter MMX is an impressive bike, it was easy to find a good feeling and it inspires confidence. The race was good; my start wasn't great and there was a lot of traffic into the first turn, but I quickly found a good rhythm, improved upon my qualifying time and had a good fight with Scott, Corti and Tode on the way to finishing in 22nd place. Okay, I'm not so happy with this position, but I am happy with the progress we've made. We will test at Mugello for two days before Japan, so I hope we will see an even bigger improvement in Motegi. Finally I would like to say a big thank you to Marc and Neri van der Straten for their personal support this weekend."

Scott Redding #45: 23rd Position
"I'm bitterly disappointed. The race was a catalogue of disasters, starting at the first turn. I got beaten up by at least four riders in the braking area and pushed wide then the same thing happened in turn two. Rear grip was also an issue; the back end was all over the place, but the biggest problem came when I went down one gear too many for the hairpin and ran off the track into the gravel. It took a couple of laps to clean off the tyres before I was able to match my lap times from Friday and race with Hector, Corti and Tode. With 41 riders all looking for space in turn one, qualifying high up the grid is going to be critical, as I found out today. We had some technical problems this weekend, which I hope we will be able to solve during a two-day test at Mugello, meaning we come back stronger for the next race in Japan."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager
"Hector has impressed me this weekend with his determination and his drive. He came here never having ridden our bike before, qualified within 2.5s of pole position and then closed to within one second of the leaders' lap times in the race. The two-day test we have planned in Mugello ahead of the next race will work in his favour and I look forward to seeing him even closer to the front of the field in Motegi. The Mugello test will also allow us to work with Scott to eliminate some of the problems he had with the bike during practice and qualifying yesterday. In the race he got pushed wide in turn one before making a mistake and losing a lot of ground at the hairpin. Later in the race he was matching his times from Friday, so we know he will be on the pace when the bike is right for him. We had high expectations this weekend, so we're a little disappointed with the result, but I'm confident we'll bounce back in Japan. With two Suter MMX machines on the podium today, we know we have the bike to do the job."

-source: marc vds