Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) sealed victory in a chaotic Moto3™ race at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, his first 25-point haul since the 2016 Japanese GP.
The Italian spoke to motogp.com about his long overdue win, also revealing his potential plans for the 2019 season…
Q: What were your feelings when you took the checkered flag?
A: Beautiful feelings, 2016 was the last time I’d won, it had been a long time. It takes a lot of effort to get the result and when it comes you must enjoy it. Think back to everything you did and what you did wrong, there are many feelings, especially good ones.
Q: It’s been two seasons since you last won, was it unexpected or were you certain you could win from the beginning of the season?
A: This season is really difficult, much more than in the past years because there are a lot of falls, so many twists and the level is very high. It's a bit more difficult to manage but we are doing well, I knew that the victory with all the good work done would not have been far away. It was just a matter of time but then, the Moto3™ races are always a bit of a lottery.
Q: Now, what do you expect from the next GP?
A: Each race is a separate understanding. Assen is a track that I really like, where I always do well in practice but in the race, I have never been able to conclude how I wanted to. The bike adapts very well to this track and I expect to be competitive.
Q: The KTM bikes are going strong, maybe more the Honda?
A: The difference is there, we are stronger at the cycling level while they are at the engine level. They manage to accelerate well on the exit of the hairpin bends and it is a disadvantage on the finish line. We must try to detach them so we don’t get caught up. It's difficult, we hope that some updates from HRC will arrive.
Q: Heading into Round 8, do you see yourself as one of the title contenders?
A: I think so, it will certainly be difficult because there’s a 35-point gap. But in Moto3™ anything can happen, if we don’t have bad luck we can recover.
Q: What are your plans for next year?
A: Next year I will race in Moto2™. In theory, the team I’ll be with is yet to be decided. We are planning but the intention is strong and these are the plans.