Team ENEOS Powers Through at MotoGP Mugello 2024
Team ENEOS riders Àlex Rins and Fabio Quartararo gave it their all for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP at the 2024 Gran Premio d’Italia but didn’t have the success they’d hoped for. They started P10 and P15 respectively, finishing the race in P15 and P18.
Rins finished his opening lap in P12 after launching from tenth on the starting grid, and although he was aiming to progress forward, he was unable to fend off Raul Fernandez, Miguel Oliveira and Marco Bezzecchi during the first 15 laps. His remaining eight laps were a lonely ride and while he posted steady mid-1:47 lap times, he crossed the finish line in P15, 23.613sec from the race winner.
“I fought really hard to finish 15th as I struggled throughout the race,” said Rins. “I tried to manage the bike, my physical condition since riding the bike is hard. The race tends to become a test for us, a unique moment where we compete against our riders and take information from that.”
El Diablo had a more difficult time at the Mugello GP, dropping down to P16 halfway through the opening lap. He overtook Jack Miller on lap 5, gaining a place until Bezzecchi passed him three laps later. Quartararo later came under threat from two late charging riders, one of them a resurging Miller. The Frenchman tried to take his M1 as wide as possible but ultimately conceded, finishing the race in P18, 30.622sec from first.
“Physically this was a very tough race,” Quartararo explained. “I had an issue with my arm and wasn’t able to ride very well the last ten laps. It wasn’t arm pump, but pushing to the limit at this track it’s unfortunate we couldn’t be faster. Hopefully we can find solutions to make the bike easier to ride.”
Following the Mugello GP, Quartararo is tied for 12th in the overall standings with 32 points, while Rins is also tied for 20th with 8 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP is ninth in the team championship with 40 points, and Yamaha holds fourth in the manufacturer championship with 36 points.
NEXT RACE
Team ENEOS heads to TT Circuit Assen for the Dutch GP from June 28-30, 2024.