Alex Márquez produces another majestic performance to establish a commanding championship lead on a historic day for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS who collects their 100th GP podium. Xavi Vierge finishes 24th after a first lap crash.

• The 2019 Moto2 season roared back into life in the Czech Republic after a three-week summer break with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team-mates Alex Márquez and Xavi Vierge starting the 19-lap race in clear, dry conditions and ambient temperatures of 23 degrees.
• Marquez’s victory is a memorable one for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS. This was their 100th podium in Grand Prix since the team was formed in 2010.

Alex Márquez, 1st

• Starting from his second pole position of the year, Márquez entered Turn 1 in second place, and soon assumed control of affairs by overtaking Sam Lowes at Turn 3.
• The 23-year old set a ferocious pace, establishing a 0.7s lead after lap one. He then posted the fastest lap of the race – a 2m 1.463s – on lap two to gain a commanding advantage over Fabio Di Giannantonio.
• From there Márquez controlled the race expertly to manage his lead during the remaining 17 laps. His winning advantage was 3.018s.
• A fifth win of 2019 means Márquez’s championship lead over Thomas Luthi increases to 33 points.

“It was the perfect race, like I was dreaming”

“It was the perfect race, like I was dreaming! I was pushing from the beginning. Today I had a really clear idea of what I wanted to do. In warm-up we did a lot of work and I had really good speed with used tyres. That gave me the confidence to push from the beginning and to try and control the race. The strategy worked. Thanks to the team because they gave me the perfect bike and that confidence I needed before the race. It’s really important we came back from the summer break like this. To gain 25 points when our rival got zero was important. It was a really good day for us but the championship is still long and we need to keep pushing with the same intensity.”

Xavi Vierge, 24th, 58.874 s.

• 22-year old Vierge began the day well, posting the 14th fastest time in morning warm-up and showing a strong pace.
• From 14th on the grid, Vierge started brilliantly, and passed six riders in the first eight corners to sit eighth.
• But the Catalan soon crashed at Turn 9 when attempting to overtake Luca Marini, which ended his chances of a strong finish.
• After remounting in 30th place, Vierge fought until the end but ultimately finished 24th.

“I made a mistake on the first lap”

“I want to say sorry to the team because today I made a mistake on the first lap. I tried to overtake Luca Marini but he closed his line. I touched his rear wheel and I crashed. It’s a pity because we worked well in dry conditions this weekend. We had good pace to fight for the front positions. Anyway it ended like this. I want to congratulate my team-mate for his victory and the team for their 100th podium. We’ll come back even stronger in Austria.”

Joan Olive, Team Manager

“Alex is as strong as he was when we finished the first part of the season”

“Today we are very happy again thanks to the great job done by Alex through all the weekend. He didn’t just win the race; he got pole position and also set the fastest lap. It shows he’s as strong as he was when we finished the first part of the season. This makes us confident for the next races. We are also really happy to achieve the 100th podium for Marc VDS. The team has kept up this level for a long time. For Xavi we cannot say too much because he had a crash at the beginning of the race. He could not show all his potential. But I’m sure he will keep on working as he is doing and the results will arrive.”