Xavi Vierge signed this year off with a solid seventh position in the season finale at Valencia as Alex Márquez crashed out of fifth place after starring in a great comeback.

• The 19th and final Moto2 race of 2019 got underway at a later time of 11:50 due to a multiple rider crash in the earlier Moto3 outing. As a result of this 30-minute delay, the race was reduced from 25 laps to 16.
• The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team-mates Xavi Vierge and Alex Márquez made excellent starts from the fourth and fifth rows respectively to contest fifth place in the race.

Alex Márquez, 30th, + 1’29.344

• The recently crowned 2019 Moto2 World Champion got a great start and was running in tenth after the first lap after qualifying 15th.
• Márquez made quick progress through the field, passing team-mate Vierge on lap nine to six a fantastic fifth.
• But the 23-year old’s challenge unfortunately ended on the 13th lap when he crashed out at turn eleven. He remounted to finish 30th.

“I was giving my 110 percent”

“I tried my best today. First of all I want to say sorry to the team. Today I did a mistake and this weekend I was not at my 100 percent. Also it was difficult to control everything and the situation. Anyway I think I did my best in the race. I enjoyed it and this was my main target. We came from 15th to fifth. I was already enjoying it from the first corner of the first lap. It was so nice to be on the bike today, riding in front of my fans. Sadly I did a mistake. I was turning into the corner and I lost the front. But I was giving my 110 percent. Thanks again to the team for giving me the best bike, as always, in Sunday’s race. I want to enjoy this moment. It’s been an unbelievable year. As a team, it’s what we have dreamed of since preseason. We are world champions and I can’t forget this.”

Xavi Vierge, 7th, + 9.922 s.

Having qualified eleventh, the Catalan made a rapid start and picked off five positions on the first lap to sit sixth.
The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team-mates were riding in unison, with Vierge defending against his team-mate Márquez for fifth place in the first half of the race.
After Márquez crashed, the 22-year old was involved in a close fight with Jorge Martin and Augusto Fernandez for fifth. He lost two places in laps 12 and 13 but still finished an excellent 7th.

“Today I enjoyed the race a lot”

“We can say that I’m really happy with the end of the year. Today I enjoyed the race a lot. Of course we want more. But it was a difficult year so to finish the last two races like this was incredible for me and the team. They continued to push me and help me until the last race. I want to thank them for this opportunity and their hard work through the year.”

Joan Olive, Team Manager

“The race was going well because Alex started brilliantly and overtook a lot of positions. But unfortunately he had a crash in the slow corner and couldn’t maintain this great position until the end. Also Xavi managed a very good race. He had a really strong weekend to end the season. Overall we are really happy because the year has been fantastic for all of us. Each member that is here fought from the beginning until the end and our team showed great potential. I’m really proud of them. Now it’s time to relax after this season before starting to think about the next one.”