Gardner vs Raul Fernandez, Acosta vs Foggia: the title contenders talk business

Algarve (Portugal), 4 Nov 2021: It’s crunch time for both the Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships this weekend – or it could be – so ahead of track action at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve, Moto2 World Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo), teammate Raul Fernandez, Moto3 points leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia sat down for a special Press Conference on Thursday.

Here are some key quotes!

Remy Gardner: “Feeling good for this weekend, you know, it’s always a track I’ve really loved, I got my first victory here in the World Championship. So yeah, it’s a track that inspires me, let’s say, and, you know, I think we’re just gonna go into this weekend like every other weekend with a with an open mind and a calm head.”

Is he proud of the season so far?

“100%. You know, whatever happens this year, you know, I think it’s a year that I can be proud of. A lot of mistakes I’ve made in the past I’ve managed to render and fix. And yeah, we’ve had a lot of podiums this year, and a few wins. So yeah, for me, it’s been an amazing season. And it’s not over yet. So there’s still two more to go. I think it’s a season I can be really proud of whatever happens, but yeah hopefully we can finish it off well!”

Raul Fernandez: “I will try to get another victory! Always when I crash, the next race I fight for the win again. But in this part of the season I’m really strong, in the last four races I think I was the faster rider because I was first in all races and also in Misano when I crashed. I made a small mistake and I crashed, but in the end the mentality is the same: I’ll try and do my best, enjoy it, and if can win I will… if not I’ll still try! The mentality is the same. Sometimes it’s very difficult, for example in Misano when you’re a rookie and you have a difficult weekend, you don’t have the experience have all the control over the situation but I’m really happy with my speed, with the job of the team and I’ll try to do my best.

“I don’t want to think about the Championship, I want to go race by race. We’re at the last two races and now the gap is too big. This is a big distance now for the last two races, too much But the mentality is try to win, I have the speed and the calm. I will try.”

Pedro Acosta: “I’m happy now about the Misano race. Finally I understand that we can’t win every weekend, and this weekend we have to take the maximum points we can, and try to fight for the podium. We’re focused on this weekend, now we know where the problem as in Misano and now we’ve changed specific things to try and be more competitive here.

“If we can win, I’ll try. But if we have to manage it, take points and finish the Championship in Valencia we’ll do it. The important thing now is to not make big mistakes and not crash. 21 points now… we have to have fun, be focused on our job.”

Dennis Foggia: “It was an incredible but difficult weekend in Misano, all weekend in the wet and finally on Sunday it was dry. And I won the race, and I’m so happy about my last weekend. So now it’s time to attack, because we’re got two races to go and the gap is 21 points. I know it’s difficult but it’s not mathematically impossible. Mathematically, it’s possible. I’ll try and do my best, give 100% in these two races.

“I saw the Portugal GP one week ago, so… Pedro in this circuit is so strong, but me too. And I have nothing to lose, no pressure, and I’m happy with my Championship. Now I’ focused to do my best.”