Tech 3 will be celebrating long into the night with a victory in the Spanish Moto2 race this weekend.Yuki Takahashi took Tech 3′s first Moto2 victory after Andrea Iannone was penalised for overtaking on a yellow flag.

The Moto2 race was an action packed affair with an early crash that took out 7 riders; while the race was being yellow flagged Andrea Iannone overtook Takahashi and was ordered to drop back one position. His team were unable to get the message across effectively and Iannone was eventually issued with a ride through penalty allowing Takahashi to take the lead and the eventual victory.

Yuki Takahashi 1st – 52-points
“I am a little bit speechless right now because I expected to be on the podium but this win is like a dream for me. Luckily I got on the front row in qualifying yesterday and that meant I wasn’t involved in the big crash at the first corner. I didn’t have a very good pace in the early laps while I gained some confidence with the front tyre, but once in my rhythm I could easily catch Luthi and Simon. My bike was working fantastic out of the last corner and it meant I could pass them both on the brakes at the first corner. I tried to follow Iannone but it was very difficult. He was riding very fast and I didn’t realise he was penalised for passing me under a yellow flag. My board said P1 even though I was second and for a while it was a little confusing. But when I saw him pull into the pitlane I understood the situation because I’d seen the penalty board and his number but I wasn’t sure what was happening. Then it became incredibly hard to maintain concentration because Iannone was a good reference. I settled down though and could win and it was an amazing feeling. I can’t thank my team at Tech 3 Racing enough. This team is like a family and everybody works incredibly hard. They have unbelievable passion for racing and for me, and this win feels a lot more special than before because it is with a bike we’ve all developed.”

Raffaele de Rosa 16th – 0-points
“Unfortunately today we missed a chance to score points for the first time but I did my best and it wasn’t quite enough. It was an important race though because I feel we have made a step forward with the bike and my confidence. The bike still has too much wheelpsin under acceleration but I’m gradually getting closer to the group fighting for points. The bike obviously has potential because Yuki has done a fantastic job and I want to congratulate him today. Tech 3 Racing has worked very hard and this is a perfect reward for all that effort. The new chassis is a step in the right direction and I’m thinking positive for the future and determined to move to the next level and score points at the next race in Germany.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“What an incredible day and right now it is hard to explain the jubilation the team is feeling. We started this project from scratch and to see Yuki and our bike win a race in a world championship makes me immensely proud of the crew at Tech 3 Racing. We’ve won before in the 250 class but this has an extra special taste because we have achieved this win with our own project. A lot of people have spent a lot of time working on that bike and I’m really proud of them today. Moto2 has been a big challenge for us but all the problems we’ve been through, we’ve stuck together as a team and today is an unforgettable reward for all our effort. The bike we built ourselves was today the best in the world and that is a great feeling. I have to say a special thanks to Guy Coulon. He left Assen last weekend and went back to our workshop to modify the chassis and he seems to have done a really good job! I’m delighted for Yuki because he has worked hard to get the bike closer to the front. He kept his concentration in difficult conditions and he showed what a talent he is and I’m sure this will give his confidence and self-belief a massive lift. Raffaele also came close to scoring his first points and I think he made a big step forward this weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing him build on this performance in the next few races. But this is a historic day for Tech 3 Racing and we will cherish it for a very long time.”

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