DAVID ALONSO MAKES HISTORY FOR CFMOTO WITH A MASTERCLASS IN THE LAST LAP

11/03/2024

David Alonso and the CFMOTO Aspar Team have made history in Qatar, clinching the first-ever motorcycle World Championship victory for a Chinese manufacturer. The Colombian rider left everyone speechless with a masterful last lap, which saw him overtake five competitors to take the first victory of the season. Subsequently, the CFMOTO Aspar Team took the lead in the constructors' standings and in the teams' standings.

Beginning from eighth position on the grid, the Colombian rider competed with the lead group the entire race, patiently waiting for the opportunity to pounce. Despite starting the final lap in sixth position, Alonso exhibited nerves of steel, executing flawless overtakes on Fernández, Pérez, Rossi, Furusato, and ultimately Holgado in the last corner; his victory, secured by a mere 41 thousandths of a second.

David Alonso's spectacular performance was also joined by Joel Esteban's remarkable debut. The Spanish rider made his World Championship debut with an intense race in which he recovered up to twelve places from his initial grid position. Esteban added his first five points in the World Championship on an unfamiliar track, where he only lost ten seconds to the winner in the sixteen laps of the race.

1st - David Alonso
“I didn't expect to win. I had everything under control, but before the last lap, everything became complicated. I made a mistake in managing the slipstream and there were riders passing me everywhere. I thought, 'I'm going to see how far I can go'. I was very clear about it, I wanted to try it in the last corner. There was a moment of crisis, but I was able to solve it in the last lap. My dream is to be world champion, but for now we are going to manage the moment. Today, for example, if I couldn't win, the goal was to finish and score points.”

11th - Joel Esteban (+10,827)
“I am very happy with my first race. I started from behind because I didn't do well yesterday, but at the start and in the first corners I made a lot of progress. In the fourth corner, I have had a small scare that made me lose contact with the group, and by trying to continue pushing, I have made another mistake that has already left me behind. I have been left alone, a bit behind, like in a third group, but I was able to come back and catch up with the second. I have finished eleventh, and I think that without the mistake I had, I could have fought for front positions. Anyway, I'm happy with my first race.”

As CFMOTO Australia revels in this historic victory, Alonso and Esteban set their sights on future successes, propelled by their remarkable performances on the grand stage of the World Championship.