Source: Team Gardner Racing.

Round three of the FIM CEV Buckler at Motorland Aragón proved to be another rollercoaster of a weekend for Remy Gardner, salvaging 17th after crashing during Sunday’s race.

After qualifying on the second row in fourth, with a lap time that would have put him fourth on the last Moto3 World Championship grid at Motorland, Gardner felt confident of a strong result. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, and when the chequered flag come down on the 15-lap race he went over the line in 17th place.

The hotly-contested CEV Moto3 class was an apparent showcase last weekend, with world-class lap times and vigorous battles throughout the field of 43 riders.

Gardner shot from fourth to second off the start, but was relegated to third by the end of the first lap. Championship leaders Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Navarro quickly broke away from a train of seven equally matched riders, with Remy battling between third and fifth place for the first seven laps.

“I was comfortable in the group and didn’t feel I had to push too hard to keep up the pace,” Gardner reflected. “I knew I had time but wanted to keep at the front. Unfortunately I made a mistake trying to pass Maria Herrera. I went into the corner way too hot and crashed.

“Luckily I was able to get the bike back on the track, but had to come back from around 30th position. There weren’t enough laps left in the race to get back to where I wanted to be, and I eventually ran out of time.

“I feel really bad for the team because we were all confident I could get a good result this weekend. I’ve let myself and my team down, but it just makes me more determined to fight for a podium at the next race at Montmelo in a few weeks.”

The race was won by Frenchman Quartararo from Navarro (Spain) in second and Hiroki Ono (Japan).