Team ENEOS Finishes Top 20 at 2024 Austrian GP

Team ENEOS riders Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo had a tough campaign at the 2024 Motorrad Grand Prix Von Österreich, held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.

Starting from P23, Rins negotiated a string of chaotic first corners to emerge P19, which he held over the first six laps. He lost a position to Takaaki Nakagami, and eventually both riders passed Joan Mir on lap 14. After teammate Quartararo received a long-lap penalty, Rins moved up to 17th on lap 15, gradually closing the gap to Nakagami in the final third of the race. He launched an attack during the final three laps to overtake Raul Fernandez for P16, holding it to the checkered flag, finishing the race 37.571sec from the winner.

“This was a really tough race, one that was hard to finish because it was so warm and two because I struggled with the bike,” said Rins. “We made small improvements to the setup but it was hard to keep the rear tire on the tarmac. However, I’m proud to have overcome difficulties by remaining consistent.”

Quartararo had a solid start from P15 and reached P11, albeit briefly. He dipped down to P15 by the end of lap 3, stuck in a busy mid-pack, unable to stick with the riders ahead. Miguel Oliveira passed him a few laps later, then Augusto Fernandez overtook him, and El Diablo received a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits. The penalty dropped Quartararo down to P19, and he was unable to make up ground aside from overtaking Fernandez to finish P18, 43.788sec from first.

“We expected more from this Race,” said Quartararo. “We finished too far from the top guys, which is something we need to work harder on.”

Following the Spielberg race, Quartararao remains 14th in the overall standings with 49 points, while Rins holds 21st with 8 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP remains ninth in the team championship with 57 points, and Yamaha is still fourth place in the manufacturer championship with 53 points.