Red Bull Rookies, Brno Race 2: Techer wins as Sissis crashes
Yet another incredibly dramatic Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race, this time won by French 16 year old Alan Techer. Winning the Czech GP round at Brno he was chased across the line by 18 year old Czech Tomas Vavrous and 15 year old Dutchman Scott Deroue. Cup points leader Arthur Sissis was headed for victory but crashed 3 corners from the finish gifting a 6 points Cup advantage to Lorenzo Baldassarri who finished 6th.
With the timing monitor showing 19 riders vying for the lead it was as intense as physically possible. Too intense at times with riders and machines touching as they battled for position. Spanish 15 year old Xavi Pinsach crashed spectacularly out of the lead group when another rider inadvertently nudged his brake leaver, he was not seriously hurt.
“It was the most incredible race,” said Techer. “So close, we were touching at almost every corner. I didn’t get a good start and I just had to fight my way through. Then in the last three laps it was a battle between myself, Tomas, Scott and Arthur. We thought he had got away on the last lap but he crashed and it was between the three of us at the last corner. I opened the gas as early as I could through the last corner, I had a bit of a slide but I hung on and won.”
“An incredible weekend,” he added. “I was so upset yesterday after Lukas (Trautmann) and I collided and I crashed that I was determined to do something good today. It was such a tough race, hot and hard, so great to win.”
It was the last corner battle on the penultimate lap that set up victory for Sissis following an incredible 13 laps where no one had any kind of an advantage. As Deroue and the others got a little tangled Sissis was gifted a half second lead and the momentum going onto the 14th and final lap.
Sissis put his head down and never looked back, normally the perfect thing to do. This time a glance over his shoulder with half a lap to go would have revealed that he had opened that advantage to almost a second as the others fought over every section of tarmac. Changing direction for the final time to get the drive up the hill to the finish he was too hard on the throttle, the rear came round and he was off.
Deroue had done most of the leading in the closing stages but a couple of mistakes on the last lap cost him. “The first mistake was that at the first corner on the last lap I changed up 2 gears and the engine bogged, I was furious with myself and had to fight back to the front. I got back into the lead up the hill into the last corner battling with Alan and Tomas but went through the last corner in 3rd instead of 2nd and again the engine struggled so I lost the win and got 3rd.”
It was Vavrous who grabbed more points from the weekend than anyone else with a 3rd and a 2nd. “I thought yesterday was my toughest ever Rookies race but this was even tougher. There was no planning, no tactics, it was just race as hard as you can at every corner, we were touching everywhere. On the last lap I was determined not to crash but I was also determined to get on the podium.
James Flitcroft, the 15 year old Briton and 15 year old Italian Stefano Valtulini both had great rides to finish 4th and 5th ahead of Cup leader Baldassarri who gained so much from the Sissis crash. “I didn’t look back,” said Sissis. “Everyone tells me off if I do. I didn’t know I was way in front like that, I so wanted to win the race, I tried,” he concluded with a shrug. “Now my dad is going to say that I’ve given that KTM bike away,” laughed the Australian referring to the winner’s spoils at the end of the season. The final race of the year is at Misano on September 3rd.
Race 2 Classification
1. Alan Techer (FRA) 31 minutes 25.716 seconds
2. Tomas Vavrous (CZE) +0.034
3. Scott Deroue (NED) +0.203
4. James Flitcroft (GBR) +0.520
5. Stefano Valtulini (ITA) +0.603
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) +0.638
7. Ivo Lopes (POR) +0.802
8. Florian Alt (GER) +0.849
9. Philipp Oettl (GER) +0.963
10. Brad Binder (RSA) +1.023
