Albacete hosts intense fifth round of Spanish Championship
More than 13,000 people attended a hot and intense day of racing at the Circuito de Albacete for the fifth round of the CEV Buckler, with victories going to Francesco Bagnaia (125GP/Moto3), Jordi Torres (Moto2), Iván Silva (Stock Extreme) and Adrià Araujo (Kawasaki Ninja Cup).
The 125GP/Moto3 race had a surprising start when Alex Rins’ bike stopped on the grid, leaving him unable to make the start. The championship leader managed to join the race on lap five and set the fastest lap of the race trying to make up ground, but finished the race in 17th place. The situation handed Alex Márquez a definite advantage, but a bad start had him rushing on the opening lap and he crashed, losing the opportunity to snatch the championship lead from Rins. Following these incidents, the race was otherwise uneventful with domination of the race going to the young Italian Francesco Bagnaia, who lead from start to finish to score his first victory in the CEV Buckler. Just behind in second was Australian Jack Miller, though all attention was focused on the fight for third place between Jorge Navarro, Josep Rodríguez and Albert Arenas, with Navarro finally taking the third podium spot.
Jordi Torres prevailed in a race that ended two laps early because of multiple crashes and the appearance of the red flag. Carmelo Morales and Torres set the race pace after the start of the race, leading a large group that included Tizón, Ramos, Moreno and Koyama. The fifth lap saw Elena Rosell crash out just as Torres took charge and increased the pace, breaking from the group and taking teammate Morales along with him. In the chasing group, Adrián Bonastre set the fastest lap of the race on the tenth lap and finished in third place with his first podium of the year. Five laps from the end, Torres dropped Morales who slowed, losing a second a lap and settling for 20 points with a second position. The win by Torres broke the tie in the standings and he is now situated five points ahead of Morales.
Iván Silva repeated his victory in Albacete -he won in the previous visit in July- situating himself as the leader of the Stock Extreme class, four points ahead of Barragán. After the first few rounds saw the BMW\’s of Forés and Del Amor dominate the class, Silva took control of the race, stepping up to the lead on the second lap and holding it until the checkered flag. Behind him, Forés dropped off while Del Amor and Barragán engaged in a battle in which Barragán tried to minimize the effects of Silva\’s victory by taking second place, while Xavier Del Amor finished third.
The Kawasaki Ninja Cup class saw Adrià Araujo assert his experience to take his second win of the year. The race was lead by Cristian Vidal until the final two laps, but with Araujo and Alarte pressuring him from behind. Both overtook Vidal on the final lap with Araujo grabbing the victory that now ties him with Alarte in the standings, with the final outcome to be decided in Valencia. The victory in the Master30 class went to Miguel Ángel Morales.
The sixth and penultimate round of the CEV Buckler 2011 will be held on November 13 at the Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Source: CEV Buckler