Nico Terol Clinches The Last Ever 125cc Title In Valencia
Rain was an inevitable part of the Valencia GP, with difficult conditions for the final 125cc race. A drying track and spots of rain made things tricky for the riders at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo. Webb led early on from pole position, but was caught by Faubel soon after. The key moment was a crash for Johan Zarco, securing the World Championship crown for Nico Terol.
Maverick Viñales took victory in the race, with the BANKIA Aspar duo of Terol and Faubel completing the podium with a rostrum double.
BANKIA Aspar’s Nico Terol finally became 125cc World Champion at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo, realising a lifelong dream. He did so with a second place that took him to the podium once more, despite his plan not to take any risks at the Valencia GP. The BANKIA Aspar team strategy involved Héctor Faubel breaking away and Nico keeping out of harm’s way, and this was the story of the opening laps. A crash for Johan Zarco meant that Terol could change his plans. He led for four laps before deciding to sit back and finish the race more cautiously, ending the GP in second place. 302 points, and a deserved title for Nico Terol.
Héctor Faubel played his part in the second BANKIA Aspar double of the season, and had a chance to win the race. He led eleven laps of his home GP, but faded as his tyres went off. Third place was nonetheless a positive end to the season for the Spaniard.
Adrián Martín was just metres away from finishing the race, but crashed out on the final corner of the last lap thanks to a mechanical problem.
2nd Nico Terol:
“I am the happiest man in the world right now. It’s hard to take in that we have finally won the title. I have had to work very hard for many years to make this dream reality, but I’m on cloud nine now that we have done it. This weekend was a tough one, because there was always the rain factor to take into account, but in the end everything went well in the race and it was relatively simple. As yesterday’s session was such a strange one, there were a lot of nervous riders at the head of the field for the start of the race. I thought that maybe a crash was on the cards at times, and I wasn’t sure whether to really push or not. When I saw that Zarco was out, I started to enjoy the race more. I had such positive thoughts going round in my head that I managed to distract myself. I wanted to win, but we were using the soft tyres and they were rather worn by the end. The title is finally ours and I believe that we deserve it more than anyone following some bad luck at races at Assen and Brno. It is a real honour to take the title at the track where I grew up as a rider, in front of the home fans. This has been the year in which I have slept the least in my life! It was hard for me to sleep last night and nerves have played a part in some of the previous races, but wins like those at Indianapolis, Misano and Aragón boosted my morale and reminded me that I could lead the way in this class. I dedicate this title to my family, my manager, the fans and of course the BANKIA Aspar team -especially to Jorge, for having given me the chance to ride for him.”
3rd Héctor Faubel:
“I fought hard to win the last race of the year, but it just wasn’t to be. I think that we made a mistake with our tyre choice, going for rubber that was too soft and led to sliding on the final laps. I still tried to take victory, because I wanted a home win at all costs. I am still happy with a podium here, and also with the fact that Nico has finally become World Champion. I never doubted that he could do it. The race was tough because of the slippery surface, but I tried to break away early on. Nico and Viñales caught up with me, but I didn’t want to show my hand right away so let them past. I went for it again with five laps to go, but on the final lap I almost crashed when trying to past Nico so settled for third. I finish the season happy.”
Adrián Martín (DNF):
“The race was a difficult one, because we had a little of everything. We didn’t know which tyres to use on the grid, because the track was almost dry but there was light rainfall. I found it difficult to feel confident, but focused on getting a good pace. I spent the entire race trying to catch Salom, who was just in front of me. When I finally caught up with him my bike had a problem on the final corner of the last lap. I lost the front, and I am disappointed that we didn’t get the result that we deserved. I am satisfied though, because we had a good race. Congratulations to Nico -he deserved the title more than anyone.”
Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’:
“Nico’s title is a dream come true for me. As someone from Valencia and owner of the BANKIA Aspar Team, I am tremendously happy for him. We had won titles with two Spanish riders before, and with a Hungarian, but still we hadn’t done it with a Valencian rider. This is another goal reached for us. The Circuito Ricardo Tormo was opened in 1999, and now a rider from the school here has become World Champion. This is a great sign for the future. I am happy for Nico, for his family and for everyone around him. This is a just reward for his consistency this year. I want to give great thanks to our sponsors -in particular the Generalitat Valenciana, BANKIA and MAPFRE, because they have been key to our success year after year.”
Source: Aspar Media
