Ruiz takes excellent top 20 finish with wildcard ride at Valencia
The expectations of wildcard rider Dani Ruiz and team Larresport Honda for this Grand Prix, the last of the 125cc category in history, were to improve on his 21st place he took at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. And not only has he done that with 19th position at Cheste, but he has also shown laptimes and a race pace which would have allowed him to fight for points if not for the bad grid position.
Dani rode good laptimes on a fully wet track, with the added difficulty of being quite sore from a heavy crash at the beginning of the warmup this morning, caused by the poor state of the track due to the rain of last night. The rider from Navarro had go to the circuit clinic for a checkup, but fortunately he had escaped serious injury and was only left with bruises and a very sore body.
Many regular championship riders finished behind Dani in the race and he was the first Honda rider over the line, showing once again that with a sponsor giving him the chance to compete in the World Championship and a few options he can become the first rider to represent Navarro on the world stage.
Dani Ruiz: “I’m very happy with the result, I was a little worried, because I had a very bruised back after the crash in the morning, and above all about the circuit conditions due to the rain. Perhaps if I had been more aggressive in the early stages I could have improved the result, but on the other hand I saw many riders on the ground after taking unnecessary risks. I once again thank my sponsors for allowing me to participate in the final race in history of the 125cc class. I hope this result helps that more people support us and we can compete in the World Championship.”
Source: Prensa Dani Ruiz