Title fights to be decided in final round of Spanish Championship at Jerez
The seventh and final round of the 2011 CEV Buckler takes place this weekend at the Jerez Circuit, with the 125GP, Moto2 and Stock Extreme titles all to be decided.
In 125GP/Moto3 Alex Rins and Alex Márquez are separated by 12 points, the former holding the advantage over the latter, as the pair look to put the seal on a season that has combined moments of brilliance in the shape of superb victories with the kind of errors that have at times compromised their title hopes. The pair are being heralded as two of the hottest prospects in Spanish motorcycling in recent years, and either of the two could easily succeed Maverick Viñales.
At Jerez the evolution of the Moto3 machines will also continue, following the exciting scenes witnessed at Valencia where Miguel Oliveira started from pole position, set the fastest lap in the race and took victory. There can be little doubt that the Portuguese, riding a Honda, will be challenging for the top positions at Jerez. Whatever the Moto3 bikes achieve this weekend will not get in the way of the title fight between Rins and Márquez however, as the four-stroke machines cannot score points in the race.
Carmelo Morales’ crash on the last lap of the Moto2 race at Valencia, which resulted in an eighth-placed finish in the previous round, saw the closeness between he and team-mate Jordi Torres in the standings become less so. The difference between the pair is now 13 points in favour of Torres, whose chances of taking the title are much more favourable. The Moto2 class will field 42 riders this weekend, young German Jonas Folger one of the ones to watch.
Enjoying the same points advantage as Torres is Iván Silva, who leads the Stock Extreme category going into the weekend. After enjoying three consecutive victories, Silva arrives at Jerez 13 points ahead of Santiago Barragán. The man chasing Silva in the standings was the winner of the race held at Jerez back in April, when Silva finished fourth; a repeat of that result would hand Silva the title by just a single point.
Source: CEV Buckler
