CEV Repsol, Jerez: Race day round-up – Moto3, Moto2, Superbike
Four long months have passed since the last race of the FIM CEV Repsol, but the wait has certainly been worthwhile. In the first event of the season of the FIM CEV Repsol in Jerez the winners – Quartararo and Herrera in Moto3™, Pons in Moto2™, Morales in Superbike and Valera in the Kawasaki Z Cup – have been the stars of the day. In fantastic sunny weather, 14,000 fans have relished an exciting day’s racing.
The first round of Moto3 seemed like two races: up to six seconds ahead of their closest rivals, Fabio Quartararo (FRA-Honda) and María Herrera (SPA-Honda) fought it out alone for the lead. Well behind, a group of riders comprising Gabriel Rodrigo (SPA-KTM), Jorge Navarro (SPA-Ioda), Marcos Ramírez (SPA-KTM) and Andrea Migno (ITA-Kalex) tussled for the advantage. In the end, the chequered flag went to the Frenchman followed by Herrera and Rodrigo.
The second Moto3 race started out just like the first: teammates Quartararo (FRA-Honda) and Herrera (SPA-Honda), again rode confidently to put space between them and the following riders. Barely a few meters from the line, Herrera slipped past Quartararo to snatch victory by just 0.011 of a second. Behind them and fighting for third position came a pair of riders from the Aspar-VR46 Team: Andrea Migno (ITA-Kalex) and Luca Marini (ITA-Kalex). An excellent performance was put in by Hiroki Ono (JAP-TSR) who at times made things difficult for Migno, who eventually claimed third place. Both Quartararo and Herrera, as winners, received the “One year’s free Repsol fuel” prize.
In Moto2 there was a real scrap between Jesko Raffin (SWI-Kalex) and Sebastian Porto (ARG-Kalex). The Argentine rode a carefully calculated race to gradually close up on the Swiss rider, positioning himself ready to attack with seven laps remaining. Raffin had led superbly for two-thirds of the race but just when he seemed to finally have victory in his grasp, both riders crashed out together a few corners from the end, leaving Edgar Pons (SPA-Kalex) to take the honours. The Pons Racing rider was accompanied on the podium by Florian Alt (GER-Kalex) and Alan Techer (FRA-Mistral 610). Jorge Arroyo (SPA-Yamaha) took the first Superstock 600 podium. Behind him, Thibaut Gourin (FRA-Yamaha) and Julio Palao (SPA-Kawasaki) were the 2nd and 3rd fastest in the category.
In the first moments of the Superbike race, Dani Rivas (SPA-BMW) clashed with pole position rider Kenny Noyes (USA-Kawasaki), leaving him out of the fight for the leadership. Just two laps later, on the same corner, Rivas himself went down. With the two favourites out of the running, Carmelo Morales (SPA-Michelin) took the initiative, followed by Iván Silva (SPA-BMW) and Santi Barragán (SPA-Kawasaki), who led the second half of the race convincingly. With four laps to go, Morales took over first place and held it to the flag. Second and third place went to Barragán and Silva, who finished more than nine seconds behind the winner. The outstanding Superbike privateer was Eeki Kuparinen (FIN-BMW), followed by Raúl García (SPA-BMW) and Alexander Mateos (SPA-Suzuki).
The Kawasaki Z Cup closed a marvellous day’s racing. In sweltering heat, rookies Sardanyons and Jiménez put pressure on Valera, leader in the general rankings after yesterday’s race. Finally, the race concluded with a ceremony identical to that of the previous day’s podium: Valera, Sardanyons and Jiménez in first, second and third place.
The next round of the FIM CEV Repsol will take place at Le Mans on May 17 and 18, where the second event of the season for Moto3 riders only will be run.
Source: CEV Repsol
