Maverick Viñales & Luis Salom 5th and 6th in Jerez, Edgar Pons enjoys battle to 25th

The high temperatures which reigned all weekend made the race at the circuit of Jerez the toughest one yet this season.

Luis Salom, who went into the race from the front row of the starting grid after posting the third fastest time in qualifying yesterday, had his mind set on fighting for a podium finish. He had a good start and lost only one position on the first lap of the twenty-six-lap race.

His teammate Maverick Viñales had more problems at the start of the race. While he made a good start, he suffered a couple of touches with other riders during the first lap which made him drop two positions and he lost touch with the leading riders.

While Maverick tried to fight his way back, Luis positioned himself in fourth position with the third-placed in sight. With three laps to go, Viñales had caught up with Salom and overtook him after a beautiful duel between the two Pons HP 40 riders. They finished the race with Maverick in fifth in front of Luis in sixth position.

Edgar Pons, who made his debut in the World Championship this weekend at the age of eighteen, had a great race, battling with riders with much more experience, and achieved a very respectable twenty-fifth place.

Maverick Viñales – 5th place
“I got of to a good start but had a couple of touches with other riders which cost me a lot of time. I’m content because my confidence returned after the crash in Argentina and the one I suffered here on Friday. We did some great work this weekend and I’m already thinking about the race in Le Mans where I hope I can also do well.”

Luis Salom – 6th place
“My starting position today was good. The times I did during the races weren’t bad. But I certainly didn’t feel comfortable with the bike for the whole race. I suffered a lot because I had no grip in the rear tyre. But even though the feeling with the bike wasn’t great, I’m happy with today’s result.”

Edgar Pons – 25th place
“It’s been a very intense weekend. We had a lot of work to get the setup right. This morning during warm-up we found something that worked much better for me and I started the race very confidently. I enjoyed the battle with the other riders a lot. I’d like to thank the team for their hard work and for giving me this opportunity. I believe this experience will help us a lot to continue growing.”

Source: Pons Racing