FIM CEV Repsol, Barcelona round – Qualifying roundup
This weekend’s fourth round of the FIM CEV Repsol at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the prologue for the coming Grand Prix Monster Energy MotoGP™ de Catalunya which will be held next week on the same track. Manuel Pagliani (Leopard Junior) in Moto3™, Jesko Raffin (Swiss Innovative Investors Junior) in Moto2™ and Matteo Patacca (SIC 58 Squadra Corse) in the European Talent Cup will lead the grids of their respective categories, while Joan Sardanyons (Proelit) won the first race of the European Kawasaki Z Cup from pole position.
In Moto3™, Manuel Pagliani will start from the pole slot for the second time this season thanks to a time of 1:49.674 set in the morning session – in the afternoon there were few riders who improved their time. Alongside the Leopard Academy rider will be Sergio García (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0.0) and Aleix Viu (Marinelli Sniper Team). These three riders together with Jeremy Alcoba (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0.0) were the only ones to ride below 1:50 on a new and resurfaced track layout after the works undertaken this winter at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The current leader of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship Raúl Fernández (Angel Nieto Team) will start from the second row of the grid along with Jeremy Alcoba and Marc García (Max Racing Team).
Jesko Raffin showed his class as Moto2™ leader by achieving his second consecutive pole with total authority in a time of 1:45.051 on hard tyres, which he will use in the race, and not the theoretically faster softer compound. Edgar Pons (AGR Team) finished more than four tenths behind with Héctor Garzó (Team Wimu CNS) third. Augusto Fernández (Easyrace) was one of the few riders who improved his time in the second qualifying session and will lead the second row of the grid, alongside Lukas Tulovic (Team Wimu CNS) and Tommaso Marcon (Team Ciatti). Roman Fisher (Pinamoto RS) was the fastest in Superstock 600.
Matteo Patacca set the time to beat of 1:53.523 in the ETC in a qualifying session that was divided into two groups, as is usual this season thanks to the number of riders. The leader of the category heads the grid ahead of Xavier Artigas (Team Impala), who posted the best time of 1: 53.692 in Group B ahead of David Salvador (Cuna de Campeones), who starts third. These riders, along with José Antonio Rueda (Talent Team Estrella Galicia 0.0), were the only ones to lap below 1:54.
In the EKZC, leader Joan Sandanyons took advantage of pole position to win the first race of the two scheduled this weekend, accompanied by Gabriel Durán (Project Moto) and Javier Varela (Racing for Albacete) on the podium.
The fourth round of the FIM CEV Repsol at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will feature two races in both the Moto3™ and Moto2™ categories, and one each in the ETC and the EKZC.
Sunday’s race schedule is as follows:
Moto3™ Race 1 (16 laps): 11.00
Moto2™ Race 1 (17 laps): 12.00
ETC (15 laps): 13.00
Moto3™ Race 2 (16 laps): 14.00
Moto2™ Race 2 (17 laps): 15.00
European Kawasaki Z Cup™ (16 laps): 16.00