Month: November 2024

A Wednesday to remember in JuniorGP™ as major drama made for some of the most remarkable stand-offs of the season

 

News & Photo credits: JuniorGP™

The 2024 FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship has come to an end with new race winners and Champions all in the same day. In the JuniorGP™ class itself, Guido Pini (Seventy Two ARTBOX Racing Team) and Maximo Quiles (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) won races but it was Alvaro Carpe (STV Laglisse Racing) who took the crown. In the Moto2™ European Championship, victory was all for Unai Orradre (STV Laglisse Racing) who was victorios but Roberto Garcia (Fantic Cardoso Racing) lifted the title trophy with fifth. The European Talent Cup was its usual unpredictable self but a first win went to Argentinean Valentin Perrone (Frando Racing VHC Team) whilst in the Stock™ European Championship, Dino Iozzo (IUM Motorsports) won his first race of his career but the title, after a hard-fought battle, was won by Mario Mayor (GV Tamoil Racing).

A thrilling Race 1 erupted into life in true JuniorGP™ fashion as Carpe went for gold from the start. He was soon enraged in a battle with the likes of Adrian Cruces (Finetwork Team) and Guido Pini, his teammate Brian Uriarte and Cormac Buchanan (AGR Team). Maximo Quiles’ quest for a first race win in the class was halted early on as he fell at Turn 4 after contact with hard-charging Jesus Rios (MRE Talent), originally set to start from P7 but in the end, had to start from the back of the grid due to slow riding in qualifying. Rios was in the top five when disaster struck title favourite Carpe, who crashed with Casey O’Gorman (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) at Turn 12 with just six laps to go; the Championship now not in his hands. Rios was a race leader two laps later but peaked too soon as Pini came back through. On the last lap and at the last corner, Rios – placed second – tried to ride round Pini but the Italian held firm and a tiny bit of contact disrupted Rios’ run, shuffling the Spaniard back down the field in seventh. Pini won his third race of the year ahead of Buchanan and Marcos Uriarte (CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team) but Carpe, despite not crossing the line and crashing out, was crowned Champion with joyous scenes in the box.

Race 2 was a slightly calmer affair to begin with, as everything now hinged on who was going to take P2 overall in the standings. The usual suspects were at the front with added spice from Uruguayan star Facundo Llambias, who was a race leader in the closing stages. Going to on the final lap and Quiles had battled his way to the front, with Cruces right there, Pini having his say and 18-year-old Austrian Jakob Rosenthaler (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team) looking for a first podium in over a year and a half. On the run to the line, Quiles grabbed victory – his first in the class – with Pini taking P2 and Rosenthaler third. Newly-crowned Champion Carpe strutted home in sixth with a special gold livery to round out a special season of racing.

In the Moto2™ ECh, it was also the Championship-crowning day as Roberto Garcia (Fantic Cardoso Racing) needed just a top ten to secure the title. Going from fifth, he made a good launch but was soon pegged back and returned to his original starting position. Up front and a big battle was brewing between long-time race leader Alberto Surra (Team Ciatti-Boscoscuro) and Unai Orradre (STV Laglisse Racing). Orradre, chasing a first win of the season, pounced in the second half of the race and Surra didn’t have an answer despite a late error from the race-leading #10. Mattia Casadei (Team Ciatti-Boscoscuro) was Garcia’s main title rival but unable to get on terms with the race leaders. With the podium set in that order at the chequered flag, the title was agiven for Roberto Garcia, who rode a calm and solid race to take a first Championship crown. With four wins to his name and a total of six podiums, he’s a worthy title winner.

Moving onto the already-decided European Talent Cup title fight, Carlos Cano (Seventy Two ARTBOX Racing Team) was looking at becoming the first-ever ETC rider to secure seven wins in a season but he’d have to fight hard. In the early stages, the race was dominated by Giulio Pugliese (CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team) and Mallorcan star Fernando Bujosa (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) but he’d soon drop down field with a mechanical issue. At the pointy end of the race though, things heated up in the closing stages as Valentin Perrone, Pugliese, pole-sitter David Gonzalez (AC Racing Team), Beñat Fernandez (Frando Racing VHC Team) and Marco Morelli (MLav Racing) battled hard. On the run to the line, Perrone held on to become the fourth different winner of the season, whilst Pugliese secured third in the title race with P2 and Gonzalez salvaged third. Cano, already Champion, took P6 in the race whilst Morelli’s P5 was enough for second in the standings.

A belting Stock™ ECh race got underway with a second pole of the season being converted into a holeshot for Dino Iozzo before a red flag came out for an incident involving Rodrigo Valente (PS Racing), Eric Molina (Fifty Motorsport) and Cristian D’Arliano (Pinamoto RS). The medical team were on-site immediately and all riders reported to be conscious before being transported away. On the restart, Iozzo once again got a bright start but fellow front row starter Archie McDonald (MRE Talent) briefly led before the two swapped back by the end of the opening lap. A huge battle for the title was shaping up though as Mario Mayor (GV Tamoil Racing) and teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta scrapped relentlessly for P3. In what was one of the best battles of the racing year, they both swapped places more than ten times and even rubbed wheels into Turn 6.

In the end, Dalla Porta won the battle for P3 but it wasn’t enough to take the title from teammate and good friend Mayor. Iozzo won his last race in the class with a fairytale farewell, whilst McDonald came home P2. The #48 of Dalla Porta was on the rostrum but the big celebrations were for his Championship-winning teammate Mayor. Demis Mihaila (MDR Competicion) was in contention on-track until a mechanical at Turn 12 ruled him out. Six different winners in the Stock™ European Championship’s second year, a fine way to conclude the 2024 FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship season.

Circuito Estoril

The Estoril Circuit was today the stage for the start of the last round of 2024 of the FIM JuniorGP™. The race was scheduled for Valencia, before the devastating floods that affected the region forced the promoter to head to Portugal for the third time in 2024 to conclude the season.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 27th, the various races of the 4 classes present in Estoril will be held. The JuniorGP™ class will have two races, and the Moto2™ European Championship, European Talent Cup and Stock European Championship will have one final race of the season. It will be an intense day in which the 2024 champions will be defined with the Estoril Circuit serving as the stage for the final party.

JuniorGP™ Qualification

Upon arrival in Estoril and with two JuniorGP™ class races still to be contested, it is the Spaniard Álvaro Carpe from STV Laglisse Racing who leads the leaderboard with 147 points, 43 points more overall than his compatriots Jesús Rios (MRE Talent) and Máximo Quiles (team Estrella Galicia 0.0), both with 104.

With both Qualifying rounds completed, it was just 0.013s that gave championship leader, Álvaro Carpe, Pole for the first of Sunday’s two races. The STV Laglisse Racing driver clocked 1:42.960s, making his intentions in the face of the competition very clear, despite being “sweaty”. Alongside Carpe, on the front row are the current 10th overall in the championship, Brian Uriarte from Seventytwo Artbox Racing Team and Máximo Aquiles (3rd overall in the championship), with 0.124s more than Álvaro Carpe. For his part, Jesús Rios will start from 32nd and last position. The arguments are launched for a Wednesday of all decisions in Estoril.

Qualification European Moto2™ Championship

Roberto Garcia, Spanish rider for Fantic Cardoso Racing, holds the lead in the Moto2™ European Championship with 159 points and is hot on his heels with the two Italian riders Team Ciatti Boscoscuro, Mattia Casadei with 140 points and Alberto Surra with 134 points. With just one race at stake to close the season, the fight is expected to be very close.

The surprise among the brave Moto2™ riders would come from the 4th overall finisher in the Championship, the Finetwork Team rider, Alberto Ferrandéz, setting the best time on the time sheet and taking pole position for the final race of the year. At his side Unai Orradre, 10th overall in the championship who demonstrated a very consistent pace at Estoril. Closing the front row of the grid, the current 3rd overall and still in contention for the 2024 title, Alberto Surra from Team Ciatti Boscoscuro.

Roberto Garcia and Mattia Casadei, respectively 1st and 2nd in the Championship, would not go beyond 5th and 4th positions on the grid. Everything is absolutely open for the final battle that will be the last 17 laps of the season at Estoril.

European Talent Cup Qualification

In the European Talent Cup squad is also Spanish Carlos Cano from Seventytwo Artbox Racing Team, who with his 186 points remains at the top of the Cup in this last visit of 2024 to Estoril. With 156 points, Argentine Marco Morelli from Mlav Racing is his main opponent, not forgetting the 3rd position overall held by Italian Giulio Pugliese with 138 points.

With the results of the qualifications in the European Talent Cup consolidated, the ETC Last Chance grid, a 7-lap pre-qualification race for the final race, the first row of the grid was in the hands of Alex Longarela (IGAXTEAM), Afonso Almeida (Portuguese AGR driver Team) and Ryan Frost (MLAV Racing).

Stock European Championship Qualification

Two drivers from GV Tamoil Racing are ahead of the Stock European Championship, and also with just one more race to compete, Spaniard Mario Mayor has 96 points and leads his teammate, Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta (86 points). Demis Mihaila from MDR Competición, has 80 points and comes to Estoril with the expectation of turning around this top 3. Dino Iozzo, IUM Motorsports driver, was the fastest among the men in the Stock European Championship, and will have alongside him on the front row of the grid of the last STK race of 2024, Archie Bob McDonald (MRE Talent) and Mario Mayor, leader of the championship. For their part, and with regard to the TOP3 of the championship, Dalla Porta and Mihaila did not go beyond the 4th and 6th best times.

Circuito Estoril