- The second-year students of Motorcycle Racing Mechanics at Monlau Motul Technical School concluded their academic career with a four-hour endurance race that put everything they’d learned during their training to the test.
- A total of 37 students, divided into seven teams, took their final exam at the Circuit de Calafat, where they competed on Honda CBR600RR F25s, which they had prepared themselves in the Barcelona school’s workshops and classrooms.
- “This race marks the end of a cycle for the students. It’s a time to apply everything they’ve learned in class. Seeing how all the teams evolve and how they face challenges like true professionals is what makes it a unique experience,” explains Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul Technical School.
Teamwork, strategy, and dedication: that was the seventh edition of the Monlau Motul Endurance Race. The Calafat Circuit was the stage for a unique, four-hour endurance race, with educational purposes, where the most important part took place off the asphalt. It was the final exam and the culmination of the studies of the second-year students of Motorcycle Racing Mechanics.
For months, the 37 students meticulously prepared for this event, from fine-tuning the Honda CBR600RR F25s in the workshop classrooms to designing the strategy, which included complicated logistics, refueling , setup , and technical direction. Each team was managed autonomously by the students themselves, who experienced firsthand what it means to be part of a professional motorcycling structure, a unique opportunity to demonstrate their academic and personal development.
The seventh edition of the Monlau Motul Endurance Race mobilized more than 150 people on June 11 and 12. As in previous years, it featured the participation of first-year mechanics students, who served as technical inspectors and marshals at safety posts, as well as students from the Master’s in Motorsport Engineering, who collaborated on data analysis and strategy definition.
With seven teams on track, strategy was once again key. The Tarragona track saw a very close race, with team number 1 (number 20), with Leonardo Giallini as Team Manager and David Fernando Castañeda and Josep Monge as drivers, taking the win after making fewer pit stops than the second-place team. They also made the fastest mandatory pit stop of the entire race, with a time of 3 minutes and 26 seconds. Team number 4 (number 8), led by Marc Cardona and with drivers Jacopo Cretaro and Daniel González, dominated much of the race and set the fastest lap of the day (1:28.778), but were unable to offset the strategic advantage of their rivals and had to settle for second place, just over eleven seconds behind, an extremely narrow margin for a four-hour race.
The podium was completed by team number 3 (number 85), with Marc Martínez as Team Manager and Álex Toledo and Marc López as riders. This team also received the Monlau Method award, which recognizes the work carried out before the race in aspects such as bike assembly, pit order, and discipline in project development.
Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul Technical School, praised the work carried out: “This race marks the end of a cycle for the students. It’s a time to apply everything they’ve learned in class. Seeing how all the teams evolve and how they face challenges like true professionals is what makes the Endurance Race a unique experience. They’ve worked with maximum commitment for months, and the results were evident both on the track and in the pits. It’s, without a doubt, a great opportunity to make the leap to professional motorcycling.”
Carlos López , director of studies at Monlau Motul Technical School, highlighted the competitiveness of the race: “It’s the perfect closing for the students. A real race, organized and experienced by them, which boosts their confidence. Each edition is more competitive and evenly matched, and that speaks to the level they’re reaching. In recent years, even victory has been decided by seconds, a very difficult feat in an endurance event. It’s, without a doubt, a benchmark internationally.”
Leonardo Giallini , a student who served as team manager for the winning team, highlighted the lessons learned during this final race: “The victory was the result of many months of collaborative work. From day one, everyone was fully involved, and we also had the support of the master’s students and first-year mechanics. Closing our time at Monlau Motul like this was very special. We weren’t the favorites, but we had the desire and the commitment. We learned a lot: from assembling the bike from scratch to configuring the electronics and data acquisition. The experience was a 10.”
Ultimately, the Monlau Motul Endurance Race once again demonstrated why it’s a unique educational event. A day where every detail was crucial, and where victory, once again, was decided in the pits.
