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- With a victory and a third position, Ángel Piqueras widens his advantage at the head of the JuniorGP general standings, while his teammates had mixed luck in the two races.
- Brian Uriarte finished first and second in the two rounds of the European Talent Cup and gets to a point of the leader, in a great weekend for Salmela and bittersweet for Brinton and Danish.
- “We are very happy with the weekend. Ángel Piqueras and Brian Uriarte have shown that they are among the best on the grid and are firm candidates for the title. And the rest of the pilots have fought hard. We will continue to work to improve the hand of Estrella Galicia 0,0, Motul and the rest of the sponsors,” says Jaime Serrano, CEO of the team.
- With a victory and a third position, Ángel Piqueras widens his advantage at the head of the JuniorGP general standings, while his teammates had mixed luck in the two races.
Team Estrella Galicia 0.0 showed itself, once again, as one of the most solid and competitive teams on the FIM JuniorGP grid, after climbing to the four podiums to which it opted in the Jerez-Ángel Nieto Circuit. Ángel Piqueras reasserted his strong lead at the head of the JuniorGP category. Brian Uriarte cut the lead in the European Talent Cup to a point of difference.
The first JuniorGP race was marked by equality between the drivers in the front, to the point that in the absence of few laps to the end more than a dozen drivers left with options to finish on the podium. Entre ellos, un Ángel Piqueras que supo mantener la calma, apretar en el momento justo y adelantar a Álvaro Carpe en una de las últimas curvas para cruzar la bandera a cuadros como ganador. Por detrás, Elia Bartolini estuvo a gran nivel y terminó en la 8ª posición. Facundo Llambías, con algunos problemas, acabó 18º y Alex Gourdon, el 23º.
A couple of hours later, the riders again set foot on the hotter and slower Jerez asphalt for the day’s second round at JuniorGP. Again, a large group of pilots fought side by side, with Piqueras among them. This time, the Valencian rider seemed to have more difficult, with six rivals ahead on the last lap, but an internal overtaking genius allowed him to finish third. Bartolini did not find the good feelings of the first race and crossed the finish in 14th position, while Llambías overcame with pride a fall to be 24th. Alex Gourdon couldn’t finish the race.
With these results, Angel Piqueras is the clear leader of the championship with 111 points and expands by 46 his advantage with Jacob Roulstone (65 points). Bartolini is 12th with 27 and Llambías, 19th with 9.
The riders of the Europen Talent Cup also faced a double commitment in Jerez, and the riders of Team Estrella Galicia 0.0 lived opposing sensations throughout the morning. Brian Uriarte wanted to cut the lead and achieved it, thanks to a hard-working double podium. Four riders (Máximo Quiles, Brian Uriarte, Guido Pini and Dodó Boggio) managed to escape in the first race of the ETC and maintain a beautiful fight that was resolved in the last corners of the route, where Uriarte managed to defend and maintain the second position. Very close would arrive Rico Salmela in 5th position and Amanuel Brinton in 11th. Hakim Danish could not overcome several adversities, despite having recovered many positions.
The second ETC test again had a script very similar to the first, with Uriarte, Quiles, Pini and Boggio in the lead, although this time, Danish was also in the ointment. The exchange of positions was constant until the end and an overtaking by the outside of Uriarte in the last corner gave him the victory. The other side of the coin was starred by Danish, who on the last lap went to the ground. In another very regular performance, Salmela finished 7th, while also finishing on the ground Brinton with six laps to go.
After this double podium, Uriarte adds 123 points, one less than Máximo Quiles (124). Salmela continues 3rd with 75 points, Danish is 10th with 24 and Brinton is 17th with 12.
“We are very happy with the weekend in Jerez. Angel Piqueras and Brian Uriarte have shown that they are among the best on the grid and will be eligible for the title until the end. And the rest of the pilots have fought a lot, pity the falls and mechanical problems. The team has worked very well, and we will continue to improve the hand of Estrella Galicia 0.0, Motul and the rest of the sponsors”, explains Jaime Serrano, CEO of the team.
The balance of the weekend was more than positive in a circuit that was not especially favorable for Honda bikes, as Kev Coghlan, Team Manager, indicates: “We have managed to overcome this obstacle and Piqueras leaves Jerez being even more leader, with two fantastic races. Overall, both Bartolini and Llambías and Gourdon found themselves better in the first race, where it was less hot. In the ETC, Uriarte was very focused and we managed to cut distances with the leader. Salmela ran fast and just missed the finish, while Brinton and Danish did not have the luck of their side, although Danish made a second race great”.
The FIM JuniorGP is taking a short break and will return with more action on the weekend of July 1 and 2, at the Autódromo de Algarve (Portugal). The JuniorGP riders will again have two races ahead, one of the European Talent Cup.
