American Kensei Matsudaira with Another Top 10 Finish in ESBK Moto4 Race at Jerez
After two consecutive rounds at circuits where American Kensei Matsudaira, age 12, rode for the first time during the race weekend, it was back to familiar territory for the penultimate round of the RFME ESBK Moto4 championship at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Andalusia, Spain.
Being the second round at the venue this season, all the riders were up to pace quickly and the competition was fierce. Kensei endured the worst qualifying result of the season in 20th after a difficult session in wet but drying conditions.
In Saturday’s Race One, Kensei’s bike stalled at the start but Kensei was able to bump start the engine and continue the race, albeit several seconds behind the entire grid. He was able to quickly catch the pack and by the fifth lap, had worked his way to the leaders and was fighting for the lead in second position. There were many positions gained and lost throughout the race and Kensei entered the final lap in P2, but lost several positions in the back straight and unfortunately crossed the finish line in ninth, just 0.8 seconds behind the winner. With a sanction to one of the riders ahead, his final classification was eighth.
In Race Two on Sunday, Kensei started in eighth and was a firm contender in the top five positions throughout the race, taking the lead several times. He had strategized to get to the lead on the final lap, but midway in the final lap in Turn Six, Kensei was hit by another rider due to contact and a crash from behind and pushed wide, falling to 20th position. Coming back immediately, Kensei made several passes in the remaining corners and took the checkered flag in 16th position, 2.1 seconds behind the winner.
“Race One, I started with my worst qualifying in P20. I knew I had to get a good start, but I ended up making the worst start with stalling my bike. Luckily, I was able to restart it quickly and get going, but I was basically dead last at this point. I just put my head down and worked through the field and reached the top three by the fifth lap and was fighting to win. Going into the final lap I was a solid P2 but just got destroyed on the back straight with the draft and lost eight positions. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed with the result because I was right there for at least a podium, but I’m really happy I was able to pull it together in the race to come from the very back and be fighting for the win,” Kensei shared after the races.
“Sunday was one of the days where the result doesn’t tell the story. I started P8 and had a good start, and I worked my way up into the lead by lap five. I felt strong. I knew I could podium and had a good shot to win. To do that I managed my position to always be at the front in the top 5 and planned an attack for the last lap. On the final lap as I was about to make my outside pass in Turn Six, a rider came up the inside of another rider right next to me and hit them. They pinballed into me and got tangled in my brake lever guard. The guard broke off and something hit my brake lever and I almost crashed. Just as I had saved that situation, the rider that came up the inside crashed and slid into my rear, completely pushing me off. I’m really bummed about the incident obviously, but that’s racing. I’m happy to be back fighting at the very front again though and even though the results were my worst of the season, I think both races this weekend were some of my strongest of the year. I’m looking forward to the final round in Barcelona in a few weeks, and I can hopefully convert everything into some good results to finish off the year.”
Round 7, the final round of the RFME ESBK championship will be held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain on November 18-19, 2023.
Kensei and his family would like to thank all of their sponsors for their support this year:
Evike.com, Nox#27 Racing Team, Evike Europe, HJC Helmets, Dave Designs, Almassera El Teular, OrangeCat Racing, Iconic Motorbikes, Bison Track, Moto Tecnica, Alpinestars, Karen E. Ott Photography, TJ Corse, BSP Racing, American Racing Team & Academy, The Starting Grid, VNM Sport, NLAB Studio, California Superbike School, MadLabs Minimoto, Hans King, 73 Moto Parts, D.I.D Chain, Galfer USA, Bickle Racing, Yoshimura R&D, Vortex Racing, Suspension Matters, Moto Survival School, Live 100 Moto, TechSpec, Landers Racing, Boyko Racing, Mini Moto Alliance.
