FIM 125cc GP World Championship Le Mans, France May 15 Race Results: 1. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (APRILIA), 24 laps, 42:00.505 2. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (APRILIA), -0.048 second 3. Efren VAZQUEZ, Spain (DERBI), -6.836 seconds 4. Hector FAUBEL, Spain (APRILIA), -8.298 5. Johann ZARCO, France (DERBI), -8.590 6. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (APRILIA), -10.236 7. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (APRILIA), -10.667 8. Sergio GADEA, Spain (APRILIA), -15.642 9. Miguel OLIVEIRA, Portugal (APRILIA), -22.838 10. Luis SALOM, Spain (APRILIA), -30.901 11. Alberto MONCAYO, Spain (APRILIA), -33.796 12. Simone GROTZKYJ, Italy (APRILIA), -34.413 13. Louis ROSSI, France (APRILIA), -34.696 14. Adrian MARTIN, Spain (APRILIA), -41.236 15. Alexis MASBOU, France (APRILIA), -56.943 World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 17 races): 1. Terol, 95 points 2. Cortese, 59 points 3. Zarco, 53 points 4. Folger, 52 points 5. Vazquez, 46 points 6. Vinales, 45 points 7. Gadea, 28 points 8. Faubel, 23 points 9. TIE, Oliveira/Salom, 22 points More, from a press release issued by Paris Hilton Racing Team: MAVERICK VIÑALES WINS GP OF FRANCE AND THIS FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY IN ONLY FOUR RACES MADE HIM THE YOUNGEST SPANISH RIDER EVER TO ACHIEVE IT Le Mans, 15th May 2011. Maverick Viñales made history today as he claimed his first World Championship victory at Le Mans at the age of 16 and 123 days hence becoming the youngest Spanish rider ever to achieve it by beating Jorge Lorenzo who had held the previous record since the GP of Brazil in 2003. Furthermore he is the third youngest rider ever to win a GP -behind Scott Redding (also bearing BQR colours at Donington Park in 2008) and Marco Melandri- and he made his world championship debut at the age of 16 years old whereas the others did so at the age of 15 as the regulation was amended a couple of years ago and set the minimum age to participate in the World Championship at 16. As if it was not enough he claimed his first victory in his fourth race by beating an undefeated rival. Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team rider made a tremendous start and managed to get in the wake of Nico Terol and escape from the leading group with him. Throughout the 24 laps of this fourth round of the world championship Maverick easily kept up with the pace imposed by the leader of the general ranking alternating the leadership with his rival on a couple of occasions and leading the race over five laps in a row during the second part of the race but when there were four laps to go Nico took over the lead. From then on Viñales -who scored the fastest lap on three occasions and had a much higher pace than during the tests- waited for the right moment to try to snatch the victory away from his rival and he did so by overtaking him from inside in the final bend and crossed the line with just a 48 thousandth difference. It is undoubtedly a brilliant and very important victory which has made him the genuine revelation in the 125cc World Championship. Maverick is now sixth in the general ranking with 45 points and has also taken the lead as the rookie of the year and is 23 points ahead of his closest rival Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira. Team-mate Sergio Gadea finished eighth after a good start enabling him to battle for the third position over the first few laps remaining in the fourth position but in the fourth lap he lost pace and dropped down to the tenth place. Throughout the second part of the race Sergio could maintain a steady pace of 1’44 scoring his fastest lap in the seventeenth lap. He managed to climb up to the eighth place and score eight points which enables him to rank seventh in the world championship with 28 points. Thanks to Mack’s victory and Sergio’s third place in Qatar Blusens by Paris Hilton now boasts two podiums in four races. RAÚL ROMERO (BQR’s OWNER): “I am very happy with this fantastic result -BQR team’s second victory at the world championship and the first one bearing the Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing colours. I would also like to thank everybody Maverick and I started this project with a few years ago. I am sure our sponsors will be quite happy too and this victory will encourage them to carry on supporting and helping us. After the setback we suffered on Tuesday -when the team hospitality burnt up on our way to Le Mans- this is sheer happiness for the whole team and this is what best could happen to us to face adversity. In 2008 we became the team with the youngest winner of a GP thanks to Scott Redding and today Mack became the youngest Spanish rider to do so. This proves that BQR bets on talented youths. Once again I’d like to thank everyone who has helped bring this project where it is at now and for their fantastic work.” RICARD JOVÉ (TEAM MANAGER BLUSENS by PARIS HILTON RACING TEAM): “The satisfaction I am feeling today is quite hard to express. I’d like to congratulate the whole team for this so important success and also to thank everybody who has helped Mack from the very beginning -I could tell many names but they know who they are. Especially Raúl Romero, Manel Bemat and myself who are his managers and we have been working with him for four years along a difficult road full of hurdles that has eventually brought us here. What this guy achieved today is not easy and even if he has a great bike and team he has got a great talent too. Today the proof has been given that betting on Mack four years ago was the right thing to do but we know when we come from and we will keep our feet on the ground. He has got a good temper and he is cold-blooded enough not to get swell-headed and he knows he has to carry on working hard and thinking of the objectives we set at the beginning of the season: learning, learning and learning more.” 25 MAVERICK VIÑALES (Winner. 42’00.505): “First of all I’d like to thank the team for their great job they have done since Friday to get the bike in perfect conditions for the race.I was smart enough to make the best out of the second part of the race and wait for the right moment to overtake Nico. I was sure I could overtake him in the final lap but I wanted to do so somewhere else even though I could not. This victory is really important for me and the team but we have to carry on focussing on the objectives we set at the beginning of the season which are battling for the title of rookie of the year and improving and learning race after race. I’d like to dedicate this victory to the team and to everyone who has helped me so far.” 33 SERGIO GADEA (8th. 42’16.147, +15.642): “I made a good start and throughout the first laps I thought I could be in the battle for the third place as I saw Mack and Nico escaping from the others but I realised straight away I was struggling to ride with so many rivals around. I was not feeling at ease with the hand-to-hand and I started to lose pace. I got overtaken by six or seven rivals and I dropped down to the tenth place. I tried to stay calm and regain my composure with my Aprilia. I managed to ride much faster as I was riding by myself -as fast as the riders who were battling for the third place- and ended up eighth. It is a bit disappointing but we should keep the faith and carry on working as this is the only way to achieve great results. I’d like to congratulate Mack for his race and victory which is undoubtedly great news for the whole team.” More, from a press release issued by Mahindra Racing: A FRENCH LESSON FOR MAHINDRA AT LE MANS Sunday May 14, 2011: Mahindra had a valuable but ultimately unrewarding weekend at the French GP. Danny Webb had been fighting hard in a points-scoring position before he retired from the race, while team-mate Marcel Schrötter was continuing his own progress at finding the right balance for his riding style on the new machine. The race came at the end of a difficult weekend for Webb (20, from England). A niggling electronic problem meant he was in and out of the pits throughout practice and qualifying. A herculean effort saw him qualify 20th, but he rapidly moved forward in the race, and was almost immediately in the top 15, at the head of a tight group disputing the points. Webb was able to hold his own and had his first points with Mahindra in his sights, until the engine lost power and he retired with seven of the 24 laps to go. Schrötter had problems from the start, dropping to last position on the first lap as he searched for lost power. Then he adjusted to the bike and had picked his way forward before the engine problems became terminal, and he retired after 17 laps. It was the first time in its first four races that the new Mahindra team, the only one that makes its own engine and chassis, did not have at least one finisher. The race was won by Spanish rider Maverick Vinales, his first victory. The next race is in three weeks, at the Catalunyan circuit outside Barcelona. DANNY WEBB dnf It’s not been a good weekend for results, but we made some steps. I got a good start and I was enjoying the race with a good group. My pace was a little slower, probably because I had so few practice laps, but I was able to fight with them anyway. Then about five laps before I retired my engine started losing power and I lost touch. I decided to carry on, but then it got worse and I had to stop. MARCEL SCHRÖTTER dnf The first part of my start was okay, then I felt immediately the engine was not running right. Usually it revs to 13,500 rpm, but when it got to 13,000 it lost power. I was absolutely last, but I found another way to ride. It was difficult to close the gap but I caught up and I passed four riders and could stay with the others. Unfortunately, the bike then stopped.