Editorial Note: The FIM/CEV series runs the Moto2 and Superstock 600 classes at the same time.
Repsol FIM/CEV Moto2 European Championship
Circuito de Albacete, Spain
October 14, 2018
Overall Race One Results (wet conditions):
1. Hector Garza, Spain (Tech3), 13 laps, Total Race Time 23:25.354
2. Xavier Cardelus, Andorra (Kalex), -0.640 second
3. Dimas Ekky, Indonesia, (Kalex), -1.021 seconds
4. Lukas Tulovic, Germany (Tech3), -15.250
5. Jesko Raffin, Switzerland (Kalex), -58.587
6. Edgar Pons, Spain (Kalex), -65.051
7. Daniel Valle, Spain (Yamaha), Superstock 600, -84.816
8. Miguel Pons, Spain (Kalex), -88.986
9. Marc Alcoba, Spain (Kalex), -90.996
10. Alessandro Zaccone, Italy (Kalex), -93.728
16. Benny Solis, Jr., USA (Kalex), -1 lap
Overall Race Two Results (wet conditions):
1. Luis Pomares, Spain (Kawasaki), 9 laps, Total Race Time 17:47.611, Superstock 600
2. Xavier Cardelus, Andorra (Kalex), -17.642 seconds
3. Tommaso Marcon, Italy (Speed Up), -23.494
4. Edgar Pons, Spain (Kalex), -26.313
5. Dimas Ekky, Indonesia, (Kalex), -37.403
6. Jesko Raffin, Switzerland (Kalex), -54.263
7. Marc Alcoba, Spain (Kalex), -54.352
8. Hector Garzo, Spain (Tech 3), -71.902
9. Benny Solis, Jr., USA (Kalex), -78.588
10. Daniel Valle, Spain (Yamaha), Superstock, -83.417
More, from a press release issued by Repsol FIM/CEV Press Office:
Raffin takes title in Albacete
Jesko Raffin (Swiss Innovative Investors Junior) was proclaimed champion of the Moto2™ European Championship in the penultimate round of the FIM CEV Repsol this Sunday at the Circuit de Albacete. On a day marked by heavy rain, Raúl Fernández (Angel Nieto Team) strengthened his leadership of Moto3™ with a new victory, while Alex Millán (Aro Racing) won from pole position in the European Talent Cup. Héctor Garzó (Team Wimu CNS) won the first Moto2™ race; the second race was stopped on the tenth lap due to weather conditions and Luis Pomares (Pinamoto RS) adjudged the winner.
In Moto3™, category leader Raúl Fernández dominated from the start to take the victory. The Angel Nieto Team rider pulled out all the stops on the first lap to establish a clear lead. Behind, Jeremy Alcoba (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0), Yuki Kunii (Asia Talent Team) and Apiwath Wongthananon (VR46 MasterCamp Team) settled down to fight for the other podium positions. However, with Jeremy Alcoba fading, Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) came from behind to take second position, though well adrift of the Moto3™ leader.
In the end Raúl Fernández won the race, declared wet, followed by Can Öncü and Yuki Kunii, earning his second podium of the season. Manuel Pagliani (Leopard Junior), second in the championship classification, finished eighth, closing a rather disappointing weekend in Albacete. Raúl Fernández received the Repsol free fuel cheque as race winner.
Héctor Garzó won the first Moto2™ event, a race marked by the rain that began to fall just before the start; the race was declared wet and the bikes had to be prepared for the rain on the grid. With 13 laps to race, Jesko Raffin took off like a shot, but by the end of the first lap Héctor Garzó had moved into the lead. Following him were Xavier Cardelús (Team Stylobike), Lukas Tulovic (Team Wimu CNS) and Dimas Ekky (Astra Honda Racing Team). Jesko Raffin and Edgar Pons (AGR Team), immersed in the fight for the title, ran their own race away from the podium positions. Finally Héctor Garzó took his first victory of the season accompanied on the podium by Xavier Cardelús, who at one point led the race, and Dimas Ekky, who also achieved his first podium of the season. Dani Valle (Yamaha Laglisse) was the best in Superstock 600 and Héctor Garzó received the Repsol free fuel cheque as winner of the race.
The heavy rain which began to fall once the second Moto2™ race had started brought chaos. Héctor Garzó and Lukas Tulovic had pulled clear at the beginning of the race while Xavier Cardelús once again was making a great comeback. However, after just four laps the rain forced the riders to enter the pits to change tyres. Luis Pomares, Superstock 600 rider and eventual winner of this second race, chose not to change his tyres and remained on track. On lap 11 the intense rain caused the red flag to be brought out as Race Direction opted to abandon the race. Second and third place went to Xavi Cardelús and Tommaso Marcon (Team Ciatti). According to the regulations, half of the points were distributed following the classification of the last full lap, the ninth, before the red flag. As a result, Jesko Raffin, in sixth place, earned enough points to take the Moto2™ European Championship title.
In the ETC, Alex Millán had a perfect weekend, starting from pole to achieve his first victory of the year in a race marked by the track conditions. As soon as the lights went out, David Muñoz (Jerez Andalucía Motor Talent), Marcos Uriarte (MRE Talent) and José Antonio Rueda (Talent Team Estrella Galicia 0.0) pulled away from the rest, chased by Matteo Bertelle (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who eventually took the lead after a spectacular comeback. The poor state of the track caused David Muñoz and Marcos Uriarte to fall, while Matteo Bertelle and José Antonio Rueda were forced out of the race with mechanical problems. Alex Millán obtained the reward for his efforts as he took the chequered flag followed by David Salvador (Cuna de Campeones) and Fermín Aldeguer (Bester Capital Dubai). Fourth and fifth respectively went to Víctor Rodríguez (Ikono Motorbike Laglisse) and Xavier Artigas (Honda Impala). Alex Millán received the Repsol free fuel cheque as the winner of the race. Regarding the fight for the title in the ETC, Xavier Artigas will arrive in Valencia – the last race of the season – with 19 points advantage over closest rival Víctor Rodríguez.
The next round of the FIM CEV Repsol will be the last of the season, and will take place in Valencia on November 25.
All the results and information about the Championship are on the official website: www.fimcevrepsol.com
More, from a press release issued by AGR Team:
HURRICANE LESLIE MADE MISCHIEF IN ALBACETE
Edgar Pons gathered some valuable points but could not get on the podium; good races by Benny Solís and Íñigo Iglesias
The Sunday of the remains of Hurricane Leslie, or not so much; this is how we might remember today’s round of the FIM CEV Repsol in Albacete. The rain arrived before it was forecasted, as it already affected the first Moto2 race, and the second had to be stopped after 10 laps due to the heavy rain… waiting for it to pass in order to do 5 more, although the organizers were forced to cancel it definitively. The pit lane and garages were flooded with several centimetres of rain, the power went out in the facilities and even the TV signal went out.
The rider of the Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team, Edgar Pons, leaves Albacete with no podiums. The first race was delayed because it started raining hard and the teams had to react to change the setup on the grid. Edgar went out with no reference and paid for it with the sixth place while Benny Solís, who still has problems with his back, suffered a lot as he was forced to change his riding style, leaving the bike more vertical and himself hanging more from the Kalex. Nevertheless, he was able to compete in the second race.
A second race that the American rider was able to lead for a while, because he was holding not to enter the boxes and change the tyres. But when it started to rain harder he was forced to stop, and finished ninth, his best result up to now! Meanwhile, Edgar was fighting in the leading group. The team did an splendid job changing the tyres in the rain and he went back to the track with chances to win. When the red flag appeared, the Catalan rider was third, but only his fourth place of the lap before counts. In the second race, Edgar showed a great riding but was not able to get on the podium. Congratulations to Jesko Raffin, who secured the Moto2 European Championship title.
In Moto3, our Basque rider Íñigo Iglesias made his debut in difficult conditions and passed with flying colours. He finished, after a good first half of the race on wet tarmac and a second half with a drying surface and naturally tired, as the races in this category are longer and more demanding.
Edgar Pons will continue riding in the next few weeks, as he will finish the World Championship season with the Speed Up Team, with which he already competed in the Thailand GP last weekend. We wish him the best of luck and we will wait for him with Benny and Íñigo to finish the season in the best possible way in Valencia on November 25th.
Moto2 #57 Edgar Pons –Kalex / 6th /3rd: “The bad weather affected the races. The first race was complicated due to a less than ideal setup, with no practice in the rain and I didn’t feel perfect either. We weren’t able to fight. In the second race we all went out with slick tyres and that was a risk, so we had to stop from the third lap. The team did a great job with the tyre change. I was nearly on the podium when the red flag went out and then the conditions were even worse. It was a pity, because we had the pace to do it very well. Anyway, I’m very happy with the team’s work. We’re competitive on dry tarmac and we need to improve on wet. I’ll try to win the last race in Valencia”.
Moto2 #35 Benny Solís –Kalex / 16th/9th: “It was a crazy race. When I saw the rain dropping I thought they would red flag it so I pushed hard to get to the front. I was able to get to 1st position and I was waiting for the red flag but it never came out, in fact, Yesko passed me with rain tires so I saw that people were coming in to change tires. It was so slippery but my bike had good feeling so I could ride on the limit well. I finally came in to also change to rain tires but it was 1 lap too early. In the end we finished 9th after the red flag which is our best result so I am happy. My back was a problem at this right track but we have a month so I hope to be much more recovered and in better shape for the final race.”
Moto3 #58 Íñigo Iglesias –KTM / 28th: “The race went well, I felt more comfortable as kilometres went by, but by mid-race, with rain setup and the tarmac drying, everything changed. I had to pull the bike up to accelerate and then is when I started losing places, but the important thing is that we got to the end. Now, I’ll get ready for the next.”.