In front of the warmth of his home crowd, the Valencian rider signed a perfect weekend with victories in both races of the JuniorGP™ and confirms his status as title favorite.
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 triumphs in the FIM JuniorGP™ Valencia
Team Estrella Galicia 0.0, equipped with Sprint Filter’s Air Filters, confirmed its status as a title contender in the FIM JuniorGP™ at the Valencia Circuit last weekend.
In the two rounds of the European Talent Cup, Brian Uriarte and Rico Salmela each achieved a podium finish in a category that proved to be very exciting and evenly matched.
“The whole team has proven to be very motivated and working very well, and with our riders on all the podiums. This would not be possible without the support provided by Estrella Galicia 0,0, Motul and the rest of the sponsors,” says Jaime Serrano, CEO of the team.
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 confirmed this past weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste (Valencia) its status as a candidate for the title in the FIM JuniorGP™. Ángel Piqueras, Brian Uriarte and Rico Salmela signed great performances, while the other riders of the team also showed their competitiveness on the asphalt.
In the first race of the JuniorGP™, with a great pace Ángel Piqueras managed to escape from the group and open a gap with Joel Esteban and Nico Carraro. A penalty to Carraro left a head to head battle between Piqueras and Esteban that went in the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider’s favor when he overtook his rival on the last lap and defended his position to perfection. Behind, Elia Bartolini remained in the third chasing group and, after a hard fought last few laps, finished in 8th position, while Facundo Llambías was 14th and Alex Gourdon 24th.
The riders recharged their strength for the second race, where three of the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders also started in the top ten on the grid. After a few laps, a leading group of five riders was formed, including Piqueras and Bartolini, who had a nice head-to-head battle with Roulstone and Carraro. The outcome of the race had good and bad news for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0, where Piqueras overtook two rivals in one of the last corners to take the final victory. On the other hand, Bartolini was left without a prize after crashing with Carraro. Uruguayan Llambías improved his performance with the Honda and finished 9th, while Gourdon also improved his performance and finished 18th.
Ángel Piqueras is the clear leader of the championship
After the two races held in Valencia, Ángel Piqueras is the clear leader of the championship with 70 points, ahead of Roulstone, with 44. Elia Bartolini is 9th with 17 and Facundo Llambías, 16th with 9.
“Angel Piqueras has been spectacular. In the first race, he was smart. In the second race, we knew it was going to be more difficult, but he still took risks. With Elia Bartolini, we found a more correct setting of the bike and he showed that he can be in front despite the crash” says Kev Coghlan, Team Manager: “With Facundo Llambías and Alex Gourdon we worked on different points of their riding and they have taken a step forward”.
The European Talent Cup also had a double ration of races, with a lot of equality and spectacle. Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Brian Uriarte, who started from pole position in the first race, was in the fight for the lead during all the laps together with his teammate Rico Salmela. A crash in the final moments altered the outcome and allowed Salmela to enter in third position, but hurt Uriarte, who was saved from rolling on the ground, and finished 8th. Just behind came his teammate Amanuel Brinton, who scored his first points, and Hakim Danish, who entered 11th after a great comeback.
Battle in the second round between Uriarte and Salmela
In the second round of the ETC, Uriarte and Salmela rode in the group fighting for the podium places. With some exciting last laps, the Cantabrian launched an attack with a prize to finish second. The Finn was 7th, while Danish finished 13th and Brinton was 19th.
With these results, Brian Uriarte is second overall with 78 points, just five points behind the new leader, Maximo Quiles, and just ahead of Rico Salmela, third with 55. Danish is 9th with 24 and Brinton is 18th with 7.
“It has been a good weekend with a very motivated team and a great collective work. Angel Piqueras has given a blow on the table, and the rest of the team drivers have been very competitive. In the ETC, Brian Uriarte and Rico Salmela have fought all the time for the podium, and Amanuel Brinton and Hakim Danish have improved despite some obstacles. This would not be possible without the support provided by Estrella Galicia 0,0, Motul and the rest of the sponsors”, says Jaime Serrano, CEO of the team.
The FIM JuniorGP™ will travel on June 3 and 4 to the Jerez circuit, where the JuniorGP™ and European Talent Cup riders will once again compete in two races per category.
