Red Bull Rookies Cup: A last corner thriller, as is so often the case in Jerez, saw 18-year-old David González elbowing past fellow Spaniard Fernando Bujosa and grabbing the advantage on the run into the final, tight left-hander.
16-year-old Bujosa had ridden a perfect race from his front row start, but González made a great jump from Row 3 to shadow him for 14 laps.
A cloudburst before the first Race of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season opener had the technical staff swapping wheels on the KTMs for Pirelli wets. It was clearly going to be a very tricky, drying race, but the Rookies responded brilliantly, and there was only a single faller.
1st – Beñat Fernandez (SPA)
“Well, I was feeling quite comfortable, and I didn’t want to overtake Bujosa. I was trying to let him do his pace, I was seeing that we were making a gap to the guys behind. I knew I was faster on the last part of the track, and I had the plan to pass him at the end. To overtake before the last corner, do a block pass, and go. Well, the plan was perfect.”
2nd – Fernando Bujosa (SPA)
“It’s my 1st race in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. P2. I’m very happy. I pushed all the race in the front. Well, I need to learn, because I broke the tyre, and Beñat was in behind, he was super chill. In the last lap, he had the advantage, a lot more tyre, and he passed me because he was smarter in this way.”
3rd – Kiattisak Singhapong (THA)
“When it was raining, I felt like, okay, today is my day. I have a lot of wet experience and am prepared for the rain even more than the dry. The tyres were good at the start and gave me a good feeling, but of course, the track was dry, damaging them, and then they were sliding. I concentrated on controlling myself and the bike.”
4th – David González (SPA)
“It was all about keeping the tyres working after about 4 laps. I was fighting in the last lap. I try to brake later for the last corner. I braked as late as I possibly could. When I tried to enter the corner, Singhapong pushed me a little wide. I tried to get back to get the drive and pass him in the straight, but I couldn’t get him before the line.
5th – Kerman Tinez (VEN)
“I am very happy because it’s my best result in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. This preseason, I worked a lot to be ready for my second year in the Cup. The tyres were great early in the race, but as the track dried, they got quite destroyed, so they were sliding every time you accelerated, and it was very difficult.
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