Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup – Race Three – Estoril,
Portugal April 12th
 Three
riders crossed the line together with 13 year old Japanese
Daijiro Hiura getting the verdict over JD Beach and Sturla
Fagerhaug. It was the two more experienced 16 year olds, American
Beach and Norwegian Fagerhaug, who had done most of the battling
for the lead but on the last lap Hiura dived past on the brakes
at the chicane and held on to win in only his 4th Rookies
Cup race.
“I am so so happy,” said the Japanese with his
classic, broad smile. “The bike was great and I was
able to win but I know I made some mistakes. I took the lead
a few times but I was not perfect and I was passed again.
Even half way round the last lap I made a mistake but I pushed
and pushed and went up the inside on the brakes. I just made
it.”
Cup leader Luis Salom did a fantastic job of cutting through
the field on the opening lap from 19th place on the 5th row
of the grid to be sixth going onto lap two. On the next lap
he passed 15 year old German Daniel Kartheininger and when
16 year old South African Mathew Scholtz slid out of 5th place
at the chicane on lap 4 the 16 year old Spaniard was promoted
to 4th.
Beach and Fagerhaug did look the more controlled as they
swapped places for the lead but even though they tried to
work together and build an advantage it they could not shake
off Hiura. “It all happened on the last lap,”
said Beach. “We came down to the right hander before
the chicane with Sturla leading and I'd passed him there the
lap before. I tried it again but I didn't do it clean enough
this time so I didn't get the drive.”
“Yeah, I just got pushed off line a bit,” agreed
Fagerhaug with grin. “Then Daijiro passed JD on the
brakes into the chicane. I got in there a bit fast and wide
so I didn't get the drive I wanted coming out and we just
couldn't get him before the line. At least this race was a
lot better than Jerez as I got a good start and got on the
podium.”
“Three second places,” said Beach. “That's
OK but but I'm going wide open at Le Mans,” he concluded
more than matching Fagerhaug's grin. The American remains
2nd in the Cup standings but closed the gap from Salom to
just 3 points after 3 of the 10 races.
Salom was not happy with his weekend. “I did so few
laps in practice because the bike broke. I knew I would have
to go for it from the start. It was pretty crazy in the first
lap and I did manage to catch up the places. I did what I
could then but the engine seemed to lose power and though
I could catch up on the brakes and do OK in the first couple
of sections it wasn't enough. It wasn't any good in the last
section and the guys just pulled away from me, I couldn't
even hold their slipstream.”
Mathew Scholtz was looking so good in the leading group until
his fall. “I just touched the white line on the inside
going into the chicane and the front washed out. I got back
on but had to ride the rest of the race with the handlebars
bent completely,” said the 11th place finisher who was
also unlucky at the first race in Spain when Australian Dylan
Mavin fell in front of him. Mavin practised in Estoril but
could not ride because of the very painful left elbow, fractured
in the Jerez crash.
Portuguese Wild Card rider 13 year old Miguel Oliveira did
well to finish 8th in his first Rookie outing but was frustrated.
“I had such a terrible start. I was last at the first
corner. I tried very hard and managed to catch up a bit but
then I was alone for the second half of the race and couldn't
make up any more places.”
French regulations do not allow riders under 14 to compete
so 13 year olds Daijiro Hiura, Kevin Calia and Niklas Ajo
cannot compete in the the next race at Le Mans. Alessio Cappella
and Nico Thoni start their Cup seasons in Mugello and Assen
respectively when they turn 13. Hiura, Calia and Ajo will
be granted Cup points for Le Mans calculated as an average
of the points they score in the race before and the race after
the French round.
Results:
1 Daijiro HIURA (JPN)
2 JD BEACH (USA) +0.031
3 Sturla FAGERHAUG (NOR) + 0.052
4 Luis SALOM (ESP) +4.075
5 Nelson MAJOR (FRA) +10.761
6 Deane BROWN (GBR) +10.997
7 Daniel KARTHEININGER (GER) +11.043
8 Miguel OLIVEIRA (POR) +20.654
9 Markus REITERBERGER (GER) +27.555
10 Daniel RUIZ (ESP) +27.768
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