Wayne Ryan, Xavi Fores, Alejandro Mariñelarena and Adrian Martin take the first wins of the championship on the Catalunya Circuit wet tarmac.
The first races of the 2013 CEV Repsol were held on Sunday under a steady rain that accompanied the start of this series at the Catalunya Circuit. Under those conditions, the three categories had their first winners of the season, Wayne Ryan in Moto3, Xavi Fores in Stock Extreme, Alejandro Mariñelarena in Moto2 and Adrian Martin again in Moto3 – as this category had two independent races–.
Moto3
Wayne Ryan dominated the first Moto3 race. Under the rain, the British rider was able to stay on the bike during a race rich in crashes ─Adrian Martin, who started from pole, crashed in the first lap ─. Lap after lap, Ryan kept increasing his advantage until passing the chequered flag with an advantage of more than ten seconds. Fabio Quartararo ─the youngest rider of the CEV Repsol─ took the second step of the podium after overtaking Gabriel Rodrigo just some metres before reaching the finish line.
In the second Moto3 race, Adrian Martin was able to take advantage of the pole position he set yesterday and took the victory, while it was the winner of the first race, Wayne Ryan, who crashed in the second corner. The rider from Valencia recovered from his first result with a brilliant race, crossing the finish line alone, followed by Bryan Schouten and Kyle Ryde.
After the two races held at the Catalunya Circuit, Schouten and Quartararo are tied in the lead with 30 points, followed by Martin and Ryan, also tied with 25 points.
Moto2
Alejandro Mariñelarena was the star of the Moto2 race. In his second year in the category he won after dominating the race from flag to flag with a huge advantage. Roman Ramos, who crossed the finish line more than ten seconds behind, was second, while Russell Gomez finished third, 30 seconds away.
Stock Extreme
In the Stock Extreme category, Xavi Fores completed a great weekend after taking the pole position and the win, which places him as the first leader of the CEV Repsol. During the race, Ivan Silva was his main rival until some trouble with the tyres and the overtaking of the last riders prevented Silva to keep the pace of the race leader and he finished in second. The third step of the podium was for Santi Barragan.
Moto3 Race 1 – Wayne Ryan >> Audio
“The race went well. The tarmac was very slippery and I was not sure I could keep the lead, but I was able to push and keep the first position until the end. I think in the next round I will have to fight with more rivals. I don’t know where the crashes were, but I expected a toughest battle for the first positions”.
Moto3 Race 2 – Adrián Martín >> Audio
“It wasn’t a comfortable victory because conditions have been bad all weekend, but I tried to focus as much as possible. It was hard because laps felt endless. I am very happy that the day finished like that. I learnt for the mistake in my first lap and I leave very satisfied with the work done by my team, as we arrived here with very little time. I want to thank the support of the mechanics, the sponsors, my family and all my friends. I want to dedicate this victory to all those who supported me in the bad moments”.
Moto2 – Alejandro Mariñelarena >> Audio
“This year we are trying to take things easier. It is my second year in the class, there were not very big changes and we know the bike and the tyres better, so are more familiar with everything. Today we didn’t expect to take the win but we knew we could fight for a podium place”.
Stock Extreme – Xavi Forés >> Audio
“I am very happy because it was my first race with this bike and my new team and to start the Championship with a victory is always important. It is also true that the wet track benefited me a bit. At the beginning I was a bit scared because there was a lot more water than yesterday. I saw Ivan Silva overtake me quickly and followed him. We both rode at a similar pace and we started to pass the last rider and I took advantage of it to overtake him. When passing the finish line I saw in the board that I had a difference of seven seconds and then I tried to manage that advantage in the last three laps”.
