Record-breaking races in Jerez for Pirelli with victory for Aldeguer and Veijer
In Moto2™, Aldeguer wins and Roberts sets the new race lap record; in Moto3™, first win of the year for the Dutchman and Yamanaka improves on the race lap record by 1 second
In a Spanish GP where almost 300,000 spectators participated on site, Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) took his first victory of the season in the Moto2™ category. Finishing second was Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex), after a spectacular comeback ride from eleventh position, setting the new race lap record on the ninth lap with a time of 1’41.020. Third place for Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™/Kalex).
Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna/Husqvarna) took the win in the Moto3™ class. This is the Dutchman’s first win of the year, earned thanks to a regular race with lap times consistently between 1’45.1 and 1’45.6, well below the previous race lap record. Second and third place finishers, David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI/KTM), were similarly consistent. The new race lap record went to Japanese rider Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI/KTM) who improved on his own previous record by one second.
Record after record and fast and hard-fought races
“It was undoubtedly a positive weekend for us and the performance of all our tyres confirms as much. In Moto2™, we achieved an average improvement per lap of four tenths compared with 2023, with Roberts setting the new race lap record. Rear tyre choice, considering the somewhat high asphalt temperatures, was more or less unanimous in favour of the soft SC0, whereas at the front, we saw both the SC1 and the SC2 in action with similar results. Among the top five riders in the rankings, three raced with the SC1 and two with the SC2. In Moto3™, the results are even more impressive when we consider that the improvement on race time compared with last year was an incredible 28 seconds, which translates into a 1.5 second faster lap time. Just think that no fewer than 19 riders dropped below the track record and that all three on the podium lapped from start to finish well below the record, demonstrating outstanding consistency of performance on the part of the tyres. We are also satisfied with the début in the FIM Red Bull Rookies Cup. The talented young riders there raced in very different conditions between yesterday and today, consistently supported by the excellent performance of our tyres. This is a category that pits riders with different experience levels against each other but they managed to adapt extremely quickly to tyres which were new to them.”
Moto2™
· As for the rear tyre, rider choices for the race were more or less unanimous. Everyone mounted the softest SC0 solution except for Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia/Kalex) who preferred the SC1 (medium). At the front, the SC1 (soft) was used by19 riders, including race winner Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) and third-place finisher Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2/Kalex), whereas the remaining 11 opted for the SC2 (medium), including second-place finisher Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex).
· Joe Roberts also set the new race lap record in 1’41.020 on the ninth lap, improving on the one Sam Lowes set in 2021 by almost 3 tenths of a second. In addition to the American rider, four others also beat the previous record, including the other two on the podium, Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI/Boscoscuro) and Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex).
· The race time was 35’36.316, 9 seconds faster than 2023 with an average improvement on lap times of over 4 tenths, in similar temperature conditions to last year.
Moto3™
· Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Husqvarna) won the race after starting from the third spot on the grid using SC2 (medium) compound tyres on both the front and the rear. This was also the most popular combination, chosen by 17 out of the 26 riders in the race. Finishing behind the Husqvarna rider were Spaniards David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM), who started second, and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI/KTM), third from the seventh spot on the grid using a rear tyre in SC1 compound combined with an SC2 front tyre.
· Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI/KTM), fourth across the finish line, set the new race lap record on the eighth lap in 1’45.105, breaking his own previous one, set in 2023, by 1 second. The Japanese rider used SC1 (soft) compound tyres on both the front and the rear, the only one to do so other than Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia/Honda) and Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo/KTM).
· All the way to the chequered flag, all three riders on the podium lapped consistently at times lower than the 2023 record, demonstrating the outstanding consistency of tyre performance. There was a total of 19 riders who did at least one lap faster than the 2023 record in the race.
· The overall race time this year was 33’29.725, which is an improvement of almost 28 seconds and 1.5 seconds per lap on average compared with 2023 and in almost identical conditions, with 28°C asphalt temperature and air temperature just under 20°C.
