The Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup title battle is set to hot up this weekend in the Czech Republic, as 24 young talents join the FIM Superbike World Championship round at Autodrom Most.
Heading into this weekend, it’s Brazil’s Enzo Valentim who currently holds top spot, having taken three wins and seven podiums from the eight races run so far this season. Last time out at Donington Park though, Italy’s Devis Bergamini secured a brilliant double victory, seeing him climb to second in the standings, 26 points adrift of Valentim.
Brazilian youngster Kevin Fontainha’s consistency means he’s just four points further back from Bergamini, despite not winning a race this year. With Andrea Pizzoli fourth in the standings and just 47 points off the top, it’s shaping up to be a battle between the Brazilian and Italian riders as we head into the closing stages of the 2022 campaign.
Last year’s Czech round saw a dominant performance by Maxim Repak, who won both races from pole position with a huge gap behind. The Slovakian won’t be present this weekend but one current rider, Spanish youngster Marc Vich, has already stood on the podium here after finishing third last season, his best result in the Cup.
With the other season-regulars all expected to be in action again, the field is bolstered by two local wildcards, as Adela Ourednicek and Daniel Turecek join Filip Jurànek at his home round to take the number of Czech competitors on the grid to three.
The Most venue made its debut in the WorldSBK championship last year, with the circuit undergoing several changes since, including resurfacing and track reconstruction. With both races expected to be run in wet conditions, the battle for victory is set to be as unpredictable as ever, and with 50 points up for grabs, the title fight is still wide open.
Free Practice will kick off the weekend’s action on Friday afternoon (12:25 GMT+2), followed by the Superpole qualifier at 17:00. The all-important races are scheduled for Saturday, with the 24 youngsters ready to battle it out over 11 laps in each.
Gianluca Montiron – Organizer
Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup
“We are now heading into the final few races of the championship, and it’s all to play for at the top. Enzo has been leading ever since his double victory at the Assen round, but it was great to see Devis put himself into the fight with a pair of incredible performances last time out. We are happy to welcome two more wildcards to the championship also this weekend, and it’s great to see more young talents from the Czech Republic. Good luck to them and all the other competitors this weekend.”
