The opening round of the 2022 FIM Finetwork JuniorGP™ World Championship is off to a good start, as sunny skies overlook Estoril Circuit in Portugal on Saturday. The next generation of hopefuls traveled to the Portuguese stadium, for a day to determine the starting gates to host the 2022 World Cup on Sunday. For this new season, new names are emerging at the forefront of familiar faces, during this first day of the 2022 qualifiers.
Jose Rueda (Team Estrella Galicia) took first place in the FIM Finework JuniorGP™ World Championship, second in his career, while Lukas Tolovic (Liqui Moly Intact JuniorGP Team) and Joel Esteban (Aspar Junior Team) took center stage in the European Moto2™ Championship and the European Hawkers Cup for Talent respectively.
With the track temperatures soaring throughout the day, the times from the first qualifying session on the coolest morning were often times to beat. In fact, none of the notable riders were able to reach the pace of the first session, allowing Jose Rueda to take the pole Junior JB™, although he also dominated the second session.
Besides the Spaniard in the front row, there is a real international mix like the Aussie Harrison Voight (SIC 58) is putting himself on the front row for the first time in his career, one place ahead of the Thai player Touchkorn Bosri (Team Asia Talent), who also snatched the first row for the first time in his career, and the first for Thailand from pole Shantra Sumkyat At Al-Basit in 2017. Al-Bosri suffered a Round 1 crash in the second qualifying round, causing a red flag, but has managed to recover and prepare for Sunday.
The second row led by a JuniorGP™ junior, Adrien Cruces (Cuna de Campeones), the Spaniard who worked his way into this category after finishing second at last year’s ETC Hawkers. completing the top five, David Alonso (Aspar Junior Team), one of the favorites for the 2022 season, was just six tenths behind in the ring as he stood on the podium for the first time in 2021. Second streak completed by the Spanish star Marcus Uriart (Academy Laglisse) who, although still searching for his first points in the Junior GP™, has already reached the podium at the 2021 Red Bull Rookies Cup.
Best repeater 2021 is David Salvador (Laglisse Academy), while on the French side regret the withdrawal Theo Gordon (Leopard Impala Junior Team) after a recent wrist and foot injury. younger brother Alex Gordon It discovers the category at the 32nd position.
The Moto2 European Championship™ hosted the third pole in his career Lukas TolovicThe 21-year-old German has signed for back-to-back poles at Estoril.
Tolovic has become a specialist in the lead in the Portuguese position, with all of his poles in this category having been achieved there (2017, 2021 and 2022). The beginnings of the rookie Sina Agios (Promoracing) was impressive, with a second place making him the first Australian to start in the front row since Remy Gardner In Barcelona 2016. Polish Peter Besekirsky (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Euvic Racing Team) Completes row 1, in 3rd, first in his career and country. He’s the only driver in the top five to improve his time in the afternoon session.
street vendors European Talent Cup He returned to work at Estoril, and this Joel Esteban who took center stage, his first in this category, his previous record being fifth on his Estoril debut in 2021.
The second on the starting grid is Alberto Ferrandez (Finetwork Mir Junior Team), who finished first in Group B. However, the Spaniard was given a penalty for riding slowly in five sectors and maxing out by 114% of his fastest sectors. defender hero, Maximo Martinez (Team Honda Laglisse), so he blasted off second on the grid to defend his title brilliantly. The Spaniard, who will start from the first row for the fifth time in his career, is at the front Gonzalo Perez (Finetwork Mir Junior Team), who finished third in his career, a marked improvement on his best starting position, 15th in 2021.
french side, Enzo Huarao Bellun (BS Racing), Yannis Reingard Magnier (French national team), Leandro Quintas (Mediasystem) and Elie Rousselot (First Bike Academy & Illusion Team) had to try to qualify through a replay. Although third Enzo Huarao Bellunno one can.
upside down, Guillem Plans (First Bike Academy & Illusion Team) qualified straight into 18th place.
The Sunday race schedule for the opening round of the JuniorGP™ is as follows:
11:00 a.m. – Hawkers ETC 1: 16 laps
12:00 – Moto2™ ECh 1: 18 laps
13:00 – JuniorGP™: 17 laps
14:00 – Hawkers ETC 2:16 laps
15:00 – Moto2™ ECh 2: 18 laps
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