We were robbed of a thrilling Le Mans showdown between Brian Uriarte and Hakim Danish when a crash scattered stones across the track and brought out a Red Flag on lap 11 of 15.
The pair were locked in a tense and evenly matched Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup contest, swapping places clear of the pack, but the result stands and the battle will be resumed in Race 2 on Sunday morning.
Danish had led off the line, but a mistake at the first corner and a Long Lap penalty because of a practice incident left the 17-year-old Malaysian with a lot of work to do. Uriarte raced away in front. Danish did a superb job of catching and passing the 16-year-old Spaniard, but then ran wide and let Uriarte lead again. Crucially, the Red Flag came out and Danish had no opportunity to retake the lead.
The chasing pack of KTMs was huge and anyone might have claimed the final podium place, but it went to Giulio Pugliese when the race was cut short.
Brian Uriarte 1st
“I’m very happy with that. It’s true that Hakim was going a bit away, but that’s not to say that he was going to make a gap, and I felt it was under control, so it’s true that he was going super fast and riding very well. I think he was on the limit though and I felt I could go with him and he would not get away completely. I think I could hold the gap and make a race of it over the last few laps.”
“I’m happy with the bike and I think that I can race with him again tomorrow.”
Hakim Danish 2nd
Second again, I feel comfortable with the bike and I felt confident in the race I had a good pace. I came back from the Long Lap and then at four laps to go, we had a Red Flag. Anyway, it’s okay, I will try to keep focused and push more tomorrow.”
“I ran wide because I was pushing just a bit too much, over-braking. I will try to improve this for tomorrow and keep more precise.”
Giulio Pugliese 3rd
“I’m very, very happy with my first Rookies podium,” grinned the 16-year-old Italian. “I made a good start and I managed to make some good overtakes and Carter and I had a great battle. I felt really good on the bike and I was enjoying it, it’s a shame that we did not get to finish the race, but I’m happy with the result.”
“I found the front wasn’t perfect, but the track temperature will be colder tomorrow morning, so I expect less grip and I think the setting I have will be OK. I’m looking forward to it.”
Kristian Daniel Jr. 4th
“I’m kind of disappointed with myself because I showed myself that I had the pace, but I should have pushed earlier and gone with Brian, especially as Hakim had the long lap penalty,” explained the 16-year-old American.
“Of course, it’s a shame that the race was stopped and I didn’t get the chance to go for the podium, but that’s racing and it was down to me to push earlier. So there’s a few things for tomorrow I need to improve. I don’t think they’ll escape as much as today because it’s kind of a repeat of Jerez and on Sunday, everyone’s a bit more awake. I need to push a bit earlier.”
Beñat Fernandez 5th
“It was a difficult race because I ran off on turn 4 and got a Long Lap penalty because of a shortcut,” explained the 17-year-old Spaniard. “I had some chatter and was forced to go wide because I didn’t want to crash.”
“After that, I caught back up again and should have been in the battle for the podium, but then the Red Flag came out. I’m happy though, it’s a top-five for me. It’s okay, but it will be better tomorrow.”
Carter Thompson 6th
“It wasn’t the best race,” stated the Australian 17-year-old who was in a battle for the podium until the last lap. “I made the mistake in the first turn off the start, going a little bit too hot into the corner”
“Brian already had a gap, so it definitely made the race more difficult. I felt pretty good, but I just need to work on a few things. Hopefully, we can work on getting the bike into a better position to overtake. I’m just struggling to get past other riders, so I’ll work on that for tomorrow.”
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 2 is on Sunday at 08:45, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
For more info checkout our dedicated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup News page Rookies Cup News
Or visit the official Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup website rookiescup.redbull.com/
