2023 Race Season
ESBK Moto4
Round 1 Race Report
- Circuito de Jerez
- 31 racers
- Race 1: P17, Race 2: P27
- Best lap time: 2:03.503
Round 1 of the ESBK Spanish Championship had highs and lows. With a total of 31 racers in Moto4, a millisecond made a big difference in qualification and race results. Unfortunately, my motorcycle’s frame had a crack from bike stress, which became visible by race 2. The bike chattered at high speeds the entire race week, making it difficult for me to push to the limit.
Race 1: Starting from P27 on the grid, I blasted through a couple of racers in front of me and got a better position early in the race. I made some great passes one after another. On the last lap and last turn, I passed a racer, gaining P16. However, as I sped up to the finish line on the final straight, he drafted me right before the checkered flag, finishing P17.
Race 2: This time, my start was slow, so I had to work fiercely to regain positions after the first turn. Determined to improve my race outcome, I made a new personal best of 2:03 but was unable to go faster because the bike became increasingly unstable. Saving a high-side crash, I was forced to ease off the gas a bit, placing P27.
Overall, I persevered as a rookie in Moto4 and was competitive despite some setbacks. I’m getting closer to my goals and will keep at it with grit. Thank you to everyone who cheers me on. Looking forward to Round 2 in Aragon on April 15th and 16th!
Photos by @dastmedia
Round 2 Race Report
- Motorland Aragon
- 29 racers
- Race 1: P18, Race 2: P14
- Best lap time: 2:20.261
Race 1: P18
It was windy with 40 mph wind gusts! Starting from P24 on the grid, my start was not strong enough to jump ahead. I made great passes, moving up some positions. It’s tricky racing on a light Moto4 bike with extremely windy conditions, yet I managed to use it to my benefit in some turns. Focusing on finishing the race without crashing out as many did and pushing to go faster each lap, I placed a solid P18.
Race 2: P14
The wrath of winds from the previous day lessened. My start was a bit better this time around. I caught up to the middle group and battled with them for most of the race. In fact, I kept battling as high as P13 and made a new personal best of 2:20, less than two seconds shy of the fastest lap, finishing in P15. However, the 2nd place racer was disqualified for failing technical inspection, placing me in P14.
I am happy with my race performance, earning my first two points in the championship. Sending a heartfelt thank you to my team and coach for their support, to my sponsor Nolangroup for keeping me safe on the track, and to everyone who cheers me on. Stay tuned for the upcoming race event in Valencia on the weekend of May 13th.
Photos by @Lifebelucky
2022 Race Season
CIV Junior
Aprilia RS250 SP1
Apr. 22-24
Round 1
Cremona
Length: 3,702m
Race Report
May 21-22
Round 2
Magione
Length: 2,507m
Race Report
July 9-10
Round 3
Modena
Length: 2,007m
Race Report
Aug. 7-8
Round 4
Pomposa
Length: 1,600m
Race Report
Sept. 24-25
Round 5
Varano
Length: 2,350m
Race Report
Round 1 Race Report
- Cremona Circuit
- 10 racers
- Race 1: P5, Race 2: P5
- Best lap time: 1:53.312
It was my first race on a big bike and the largest track I’ve competed on since transitioning from the MiniGP level this year. All the hard work and winter training paid off. I successfully placed P5 in both race 1 and 2 despite qualifying P8 on the grid. I had strong starts and my race lap times were competitively close to the top three racers. As a result, I kept a fast pace and moved up three places in both races! The unpredictable weather and wet track conditions threw a wrench into race preparations. Nevertheless, it was a memorable experience that marks the beginning of a new chapter in my racing career. A special thank you to my team for maintaining my motorcycle in optimal performance and to everyone who supports me. Stay tuned for next month’s exciting race in Magione!
Round 2 Race Report
- Autodromo Dell'Umbria (Magione)
- 10 racers (-1 racer recovering from previous race's crash)
- Race 1: P6, Race 2: P6
- Best lap time: 1:23.642
Autodromo Dell’Umbria was a challenging track with tight turns. Competing in a combined race with both SP1 and SP2 classes was also a new experience for me. Therefore, a good qualification was essential to get a good placement because the race grid was larger than usual. Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify too well, placing me in the row before last, P21 (combined). During race 1, I got confused with the grid light and did not have a good start . Then, I battled with an SP2 racer during most of the race. I passed in the turns, but lost my lead on straights because the SP2 bikes have more power. The last lap before the finish, I managed to escape the battle and beat my best lap time for the entire race weekend at 1:23.642, earning P6. For race 2, my start was strong, but I was too far in the grid to reach the leading group and placed P6 again. Determined to do my best, I strategically analyzed my performance to improve throughout the race weekend. Overall, I learned a lot and became a better racer. Thank you to everyone for the support!
Round 3 Race Report
- Autodromo di Modena
- 23 racers (9 in SP1 class)
- Race 1: P7, Race 2: P7
- Best lap time: 1:17.303
Autodromo di Modena is one of my favorite tracks. It is technical with elevation changes and a mini corkscrew. For the first time, I qualified P5 in my racing category. Aprilia SP1 and SP2 race categories were combined on the grid, but I was only two rows away from the top three in my race category. With a great start in race 1, I maintained P3 for the first three laps! Unfortunately, I got block-passed by a group of riders and dropped down to P7. In race 2, I had another strong start, but I miss-shifted on turn 1 during the first lap where it got crowded with all the racers battling to get by. This caused me to drop to near last place! Racing is unpredictable, so I focused on improving my position. However, the race was shortened by a red flag on the 8th lap. As a result, I finished P7 and made the second-fastest lap time (1:17.303) of race 2! Regardless of the outcome, I felt like the podium was finally within reach. With more race experience, I am sure this will become a reality. Thank you to my family, friends, and supporters for always believing in me.
Round 4 Race Report
- Circuito di Pomposa
- 24 racers (8 in SP1 class)
- Race 1: P5, Race 2: P6
- Best lap time: 1:02.7
What an eventful race round 4 in Pomposa was! To begin, I had to adjust to the track quickly since I did not participate in the Friday free practice sessions prior to Saturday. Therefore, I tested two different gearing setups during the main two free practices before qualifications. In the first session, the unthinkable happened, I fell during the first half of the second lap. On top of that, I had trouble restarting my motorcycle after the crash due to battery problems. Luckily, I was able to do the last session entirely before qualifications. I reduced my lap times, just one second shy from most of the riders in my category, and qualified P8. As a result, I needed to push hard to get ahead in a tight race within the smallest, narrowest, and technical track of the championship – not an easy feat with a big motorcycle and a combined-class race. There was no room for error as it could be a significant setback and precise overtaking was key to improving my position in the slippery, hot track conditions.
Race 1: I accidentally was on second gear, making my start sluggish and difficult to pass racers on the grid. Three ahead of me collided with each other and fell. With competitive and consistent fast laps at 1:02s, I battled back and forth for P4, but could not make it stick until the end, resulting in a strong P5.
Race 2: I placed P6. Ironically, more progress was made during this race session because I had a strong start, made a great pass, and was inching up to the next racer before it ended abruptly with a red flag and three remaining laps.
Under the circumstances, I am content with my adaptability and performance despite millisecond differences among competitors. It just makes the idea of winning someday sweeter when the bar is set high. I look forward to CIV Junior’s Aprilia Sport Production championship finale in Varano and making a grand finish for the 2022 racing season. Thank you to my team for handling mechanical issues and race logistics. Thank you to CIV Junior for giving youth racers a place to do what they love and for the amazing pictures. Lastly, sending immense gratitude for the worldwide support and words of encouragement. I vow to be a better racer than I was yesterday.
Round 5 Race Report
- Autodromo di Varano de' Melegari
- 25 racers (9 in SP1 class)
- Race 1: P6, Race 2: P3
- Championship standing: P5
- Best lap time: 1:20.111
The race weekend in Varano had both wet and dry conditions. I qualified P7 in mixed conditions.
Race 1 (wet): In my first wet race, the main goal was to not fall and keep a good pace. I had a good start, but the weather’s unpredictability made it difficult to gauge what move the other racers were going to make in the first lap and corner since the conditions were unlike the dry one in free practice and racers were packed like sardines on a slippery track. Unfortunately, I was pushed back significantly by traffic on the first turn. As a result, I finished P6.
Race 2 (dry): After a good start, I was with the leading group in turn one until a racer near me collided with another and fell. To avoid running over his foot, I had to back off the gas. Thankfully, my fellow racer was unharmed. However, this unexpected crash pushed me away from the leading group again, causing me to catch up for four laps. Additionally, this race was cut short by one lap due to previous race delays, so I knew that if I wanted to finish the season with strong results, I had to trust my tires and overtake at any opportunity. Initially, I placed P4. Later that evening, I learned that the rider who finished in 3rd was disqualified for failing technical inspection, which resulted in my first podium abroad, P3!
This was my best race performance to date. Unfortunately, I was unable to step on the podium because the revised official results were determined after the ceremony took place. It was a bitter-sweet ending to the season as I never expected to miss out on the podium experience, but I am content that @civ.tv professionally holds all racers to high expectations and ethics so that our skills are not discredited. Thank you to my team, coaches, family, and friends for encouraging me to achieve anything I set my mind to.
