28/11/2024

2024 season ends with another podium finish

Jakob Rosenthaler finished third in the last race of the season in JuniorGP class. Otherwise, Estoril was also a success for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team, as all three riders made it into Q2 and were busy collecting points in both races on Wednesday, while Richard Irmscher completed his talent test in European Talent Cup.

The season finale of the 2024 FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship had to be moved to the Circuito do Estoril, not far from the Portuguese capital Lisbon, due to a non-operational track in Valencia. For scheduling reasons, the event took place at the beginning of the week in predominantly fine weather. In addition, the schedule had to be shortened by one day of practice.

18-year-old Jakob Rosenthaler from Upper Austria finished his third season with the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team in great form. The rider from Linz easily made it straight into Q2 on Tuesday. There he finished in fifth place and secured a starting position on the second row. Rosenthaler struggled a bit with his starts in the races on Wednesday. However, the consistent work with his crew on race pace on both days of practice paid off. After catching up in each race, he was among the podium contenders in both races. Due to a mistake in the first race, Rosenthaler saw the chequered flag in fifth place and was unable to celebrate his first proper podium - last year in Estoril, he was subsequently classified third after another rider was disqualified. He made up for this with third place in the second race of the day. With today's top results, he made it into the top ten in the points table: P9 with 79 points.

Leo Rammerstorfer confirmed his consistent progress with two points finishes on the final race day of the year. His performance in the first race stands out in particular, where he made up ground on the leading group from 17th on the grid and even had a top five finish within reach until shortly before the end. After 16 laps, he crossed the finish line in ninth place, just 0.7 seconds off the race winner’s time. In the second race in the afternoon, a somewhat too timid start and an incident with another rider shortly before the end of the race cost him a better result than 14th place. The 20-year-old collected 35 points, which meant 17th place overall.

The third promising talent, Rico Salmela from Finland, was unlucky in the first race when he crashed through no fault of his own. In the second race, a lack of feeling for the rear tyre prevented him from setting a faster pace at the beginning. But as soon as the 16-year-old knew how to deal with the situation, he got faster and faster and caught up with the large leading group. However, tenth place, one second behind, was not what the ambitious Finn had in mind.

Meanwhile, Richard Irmscher made his debut in the highly competitive European Talent Cup series. The 14-year-old took over the machine from Fynn Kratochwil for the last three days, who was unable to travel to Estoril due to injury. Without any expectations of him, Irmscher was to get an overview of what it means to compete in the European Talent Cup. The talent from Thuringia impressed with flawless performances and improved practically by the second from practice to practice.

#JrGP Estoril II – JuniorGP-Moto3™ Qualiying Results:
1 Álvaro CARPE / SPA / STV Laglisse Racing / Husqvarna / 1´42.960
2 Brian URIARTE / SPA / Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team / KTM / 1´42.973 +0.013
3 Máximo QUILES / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / 1´43.084 +0.124
…
5 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / 1´43.188 +0.228
15 #27 Rico SALMELA / FIN / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / 1´44.019 +1.059
17 #5 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / 1´44.234 +1.274

#JrGP Estoril II – JuniorGP-Moto3™ Race 1 (16 Laps):
1 Guido PINI / ITA / Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team / KTM / 27´55.846
2 Cormac BUCHANAN / NZE / AGR Team / KTM / +0.048
3 Maros URIARTE / SPA / CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team / CFMOTO / ++0.066
…
5 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / +0.209
9 #5 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / +0.733
NC #27 Rico SALMELA / FIN / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna

#JrGP Estoril II – JuniorGP-Moto3™ Race 2 (16 Laps):
1 Máximo QUILES / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / 27´50.860
2 Guido PINI / ITA / Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team / KTM / +0.040
3 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / +0.074
…
10 #27 Rico SALMELA / FIN / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / +1.038
14 #5 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / Husqvarna / +6.290

FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship:
1 Álvaro CARPE / SPA / Husqvarna / 157
2 Guido PINI / ITA / KTM / 141
3 Máximo QUILES / SPA / Honda / 129
…
9 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / Husqvarna / 79
13 #27 Rico SALMELA / FIN / Husqvarna / 61
17 #5 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / Husqvarna / 35

#JrGP Estoril II - ETC Qualifying 1 Gr A:
1 Rémy SANJUAN / FRA / MECAPROJETCS Team ADO / 1´48.183
2 Mikey LOU / USA / MIR Racing FINETWORK Team / 1´48.190 +0.007
3 Matteo GABARRINI / ITA / Team ECHOVIT Pasini Racing / 1´48.410 +0.227
…
8 #96 Richard IRMSCHER / GER / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / 1´49.254 +1.071

#JrGP Estoril II - ETC Qualifying 2 Gr A:
1 Giulio PUGLIESE / ITA / CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team / 1´46.356
2 Valentín PERRONE / ARG / Frando Racing VHC Team / 1´46.385 +0.029
3 Carlos CANO / SPA / Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team / 1´46.496 +0.140

#JrGP Estoril II - ETC Qualifying 2 Gr B:
1 David GONZÁLES / SPA / AC Racing Team / 1´46.046
2 Marco MORELLI / ARG / MLav Racing / 1´46.133 +0.087
3 Gabriel TESINI / ITA / AC Racing Team / 1´46.872 +0826

#JrGP Estoril II - ETC Last Chance Race (7 Laps):
1 Alex LONGARELA / SPA / IGAXTEAM / 12´45.248
2 Alfonos ALMEIDA / POR / AGR Team / +1.239
3 Henri MIGNOT / FRA / BRS - Brechon Racing School / +5.292
…
12 #96 Richard IRMSCHER / GER / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / +12.009

#JrGP Estoril II - ETC Race (15 Laps):
1 Valentín PERRONE / ARG / Frando Racing VHC Team / 26´46.741
2 Guilio PUGLIESE / ITA / CFMOTO Aspar Team / +0.003
3 David GONZÁLES / SPA / AC Racing Team / +0.004

European Talent Cup:
1 Carlos CANO / SPA / 196
2 Marco MORELLI / ARG / 167
3 Giulio PUGLIESE / ITA / 158
…
33 #20 Fynn KRATOCHWIL / GER / 1

#5 Leo RAMMERSTORFER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)
Grid position 16 / Race 1: P9 / Grid position 17 / Race 2: P14

"After two difficult weekends in Jerez and Aragón, I am satisfied how things went in Estoril overall. We had a good start; the pace was pretty good from the beginning, and I got more feeling for the bike again. I achieved my first goal, which was to get straight into Q2. I was happy with that at first, because I was able to implement my plan well. In qualifying, our timing wasn't necessarily the best and I didn't get into a flow. I was obviously not happy with grid position 17 because, as you could see in the races, more would have been possible as my fastest lap time today was six tenths faster than in Q2. I was very consistent in the first race and was able to close a big gap. My rhythm was very high. However, I was a bit too cautious on the last three laps, which cost me a possible top five position in the end. The second race was also good, even though I lacked a bit of aggression on the first lap. Unfortunately, I lost two or three positions shortly before the end due to an incident. That was a bit bitter, because my rhythm was very high again and I felt good. In the end, I'm pleased with two good results at the end of the season. Thanks to the whole team for the great support and cooperation this year."

#27 Rico SALMELA

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)
Grid position 14 / Race 1: NC / Grid position 15 / Race 2: P10

"The start to the last event of the year was not easy, as there were not many free practice sessions. What's more, the first practice session was half wet and half dry. Nevertheless, we did a good job on Monday. The next day we were plagued by some technical difficulties. Nevertheless, we managed to qualify for a reasonably acceptable grid position. In the first race, as I was fighting my way forward through the field, till another rider crashed during an overtaking manoeuvre and his bike slid into my rear wheel, causing me to go down as well. The second race was a bit more difficult because I didn't have a good feeling with the rear tyre. We already had the same problem in qualifying. But today I couldn't cope with it. It only got better from halfway through the race and I was able to improve my lap times. I managed to catch up with the leading group and fight for positions. Unfortunately, it was too late to start overtaking and make a move for the podium positions. Nevertheless, I would say that it was a good rookie season for me in JuniorGP. The bike, the team, everything was completely new to me. It was a big challenge, which I was aware of. Unfortunately, we weren't very consistent. Nevertheless, we did acceptably well. I hope it will be better next year. I am very sure of that. I will train hard in the winter and come back stronger."

#78 Jakob ROSENTHALER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)
Grid position 5 / Race 1: P5 / Grid position 5 / Race 2: P3

"I am over the moon. Estoril was a very good weekend for me, or rather, race event. Things got off to a good start on Monday, although we practically had just one practice session. But I immediately felt very comfortable and was able to build up a good pace. So, preparations for race day were successfully completed. I had a good feeling, which was also confirmed on Tuesday. I set my own times in Practice session in the morning and wasn't far away from the fastest riders. I wanted to do the same in qualifying, but it didn't work out. I just wanted too much. That's why I made too many mistakes. After a mental reset, I got myself into the group and with a good reference, my last attack really paid off. I was very happy with fifth place on the grid, even if the lap wasn't perfect. Unfortunately, my starts weren't the best today. The first one was halfway ok, but I still dropped back a long way. In a turbulent race, I was on course for a podium at the end. Unfortunately, the lap display confused me a bit, so I thought it’s still one lap to go."

"But when we came out of the last corner, I suddenly saw the checkered flag. Too bad, because my plan was to attack on the next lap. So, I wasn't satisfied with fifth place, because I was sure I would finish on the podium. But the result motivated me even more for the second race and I didn't want to miss my last chance this year. After another bad start, I worked my way forward step by step. I was very sure of myself and was able to make many strong overtaking manoeuvres that I had never managed before. On the last lap, there was already a gap to the top three. That's when I saw my chance and caught up with the guys within a few corners. I even set the fastest time of the race in sector three, and I was always the strongest in the last corner. I got the exit well and that earned me third place. I was incredibly happy and would like to thank the whole team for everything they have done for me this year. Many thanks to the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team!"

#96 Richard IRMSCHER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (ETC)
Grid position 6 / Last Chance Race: P12

"First of all, I would like to thank the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team for giving me this opportunity here in Estoril. It was a great experience for me to take part in the ETC for the first time. After Monday I was able to improve a lot in Q1. But there was still something missing to make it into Q2, which would have meant taking part in the race. But it was clear to me that this step would be difficult to achieve. At the start of the Last Chance Race, I initially got away well until the revs dropped. From then on, I struggled to keep up with the pace and at some point, my head was no longer in the game. That's why the race didn't go as planned. Nevertheless, I would like to thank my crew chief and the mechanics, who did a very good job. I also don't want to forget my family, especially my father, who gave me incredible support on those days."

JrGP Finale Estoril

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