05/11/2023

Senna Agius sets an exceptional mark at the end of the season

The newly crowned European Moto2 champion was not deterred from celebrating his eighth triumph of the season on Sunday, even after being penalized to the second last row of the grid. The LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team with Leo Rammerstorfer and Jakob Rosenthaler also scored points in both races in the JuniorGP Moto3 class.

The season’s finale of FIM JuniorGP™ series at Valencia’s Grand Prix circuit had some unusual features in store. First, stormy winds on Thursday and Friday paralyzed operations on track, which led to a tightly packed schedule for Saturday with qualifying sessions for all classes. This also had to include free practice sessions as well as the timed practice session to determine the entry lists for Q1 and Q2 in Moto3 category.

In fine weather and slightly less windy conditions, Senna Agius left no doubt that he wants to end his successful 2023 season in style. After setting fastest lap time in free practice, the 18-year-old Australian rider continued his dominance in both the first and second qualifying sessions to secure his fifth pole position of the year. However, Agius received a penalty for slow riding in qualifying two, meaning that he had to start the race from 17th spot on the starting grid on Sunday. However, this did not dampen his will to win, because after a brilliant opening lap, Agius passed start and finish line in eighth place already. As the race progressed, he worked his way up position by position until, shortly before the end, he snatched the leading position from Alberto Surra, who had been in front until then, with an iron will and took 3.5 seconds off the Italian rider till the line.

Valencia was also a successful weekend for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team in JuniorGP Moto3 class. For the first time this year, both talents, Jakob Rosenthaler and Leo Rammerstorfer, made it into Q2. While rookie Rammerstorfer made it through at the first attempt, his Upper Austrian compatriot Rosenthaler had to go through Q1, which he finished in third place. The final race day was a rollercoaster ride for both, as Rammerstorfer achieved his best result of the season in the first race in twelfth place and had to retire in the second race due to a technical problem. For team mate Rosenthaler, Sunday ended the other way round: a crash in the morning and eleventh place in the last race of the season. As a result, he finished the championship in twelfth place overall with 53 points. Better than any German-speaking rider before him for a long time.

Rocco Sessler and Mohammed Abdulaziz Binladim also performed well in European Talent Cup, even though they both finished fourth and seventh respectively in the «Last Chance Race» on Sunday morning.

#JuniorGP Valencia - Moto3™ Qualiying Results:
1 Xabier ZURUTUZA / SPA / MTA Junior Team / KTM / 1´39.644
2 Luca LUNETTA / ITA / AC Racing Team / KTM / 1´39.797 +0.153
3 Adrían CRUCES / SPA / FINETWORK MIR Racing Team / KTM / 1´39.843 +0.199
14 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna / 1´40.760 +1.116
16 #50 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna / 1´41.043 +1.399

#JuniorGP Valencia - Moto3™ Race 1 (17 Laps):
1 Adrían CRUCES / SPA / FINETWORK MIR Racing Team / KTM / 28´33.724
2 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / STV LAGLISSE Racing / Husqvarna / +0.052
3 Àngel PIQUERAS / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / +0.341
12 #50 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna / +17.612
NC #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna

#JuniorGP Valencia - Moto3™ Race 2 (17 Laps):
1 Joel ESTEBAN / SPA / ASPAR JUNIOR TEAM / GASGAS / 28´34.308
2 Adrían CRUCES / SPA / FINETWORK MIR Racing Team / KTM / -0.068
3 Luca LUNETTA / ITA / AC Racing Team / KTM / +0.093
11 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna / +11.666
NC #50 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Husqvarna

FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship:
1 Ángel PIQUERAS / SPA / Honda / 220
2 Luca LUNETTA / ITA / KTM / 138
3 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / Husqvarna / 137
12 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / Husqvarna / 53
22 #50 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / Husqvarna / 10

#JuniorGP Valencia - Moto2™ Combined Qualifying Times (QP1/QP2):
1 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / KALEX / 1´34.692 (QP1)
2 Hector GARZÒ / SPA / NTS - MMR / NTS / 1´35.112 +0.420 (QP2)
3 Yeray RUIZ / SPA / FAU55 TEY RACING / KALEX / 1´35.472 +0.780 (QP2)

#JuniorGP Valencia - Moto2™ Race (18 Laps):
1 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team / KALEX / 28´42.173
2 Alberto SURRA / ITA / Team CIAAT-BOSCOSCURO / BOSCOSCURO / +3.258
3 Unai ORRADRE / SPA / STV LAGLISSE Racing / KALEX / +5.201

FIM Moto2™ European Championship:
1 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / KALEX / 216
2 Xavier CARDELÚS / AND / KALEX / 149
3 Alberto SURRA / ITA / KALEX / 138

#JuniorGP Valencia - ETC Combined Qualifying Times Gr A (QP1/QP2):
1 Guido PINI / ITA / AC Racing Team / Honda / 1´41.655 (QP2)
2 Máximo QUILES / SPA / ASPAR JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / 1´41.690 +0.035 (QP2)
3 Dodo BOGGIO / ITA / ASPAR JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / 1´41.907 +0.252 (QP2)
17 #88 Mohammed ABDALAZIZ / SAU / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / 1´44.007 +2.352 (QP2)

#JuniorGP Valencia - ETC Combined Qualifying Times Gr B (QP1/QP2):
1 Jesùs RIOS / SPA / MRE Talent / Honda / 1´41.416 (QP2)
2 Valentin PERRONE / ARG / FRANDO Racing VHC Team / Honda / 1´41.974 +0.558 (QP1)
3 Brian URIARTE / SPA / TEAM ESTRELLA GALICIA 0,0 / Honda / 1´42.104 +0.688 (QP1)
19 #4 Rocco SESSLER / GER / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / 1´43.931 +2.446 (QP2)

#JuniorGP Valencia - ETC Last Chance Race (7 Laps):
1 Matteo ROMAN / FRA / JEG Racing / Honda / 12´08.087
2 Owen VAN TRIGT / NED / AGR Team / Honda / +6.766
3 Erik MICHIELON / ITA / SF Racing / Honda / +7.507
5 #4 Rocco SESSLER / GER / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / +8.399
7 #88 Mohammed ABDALAZIZ / SAU / LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP JUNIOR TEAM / Honda / +8.687

#JuniorGP Valencia - ETC Race (16 Laps):
1 Guido PINI / ITA / AC Racing Team / Honda / 27´17.102
2 Valentin PERRONE / ARG / FRANDO Racing VHC Team / Honda / +0.080
3 Jesús RIOS / SPA / MRE TALENT / Honda +0.218

European Talent Cup:
1 Máximo QUILES / SPA / 187
2 Guido PINI / ITA / 167
3 Brian URIARTE / SPA / 156

#81 Senna AGIUS

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto2, KALEX)
Pole position / Race: Winner

"It was a strange race. I felt like I did at the Grand Prix I did this year. It was a big challenge to start from the back of the grid. I found out about the penalty just before dinner. It was a big shock after I had taken pole position two hours earlier. But when I woke up this morning, I knew that all was not lost. The conditions also got better and better, so we were able to go faster. In the end, I was able to set the pace from the second qualifying session and that made me very competitive for most of the race. After a strong first lap, I stayed calm. Only from lap four to about ten was I a bit slower than I wanted to be."

"I caught Alberto Surra in the last third of the race and, as in Aragón, we had another great battle. Today's victory is the crowning glory of a great season. We have done a great job all year round. So, a big thank you to the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team for letting me be a part of it and also for the incredible work we have done together. I am proud of that. I am now looking forward to moving up to the Moto2 World Championship with this title in the bag after this season and the progress I did over the year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my family back home in Australia, my coaches, my manager Leon Camier and everyone who believes in me. I am very grateful to them all. Today was a great way to end the 2023 season."

#50 Leo RAMMERSTORFER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)
Grid position 14 / Race 1: P12 / Grid position 16 / Race 2: NC

"Valencia was another good weekend in the end. I am most pleased that I made it straight into Q2. I was surprised that it worked out so well and that I was able to set these lap times under my own steam. Apart from that, it was a difficult weekend for everyone because of the wind. But I think we managed it well. Twelfth place in the first race brought good points and I think this position is an incentive not only for me but also for the whole team. So, I know exactly where I need to start next season. But before that, I am looking forward to having Kaiserschmarrn cooked by my grandma. I will really enjoy it when I have to watch my weight a little less for a week or two. Finally, a big thank you to LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP for the friendly welcome into the team and the good work during the season."

#78 Jakob ROSENTHALER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)
Grid position 13 / Race 1: NC / Grid position 14 / Race 2: P11

"The last race weekend of the season felt very different to the previous ones. Due to the weather, we had a pretty tight schedule on Saturday. Nevertheless, I don't think we did too badly, even though not everything went according to plan in yesterday's sessions. In the end it was enough for Q2, which wasn't too bad. I felt good right from the start and also set good lap times. In the end, I was able to position myself better than in the last minutes in each qualifying session and achieved a good starting position for Sunday with P14 on the grid. I was very motivated today. Unfortunately, the first race was over for me after just four laps. But I was riding well until the crash. I definitely had the pace to finish in the top ten. In the second race, my first laps were even a bit better. I was able to hold my own in my group until I could no longer keep up, as a few small mistakes crept in here and there and I almost lost sight of the guys in front. Nevertheless, my pace on my own was still good, which I'm happy with. All in all, it was a good race for a conciliatory end to the season after the crash in the morning. A big thank you to everyone in the team who helped this year from the beginning to the end and always stand behind me."

#4 Rocco SESSLER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (ETC)
Grid position 7 / Last Chance Race: P5

"Although we missed two days due to the windy weather, the weekend started quite well for me. I immediately had a better feeling with the bike. On Saturday, however, we went straight into qualifying, which was unusual for me on the one hand and also gave me little time to work on a suitable setup to get the best out of it in the second qualifying session. The second qualifying session started really well, I was even in the top 10 for a short time, but then unfortunately I couldn't put together a decent lap. In addition, my fastest lap was cancelled and a crash shortly before the end did its bit to prevent me from finishing higher than P19."

"Unfortunately, my start on Sunday morning from seventh on the grid was anything but good. I dropped back to P12 and then it wasn't easy for me to find my feet or get into a rhythm. When I was still in twelfth place with three laps to go, I knew that I was capable of more and tried to get as much out of it as possible. I even managed to move up to fifth place by the chequered flag. But that wasn't enough, and the weekend was over for me. But I was able to learn a lot from it again and I know that I can come back stronger next season. I also wanted to thank the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team for their great support."

#88 Mohammed ABDULAZIZ BINLADIM

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (ETC)
Grid position 5 / Last-Chance-Race: P7

"For me, Valencia was one of the best weekends of the whole season because we found a perfect set-up the closer, we got to the second qualifying session. I felt much more comfortable with it and overtaking was also much easier, which led to much faster lap times. In the end, my lap times were one and a half seconds faster than I did in April here. That's a really pleasing improvement. My thanks therefore go to the team for their help and the great work they did with me."

JuniorGP Valencia

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