Hanika, Odendaal, Scheib and Carrau take poles

Grids for the penultimate round decided

Karel Hanika (CZE-KTM) in Moto3™, Steven Odendaal (RSA-Kalex) in Moto2™, Maximilian Scheib (CHI-BMW) in Superbike and Daniel Carrau (SPA-Kawasaki) in the Kawasaki Z Cup will head tomorrow’s grids in their respective categories in the sixth round of the FIM CEV Repsol this weekend at the Circuito de Jerez.

Karel Hanika earned his first pole of the season with a time of 1:46.806 in a Moto3™ qualifying session marked by grid penalties for slow riding. However, the Freudenberg Racing Team rider will actually set off from fourth slot in the first race as a result of a penalty imposed in the last event in Portimao where he was judged to have brought down Ayumu Sasaki (JPN-Honda) and Kazuki Masaki (JPN-Honda).
 
In the end it will be Raúl Fernández (SPA-Husqvarna) who heads the grid in the first race, showing brilliant form to set the second fastest time in the qualifying session ahead of Marcos Ramírez (SPA-KTM). However, Karel Hanika will start from pole position in the second Moto3™ race of the day after serving the penalty in the first race.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA-Husqvarna) will have his first opportunity to take the Moto3™ Junior World Championship title, but only if he can stretch the gap between him and second placed Marcos Ramírez to 50 points or more - the current difference being 31 points.

After finishing runner-up in the Red Bull Rookies Cup last Sunday at MotorLand Aragón ahead of Raúl Fernández and just behind the champion Ayumu Sasaki (JPN-Honda), Aleix Viu (SPA-Honda) posted the fastest time in Moto3™ Production today.

In Moto2™, Steven Odendaal (RSA-Kalex) earned his third pole of the season. The reigning champion of the Moto2™ European Championship put up the best time in QP1 of 1:44.194 to head the grid along with Tetsuta Nagashima (JPN-Kalex) and Alan Techer (FRA-NTS T Pro). Each of these riders took part in the last Movistar GP in Aragón and have returned to Jerez to stake their claim to victory or a podium finish.
 
Eric Granado (BRA-Kalex) rode strongly to post a time just 43 thousandths behind Alan Techer, while Dimas Ekky (INA-Kalex) set the fifth fastest time and was the last rider to lap under 1:45.

Iker Lecuona (SPA-Kalex) didn’t have such a good day: the Valencian rider, who has already ridden in the World Championship substituting for the injured Dominique Aegerter, fell and could only set the twelfth fastest time, leaving himself a lot to do in tomorrow’s race.

Ivo Lopes (POR-Kawasaki) was again fastest in Superstock 600, which saw the return of Jacopo Cretaro (ITA-Yamaha) after his serious accident in the FIM CEV Repsol in MotorLand Aragón.
 
The Superbike race looks very promising. Maximilian Scheib (CHI-BMW) took his first pole of the season, breaking Carmelo Morales’ (SPA-Yamaha) streak of three consecutive poles. The Targobank EasyRace SBK Team rider stopped the clock in 1:43.161 in the first session, leaving the Spanish Yamaha Laglisse rider just over a tenth adrift; Anthony Delhalle (FRA-Suzuki) will close out the first row of the grid.
 
With two races scheduled on Sunday, the Superbike poleman will be looking to cut back Carmelo Morales’ 16-point lead at the head of the classification; if after tomorrow’s two races Morales leads by 25 or more points, then the Yamaha Laglisse rider will retain the Superbike European Championship title with only one race remaining in Valencia to finish the championship.

In the Superbike Privateers class, Marcos Andrés Solorza (ARG-BMW) was the fastest with a time of 1:45.433 which puts him fifth in the second row of the starting grid.

In the Kawasaki Z Cup, Daniel Carrau (SPA-Kawasaki) earned his first pole of the season, challenging the dominance of Marc Cortell (SPA-Kawasaki) who headed the qualifying sessions in Valencia and Barcelona.

However, in the first race this weekend, Daniel Carrau (SPA-Kawasaki) missed a turn and went into the gravel on the last lap, with fourth-placed starter Francisco Javier Valera (SPA-Kawasaki) taking victory - his first of the season - ahead of Eduard Rojas (SPA-Kawasaki) and Marc Cortell.

Sunday’s race schedule is as follows:

Kawasaki Z Cup (16 laps): 10.00h
Superbike 1 (17 laps): 11.00h
Moto3™ (16 laps): 12.00h
Moto2™ (17 laps): 13.00h
Superbike 2 (17 laps): 14.00h
Moto3™ (16 laps): 15.00h

As usual, entrance to the paddock will be free over the weekend.

In Spain, the races can be viewed live on the Movistar MotoGP channel which will broadcast all the races scheduled in the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Moto2™ European Championship and Superbike European Championship categories. BT Sports (Great Britain) and Eurosport via Eurosportplayer (France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands) also offer coverage of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Moto2™ European Championship and Superbike European Championship with live broadcasts of each of the races through their digital network. In Italy, Sky will broadcast live both the Moto3™ Junior World Championship races and the Moto2™ European Championship race.

In addition, all the races can be seen live on the Championship’s Youtube channel.

All the results and information about the Championship are on the official website: www.fimcevrepsol.com