JuniorGP: How did our home riders do in Valencia?

On Thursday and Friday, there was limited track action due to high winds leading to a tough introduction for some. In an action-packed day of action, we look at how our home riders did in JuniorGP Valencia.

JuniorGP Race One

In the JuniorGP class, Eddie O’Shea was the highest-placed British rider in qualifying, beginning the race from 12^th. Casey O’Gorman would start Race One from 15^th as he continues to get used to the competitive class.

Casey O’Gorman had a premature end to the first race of the weekend, crashing out on lap two. Eddie O’Shea ended Race One in a respectable 11^th position, just outside the lead group of riders.

It is O’Shea’s third season in the JuniorGP class, with the British rider having a consistent year with the Talent Team. Irishman Casey O’Gorman claimed two podiums in ETC at the start of the year and battled at the front in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

As it is the final round of the season for the paddock, the JuniorGP class had two races on Sunday. This allowed both O’Shea and O’Gorman two chances to improve on an exciting race day.

Adrian Cruces (FINETWORK MIR RACING TEAM) took the win in the first race of the day. Cruces held onto the win at the final corner after a last-lap battle, adding another win to his tally this season. Alvaro Carpe (STV LAGLISSE RACING) finished just 0.052 behind after a fantastic battle for the Valencian fans.

JuniorGP Race Two

In the second race of the weekend for the JuniorGP class, O’Shea started from 13^th, with O’Gorman in 17^th. Conditions were perfect for Race Two, with all riders wanting to do well in the final JuniorGP race of the season.

Eddie O’Shea managed to fight his way through the field, holding onto the lead group of riders. After a thrilling battle in Race Two, O’Shea finished in eighth place after a strong result on the Honda.

Casey O’Gorman ended his year in 14^th position after a great year in the European Championship. The Irishman fought his way through with the KTM machines looking to be dominant at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

It has been a hectic season for Casey O’Gorman, racing in the FAB-Racing Minibike British Championship, British Supersport, National Junior Superstock, European Talent Cup, JuniorGP, Red Bull Rookies, and more.

Joel Esteban (Aspar Junior Team) took the race win in the final JuniorGP race of the season. Adrian Cruces crossed the line in first but was demoted one position after exceeding track limits on the last lap. Luca Lunetta (AC RACING TEAM) finished in third position after an intense race.

ETC

In the European Talent Cup, Sullivan Mounsey (VisionTrack Racing Team), Evan Belford (VisionTrack Racing Team), and Peter Willis (Microlise Creswell Racing) wildcarded in the final round. European Talent Cup regular Amanuel Brinton (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) was also racing at Valencia.

Mounsey, Belford, and Willis had to go through the last-chance race after a lack of track time in the build-up to qualifying. It was a challenging weekend with a new track, tyres, and competitors.

In the last chance race, Sullivan Mounsey finished in an impressive sixth place in his first weekend racing on Bridgestone tyres. The 2023 British Talent Cup Champion, Evan Belford, was ninth in his second ride this year in ETC. Peter Willis was down in 25^th on the Creswell machine.

Only the top two finishers can participate in the main race, with Amanuel Brinton qualifying in an impressive 14^th. In the race, he would sadly retire to the pitlane after suffering from issues throughout the race.

Next season, both Belford and Mounsey have been selected for the 2024 Red Bull Rookies Cup.

Guido Pini (AC Racing Team), defending ETC Champion, won the race by just 0.080 at the line. Valentin Perrone (Frando Racing VHC Team) and Jesus Rios (MRE Talent) rounded off the podium places.

Moto2

Sam Wilford (AGR Team) continues his comeback to motorcycle racing after a massive crash at Estoril last season. Wilford continues with the AGR Team this season and has had a consistent year.

After qualifying in 13^th position, Wilford had a great battle throughout the only race of the weekend for the Moto2 class. In the end, he finished in 12^th position, allowing the British rider to secure 13^th in the Championship standings.

The 2023 Moto2 European Champion, Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP) won the race, and will step up to the World Championship next year. Alberto Surra (Team Ciatti-Boscoscuro) and Unai Orradre (STV Lagisse Racing) joined him on the podium.

Stock

It is the end of the first season as an independent class for the Stock class, with two British riders competing in the Championship. Carter Brown (CF Motorsport) qualified in 14^th, with Daniel Brooks (Yamaha GV Stratos) in 11^th.

The two riders battled each other during the race, fighting for 12^th place inside the point-scoring positions. Brown crashed his Yamaha R6 on lap 14, ending his season prematurely. It is Carter Brown’s first full season in the JuniorGP paddock after racing in the British Talent Cup.

Daniel Brooks finished third in last year’s National Junior Superstock Championship before moving to the European Championship this year. He switched to Yamaha in 2023, finishing 12^th in the race and 13^th in the Championship.

The race was won by Spaniard David Munoz (SP57 Racing Team), who ended his Championship year in style. Eric Fernandez (FAU55 TEY Racing) and Marco Garcia (easyRace Team) joined Munoz on an all-Spanish podium.

Image credit: fimjuniorgp.com