17/07/2022

Lukas Tulovic crowns pleasing Portimao weekend with stunning victory in second race

The young racers from the LIQUI MOLY Intact GP team delivered another showcase of talent at what the most difficult track on the calendar is arguably, with 21-year-old Lukas Tulovic shining in particular and newcomer Leo Rammerstorfer making a great debut.

For the fifth race weekend of the season, the journey went to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve not far from Portimao in southern Portugal. The 4.5 kilometres long track in the outback of the Algarve coastline is considered one of the most demanding in the world. Nevertheless, the four junior riders felt very much at home right from the start, even though the temperatures were borderline throughout the weekend.

In Moto2, Lukas Tulovic fulfilled all the requirements placed on him. Following to his fifth pole position in a row, he did have to settle for second place again on Sunday morning, as he struggled with shifting problems during race one. In both the first and second races, the Eberbach native impressed with fighting spirit and an irrepressible will, which led to a remarkable victory in the afternoon when he caught his rival Senna Agius just on the finish line. In the championship, Tulovic now has a comfortable 40-point cushion.

Another highlight at the end of an enjoyable weekend is the first point in JuniorGP™ Moto3 World Championship. Arriving with good track knowledge, Jakob Rosenthaler from Linz made steady progress throughout the days, ending with a strong performance in Sunday's race. Rosenthaler finished in 16^th place, but moved up one position in retrospect, opening his points tally as the 16-year-old had hoped before the summer break. Team-mate Phillip Tonn, on the other hand, was not allowed to start because his airbag system did not comply with the regulations.

In European Talent Cup, Upper Austrian Leo Rammerstorfer made his debut in this fiercely competitive junior series at Portimao’s «Rollercoaster», of all places. Everything was new for the 16-year-old, who mainly competes in IDM Supersport300 this year. But Rammerstorfer showed no fear of contact, neither with the track nor with the competition, but worked very determinedly on his tasks. Even a heavy crash on Friday morning could not harm him. In qualifying sessions, Rammerstorfer missed out on a place for the main race, but he almost made it in the «Last Chance Race» on Saturday afternoon.

The series, which includes JuniorGP™ Moto3, the Moto2™ European Championship and the European Talent Cup, now enters an almost seven-week summer break.

#JuniorGP Portimao - Moto3™ Combined Qualifying Results (QP1/QP2):

1 Adrían CRUCES / SPA / CUNA de CAMPEONES / KTM / 1´48.182 (QP2)

2 Syarifuddin AZMAN / MAL / SIC Racing / Honda / 1´48.271 +0.089 (QP2)

3 Harrison VOIGHT / AUS / SIC 58. / Honda / 1´48.324 +0.142 (QP2)

21 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KTM / 1´49.336 +1.154 (QP1)

27 #66 Phillip TONN / GER / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KTM / 1´50.400 +2.218 (QP1)

#JuniorGP Portimao - Moto3™ Race (16 Laps):

1 José Antiono RUEDA / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / 29´00.772

2 Syarifuddin AZMAN / MAL / SIC Racing / Honda / +6.551

3 Adrían CRUCES / SPA / CUNA de CAMPEONES / KTM / +6.665

15 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KTM / +32.551

NS #66 Phillip TONN / GER / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KTM

FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship:

1 José Antiono RUEDA / SPA / Honda / 178

2 Syarifuddin AZMAN / MAL / Honda / 97

3 David SALVADOR / SPA / Husqvarna / 95

28 #78 Jakob ROSENTHALER / AUT / KTM / 1

#JuniorGP Portimao - Moto2™ Combined Qualifying Results (QP1/QP2):

1 #3 Lukas TULOVIC / GER / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KALEX / 1´43.745 (QP1)

2 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / Yamaha Philippines STYLOBIKE Team / KALEX / 1´43.765 +0.020 (QP1)

3 Senna AGIUS / AUS / PROMORACING / KALEX / 1´43.816 +0.071 (QP1)

#JuniorGP Portimao - Moto2™ Race 1 (17 Laps):

1 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / Yamaha Philippines STYLOBIKE Team / KALEX / 29´35.047

2 #3 Lukas TULOVIC / GER / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KALEX / +0.399

3 Xavier CARDELUS / AND / PROMORACING / KALEX / +7.651

#JuniorGP Barcelona - Moto2™ Race 2 (17 Laps):

1 #3 Lukas TULOVIC / GER / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / KALEX / 29´37.976

2 Senna AGIUS / AUS / PROMORACING / KALEX / +0.055

3 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / Yamaha Philippines STYLOBIKE Team / KALEX / +0.264

FIM Moto2™ European Championship:

1 #3 Lukas TULOVIC / GER / KALEX / 180

2 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / KALEX / 140

3 Senna AGIUS / AUS / KALEX / 126

#JuniorGP Portimao - ETC Combined Qualifying Results GrpB (QP1/QP2):

1 Joel ESTEBAN / SPA / ASPAR Junior Team / Honda / 1´50.664 (QP1)

2 Brian URIATE / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / 1´50.695 +0.031 (QP1)

3 Máximo MARTÍNEZ / SPA / Team Honda Laglisse / Honda / 1´51.030 +0.336 (QP1)

18 #55 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / Honda / 1´53.633 +2.969 (QP2)

#JuniorGP Portimao - ETC Last Chance Race (8 Laps):

1 Matteo ROMAN / FRA / TECMAS Racing Team / Honda / 15´12.261

2 Blai TRIAS / SPA / First Bike Academy Ilusionteam 21 / Honda / +0.089

3 Carter BROWN / GBR / Visiontrack Racing Team / Honda / +0.190

4 #55 Leo RAMMERSTORFER / AUT / LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team / Honda / +0.795

#JuniorGP Portimao - ETC Rennen (10 Laps):

1 Brian URIARTE / SPA / Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 / Honda / 18´39.909

2 Joel ESTEBAN / SPA / ASPAR Junior Team / Honda / +0.006

3 Casy O’GORMAN / IRL / Visiontrack Racing Team / Honda / +0.206

European Talent Cup:

1 Joel ESTEBAN / SPA / Honda / 115

2 Guido PINI / SPA / Honda / 100

3 Dodó BOGGIO / ITA / Honda / 96

Dirk REISSMANN

LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team
Team manager

"Given the occasion, I would like to start my weekend review with ETC. Considering the circumstances, Leo did a super job. He had absolutely no experience with this class until this weekend, which also applies to the bike and the tyres. It was the famous jump into cold water for him. But he did very well on all days, even if he did not make it into the main race. However, in the «Last Chance Race» he fought greatly and came home in a good fourth place, even if this result was not enough for a start on Sunday. After this performance we would be happy if he could continue in this class. I think he could learn a lot here and make very valuable steps for his further career. Apart from that, it was a pleasure to work with him."

"Lukas' victory in the second race outshines everything, of course. He put in a strong performance throughout the weekend. Lukas started very determinedly on Thursday, which was also our goal with him. Unfortunately, there was a small crash in the afternoon, but that can happen when someone sets the pace. The same applies to his fall on Saturday in QP2. Still, he did not let anyone take the pole away from him. That is why these mistakes are forgivable. He really gave everything we expected of him in practice and rounded off the overall picture with a great race day that started with a strong second place, although he had slight problems with the bike. Nevertheless, he fought until the end, which was no different in the second race. He showed an irrepressible will and crowned the weekend with victory. It was simply impressive to see how he set the pace over the entire distance until there was change at the lead two laps from the end. However, he did not let this upset him, but clung on the rear of his contender and took victory in the final meters. This performance deserves very high praise. We are very happy about it."

"In Moto3, Phillip and Jakob showed very different performances, although both started the weekend well. The negative thing is that Phillip had a slump from Friday afternoon. It seemed like he was not up to it mentally wise, with the sad climax that he could not take part in the race because there was an irregularity with his airbag system. Even though we are sorry for him, the decision of the race organizers was absolutely right. We try very hard to make sure that our riders have such a system, and then it has to be maintained accordingly. On the other hand, Jakob gave us a lot of pleasure by improving from day to day and significantly reducing his gap to the top. After a good qualifying he improved again in the race and was rewarded with a point in the end because there was a penalty afterwards. His performance in the race confirms his good development and that he is a lot of fun to work with. He has integrated super into the team and there is still a lot to come. Again, a big thank you to the whole team for their work this weekend. The conditions were almost inhuman due to the extreme heat."

#3 Lukas TULOVIC

LIQUI MOLY Intact GP Junior Team, KALEX Moto2
Grid position: Pole / Race 1: P2 / Race 2: Winner

"The win in the second race just had to come. It is a wonderful feeling to be back on top. Overall, it was a good weekend that started strongly. I quickly found my speed and we also had a good pace right away. Unfortunately, there were two crashes again, one on Thursday and one in the second qualifying, and I still do not understand the last one. It was very strange and, in both cases, very inconvenient. But I was able to regain my confidence quickly and secured pole position narrowly. In terms of lap time, there would have been certainly more possible. I also showed that in the first race when I set the same times as in QP1. The pace was incredibly strong and fast. But a few small mistakes happened that cost me the win. Once it was turn five and in other cases the gears jumped out, which is why I lost a lot of time overall. That is a great pity and at this point also an apology to the team that I did not take the victory that would have been mine in any case."

"But then in the second race I was able to get the order right. My plan was to pull away, which did not quite work out. Instead, I was brutally strong in the battles, I could always play to my strengths. Behind Senna Agius I saw well where I was stronger and where I had to improve. Fortunately, it was by a hair's breadth at the line. A huge thank you to the whole team who did a great job after the crashes and gave me the bike with a fantastic setting every time. Also, my crew chief Patrick and my data engineer Enrico solved the shifting problems during the break until the second race. So, a big praise and a big thank you to the whole team, to all sponsors and my whole environment. The victory is the reward for our work and the great support of everyone involved."

JRGP Portimao July 2022

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