Jordi Torres wins the 1st Moto2 CEV race at Catalunya

The Spanish Speed Championship has kicked off a new season with the Moto2 race at the Circuit de Catalunya, where a superb Jordi Torres took the win in this first round of the year.

The morning began with the Moto2 race, and surprises started on the grid when Carmelo Morales’s bike wouldn’t start. This forced the Gigaset Laglisse rider to start from the pit lane, by which time the pack had already covered nearly half of the Catalan circuit.

As a result, Torres had removed one of his main rivals from the equation, since Morales is a very dangerous rider, and having him alongside on the grid could have complicated matters for the Griful Team rider. It was a very good day for the team, as besides Torres’s victory, their other rider, Dani Rivas, secured second place.

So, with Morales out at the last minute and starting from pole, Torres went all out and rode at a strong pace from the start, followed by his teammate Rivas and Yago Hernández. They delivered a highly entertaining race full of overtakes, re-overtakes and plenty of sliding.

But this battle didn’t end well, as such intensity led to Hernández running wide, which dropped him out of the fight for the podium. Meanwhile, Ricard Cardús was climbing through the field to reach third place, but in the final laps the Gigaset Laglisse rider saw Iván Moreno overtake him to take the final spot on the podium.

Without a doubt it was a lively race in true Moto2 style. This new category, making its debut at the Catalan track, has caused quite a stir. The first steps have been good and a lot is expected of it this season. We’ll see whether Torres is just as strong at Albacete, or rather whether the Griful Team arrives at the next race with this same strength after the double of its riders in Catalunya.

We will also be watching Morales’s reaction, as he is a very experienced rider, and finishing a race in 19th place is not satisfying at all. Still, he fared better than Iván Silva, Antonio Gallardo, Oscar Climent, Hugo Martínez, Ian Lowry and Julián Miralles, who were unable to finish this first race.

We’ll keep an eye on Moto2 CEV.