Yesterday the European Speedway Championship was presented in Albacete

The European motorcycle champions in 125GP / Moto3, Supersport 600 and Superstock 1000 will be decided this Sunday at the Albacete Circuit, where tribute is paid to Santiago Herrero by naming the 12+1 corner of the track after him.

The special press conference, full of stars, took place yesterday at the Albacete Circuit to present the European Motorcycle Championship race, also featuring Valentín Requena as presenter; the voice of the GPs on TVE for many years. The other protagonists present were Sánchez Marín, director of the Circuit; Oscar Gallardo, from Dorna; Francisco Navarro, councillor for sports of the Albacete City Council; Carlos Requejo (RFME delegate) and Julian Simón, a rider in the Moto2 World Championship.

In his extensive presentation, Valentín did not want to overlook any detail regarding the race and its protagonists. As he said, he allowed his good friend Andrés to persuade him to come to this presentation. He had nothing but words of praise for the late Santiago Herrero and the importance of this tribute. He also presented the limited special edition trophy commissioned in bronze, made in Riópar (province of Albacete) for this occasion.

For his part, Oscar Gallardo reminded us of some facts, such as there being 25 countries represented among the hundred or so registered riders. Once again, the Spanish riders are the favourites, and this championship is also a springboard to the world championship, as the example of Maverick Viñales shows: champion in 2010 in the 125 GP, and who this year has already won races in the world championship, becoming the revelation of the category. There is also wide television coverage, including TVE’s Teledeporte channel.

Francisco Navarro thanked Dorna for once again trusting the Albacete Circuit to host an event such as the European Motorcycle Championship. He also spoke of how important the Albacete Circuit is for the promotion it gives the city and province, going beyond the purely sporting side.

For Carlos Requejo, the race could once again be a treble, as happened last year, since it is being held at home. He added that future world championship riders will surely emerge from this talent pool. He also highlighted that many federation delegations from other countries had requested accreditation for this race, from which they are expected to learn a great deal.

Finally, Julián Simón, when asked questions by his fellow journalists, did not want to commit himself in his statements about his immediate and near future. He does not rule out racing again this year, and regarding his next season, despite having seen in the specialist press his very possible change of team, he said that for the moment he wants to recover as soon and as well as possible, for which Dr. Angel Villamor is doing excellent work.

About the Albacete circuit, he had nothing but words of praise, and says he is very happy and proud of it since he started in speedway at the age of eleven. On Sunday he hopes to attend the tribute to Santiago Herrero, which will also feature Herrero’s family and the presence of Eduardo Giró (the engineer who created the Ossa’s very distinctive chassis) and Esteban Oliveras, Santiago’s mechanic, among others, as Sánchez Marín noted in closing.