Saturday, September 28: Moto 2 successes in the Ski GP3, Runabout GP4 and Ski GP4 classes went to Portugal’s Manuel Leite, Czech Petr Dryjak and Yoni Hamelin at Portugal’s Grand Prix of Mira on Saturday.
Second place for Hamelin in the Ski GP3 Moto was sufficient for the Belgian to secure the European Championship title with a race to spare. Dryjak’s Moto 2 success in Runabout GP4 also enabled the Czech to secure the European title in his category. Hamelin also confirmed the European Ski GP4 title with his Moto 2 result.
Hamelin earns European Ski GP3 title; Moto 2 win for Leite
Hamelin began the second of the Ski GP3 Motos with a 40-point cushion over Loris Lambert and also had pole position after winning heat one. He lined up ahead of Marlon Tiik, Manuel Leite, Luísa Beja and Lambert.
But Leite was hell bent on flying the host nation’s flag proudly and the Portuguese hit the front and had a one-second cushion over the flying Hamelin after three laps. Lambert, Diogo Barbosa, Rémy Marlier and Martim Marques were running in the top six.
Leite continued to hold off the champion-elect to claim his first European Championship Moto success of the season by just 0.64 seconds. Hamelin picked up 22 points for second place and confirmed the overall championship title with Lambert rounding off the podium places in the Moto. Barbosa, Marlier and Tiik finished fourth, fifth and sixth.
Dryjak secures European Runabout GP4 title with Moto 2 win
Dryjak started the second of the Runabout GP4 Motos from pole position and led Ibiza-based Spaniard Alejandro Prats Palau by 29 points with two Motos remaining. Dovydas Kutra, Michele Cadei, Juliusz Roman and Rui Fernandes shadowed the Czech from the start with Prats Palau set to challenge from near the rear of the field.
The Czech made a strong start to lead from Roman and Cadei through lap one and he continued to edge away from his rivals as Prats Palau settled into fourth place and tried to apply the pressure. But there was no stopping Dryjak and he romped to the Moto win by 7.43 seconds and confirmed the European title with a race to spare. Roman and Cadei rounded off the podium finishers and Prats Palau finished fourth ahead of Kutra and Ivan Pantoja.
Hamelin confirms European Ski GP4 title with Moto 2 success
Yoni Hamelin had extended his Ski GP4 advantage to 43 points after winning the opening Moto on Friday and the Belgian lined up for Moto 2 ahead of Daniils Potrivailo, Valentine Coutier, Jennifer Poret, Grantas Gurkšnys and Alexandre Girel. Could he clinch a second European title in the space of an hour?
He was like a greyhound out of the blocks and had already built up a lead of 7.22 seconds at the end of lap one. That advantage grew to well over 10 seconds and Hamelin eventually passed the chequered flag with a winning cushion of 25.06 seconds, as he confirmed the European Ski GP4 title. Potrivailo came home in second place to take the three-way fight for the runner-up spot in the championship to the final Moto but he was later awarded a 25-second penalty for a start infringement and slipped back to fifth behind Gurkšnys, Poret and Coutier. Girel rounded off the finishers in sixth.