Deroue Takes Opening Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Race in Portugal
OutdoorHub 05.06.12
Dutch rider Scott Deroue emerged the winner in a tremendous dash for the finish in Round 3 of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race on the Estoril circuit, Portugal in a typical multi rider, nail-biting finish in this competition for young riders.
Deroue, 16, came off best over Germany’s Florian Alt in a seven-rider charge to the flag while third went to Karel Hanika of the Czeh Republic who denied Portugal’s Ivo Lopes a podium in front of a big home crowd.
The opening laps saw Lopes, Hanika and Alt engage in a private battle for the lead but as soon as the following group of Deroue, 14 year old Britons Kyle Ryde and Bradley Ray and Spanish 14 year old Marcos Ramirez they started to close on the leading trio. Deroue then settled into the following group and waited his chance to make a move on the leaders. “Once we caught them I knew we could fight to the finish. I had the lead on the last lap but then Florian (Alt) came past. I had a pretty good line every lap through that last corner and just caught his slipstream perfectly.”
Alt put on a great show throughout the race and while he continually swapped the lead with Hanika and Lopes he just couldn’t break away and make it stick. “I did everything I could,” he said. “I couldn’t get away at the front, the others kept picking up my slipstream. All I could do on that last lap was get in front and try to make the last corners perfectly. I did and I thought I had it. Only to see Scotty come past at the line.” Alt had to settle for second by just one tenth of a second.
Hanika was happy to be on the podium after being quick in the last two rounds in Jerez but also taking two spills. “It was a great race, a lot of fun. The bike was good and I had no real problems I just couldn’t get in front on the run to the line, Scotty had the perfect slipstream,” he said.
While Lopes was disappointed not to take the prize on Saturday he is still second in the points and trails Alt by just one point. He also has another opportunity to take the win when this highly competitive series takes to the Estoril circuit for a second race on Sunday.
