The season is well and truly underway in FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship, hard battles for top positions are a regularity.
After a successful weekend in Aragon, the Asia Talent Team rolled almost immediately to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for round four of the championship. The lightweight class will again have two races on Sunday, big points on offer. Having run a pre-season test at the Montmelo track should help all five of the riders, although a revised layout since, will take some time to adjust to.
Leading the Asia Talent Team’s charge in the championship is Kaito Toba, the Japanese star third in the overall standings. Aragon wasn’t an ideal weekend after twice battling for victory, but fourth in the race keeps his championship ambitions alive. He sits only four points behind Lorenzo Dalla Porta and 19 back on championship leader Marcos Ramirez. The Barcelona circuit proved difficult for Toba in 2015, failing to score in both races.
Eighth in the standings, Kazuki Masaki has quietly gone about his business in 2016 and has scored in every round. There’s little doubt the Japanese rider will again be battling for the top ten, clearly making progress at every round. Could he be a surprise podium contender over the weekend?
Since his strong races in Valencia, Ayumu Sasaki has struggled to find his podium challenging speed in Le Mans and Aragon. The potential is clearly there but adjusting to the new circuits proved more difficult than expected. Sasaki is only a single point behind Masaki in the championship table and heads to Barcelona looking to cement himself in the top ten.
Nakarin Atiratphuvapat showed his performance in Le Mans was no fluke as he again challenged for the points in Aragon. The Barcelona circuit will be a new challenge for the Thai rider, but he has proved to be a quick study.
For Andi Izdihar the goal of the weekend will once more be finishing in the points. He and the bike have gotten stronger at each race and the boost from testing could very well push him up to the top 15.
The two qualifying sessions will be held on Saturday, at 11:25 and 14:40. Races will be held on Sunday the 12th at 12:00 and 15:00 (16 laps).
The races can be watched live here.
