FIM CEV Repsol Championship
Round 1 – Portimao, Portugal
PETRONAS AHM Malaysia
PETRONAS AHM Malaysia’s Ramdan Rosli capped off a positive weekend in the opening round of the FIM CEV Repsol Championship as he finished the Moto2 races 16th and 22nd respectively at the Circuito de Algarve in Portimao, Portugal on Sunday.
The PETRONAS Talent Development rider put on a strong performance onboard his Kalex in Race 1 to muscle his way up to 16th from 23rd after losing position in the opening lap, completing the gruelling 17-lap race in 31’32.303s.
Spaniard, Edgar Pons won the race in 30’33.668s with compatriot, Xavi Vierge and Russia’s Steven Odendaal completing the podium.
“I was pushing hard from the start so that I can be with the leaders. Unfortunately, I dropped back to 23rd after there were too many riders pushing to take the first few turns. The bike was good overall and I could take the other riders in front of me as the race progressed,” said Ramdan.
Following a strong finish, Ramdan was gunning for points in Race 2 but his hopes did not materialize when a heavy downpour forced officials to red-flag the race midway. The Klang-born rider finished 22nd in 15’11.518s with Xavi winning the race in 16’26.441s ahead of Edgar and Eric Granado.
Moto2 Results
Race 1
1.Edgar Pons (SPA) 30’33.668s
2.Xavi Vierge (SPA_ 30’41.982s
3.Steven Odendaal (RSA) 30’42.189s
4.Eric Granado (BRA) 30’47.235s
5.Luca Marini (ITA) 30’49.113s
Selected
16.Ramdan Rosli (MAS) 31’32.303s
Race 2
1.Xavi Vierge (SPA) 16’26.441s
2.Edgar Pons (SPA) 16’27.796s
3.Eric Granado (BRA) 14’36.434s
4.Luca Marini (ITA) 14’37.024s
5.Alan Techer (FRA) 14’37.080s
Selected
22.Ramdan Rosli (MAS) 15’11.518s
PHOTO CAPTION: Ramdan Rosli (Front row, fourth from left) with the 2015 Moto2 contestants