FRANCISCO GOMEZ REQUENA AND ANDREA BENVENUTI ARE THE 2024 S4 AND SM JUNIOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
Castelletto di Branduzzo (Italy), 15 October 2023 – Thrilling races featured the final round of the European Championship. Francisco Gomez Requena (Husqvarna) and Andrea Benvenuti (MTR Ktm Racing) won the European title in their categories.
S4 Race 1
Pole man Alessandro Morosi (Honda RedMoto Gazza Racing) did not make the best out of his starting position and lost it when Francisco Gomez Requena (Husqvarna) took it away from him; Kevin Vandi (L30 Racing Tm Factory) was third. Halfway through the lap Morosi made a small mistake and dropped down to fourth place. The Honda rider got up to speed and recovered ground, so in the sixth lap moved ahead in front of Gomez Requena. It seemed like Alessandro Morosi could have won the race but in the final lap the Spanish rider took the lead and won the race. Kevin Vandi ended up third and lost five points in the standings but kept the lead.
S4 Race 1 Top Ten:
GOMEZ REQUENA Francisco (ESP, Husqvarna) 16 laps in 20:08.699; 2. MOROSI Alessandro (ITA, Honda) +00.466; 3. VANDI Kevin (ITA, TM) +07.094; 4. GOURDON RAFAEL Alex (FRA, Husqvarna) +07.483; 5. GOURDON RAFAEL Theo (FRA, Husqvarna) +08.675; 6. TSCHOPP Janik (SUI, TM) +58.292; 7. DELONG Alexis (FRA, TM) +1:03.574; 8. PAPALINI Lorenzo (ITA, TM) +1:07.207; 9. STAAB Marie Louise (GER, Husqvarna) +1 Lap; 10. MALFATTO Luca (ITA, TM) +4 Laps S4 Race 2
S4 Race
At the start of the final race Alessandro Morosi pulled away and took the lead of the pack but it lasted just a couple of laps because at the end of the main straight he slipped and was overtaken by Alex Gourdon Rafael (Husqvarna), Francisco Gomez Requena and Kevin Vandi. Gomez Requena and Gourdon Rafael opened a gap over Kevin Vandi but he did not give up and during the race got very close to his main rival and tried to overtake him without making it. In order to win the title Gomez Requena only had one result available and in the final lap he took the lead and crossed the finish line first. Kevin Vandi was third. The two riders ended with the same number of points, but the title was awarded to Francisco Gomez Requena since he had a higher number of victories.
S4 Race 2 Top Ten:
GOMEZ REQUENA Francisco (ESP, Husqvarna) 16 laps in 19:55.974; 2. GOURDON RAFAEL Alex (FRA, Husqvarna) +00.274; 3. VANDI Kevin (ITA, TM) +06.249; 4. MOROSI Alessandro (ITA, Honda) +10.709; 5. GOURDON RAFAEL Theo (FRA, Husqvarna) +15.674; 6. COSTANTINO Alessandro (ITA, Honda) +40.451; 7. MALFATTO Luca (ITA, TM) +52.545; 8. TSCHOPP Janik (SUI, TM) +58.197; 9. DELONG Alexis (FRA, TM) +1:02.268; 10. PAPALINI Lorenzo (ITA, TM) +1:12.036
S4 Classification Top Ten
GOMEZ REQUENA Francisco (ESP, Husqvarna) Pts. 50,000 (25+25); 2. GOURDON RAFAEL Alex (FRA, Husqvarna) Pts. 40,000 (18+22); 3. VANDI Kevin (ITA, TM) Pts. 40,000 (20+20); 4. MOROSI Alessandro (ITA, Honda) Pts. 40,000 (22+18); 5. GOURDON RAFAEL Theo (FRA, Husqvarna) Pts. 32,000 (16+16); 6. TSCHOPP Janik (SUI, TM) Pts. 28,000 (15+13); 7. DELONG Alexis (FRA, TM) Pts. 26,000 (14+12); 8. COSTANTINO Alessandro (ITA, Honda) Pts. 25,000 (10+15); 9. MALFATTO Luca (ITA, TM) Pts. 25,000 (11+14); 10. PAPALINI Lorenzo (ITA, TM) Pts. 24,000 (13+11)
SM Junior Race 1
Riccardo Andreotti (KTM) was the author of a great start from the first position of the grid and thanks to a solid race pace opened a gap over rivals. Matej Kokes (Husqvarna) moved to second place chased by Nathan Terraneo (KTM); championship leader Andrea Benvenuti (MTR Ktm Racing) was fourth. After a few laps Benvenuti tried to set his race pace and worked his way up overtaking Terraneo and also Matej Kokes, his main rival for the title. Benvenuti ended the first race with the second place and took the lead in the standings with a 2-point advantage.
SM Junior Race 1 Top Ten:
ANDREOTTI Riccardo (ITA, KTM) 7 laps in 15:24.116; 2. BENVENUTI Andrea (ITA, KTM) +03.541; 3. KOKES Matej (CZE, Husqvarna) +04.379; 4. TERRANEO Nathan (SUI, KTM) +10.284; 5. EBELMANN Rasmus (EST, Husqvarna) +10.735; 6. CORNOLTI Daniele (ITA, GasGas) +37.619; 7. BERECZKI David Zsolt (HUN, Husqvarna) +41.605; 8. LAPADULA Leonardo (ITA, TM) +47.443; 9. MATAS Leckas (LTU, TM) +1:06.429; 10. FATNA Micah (FRA, KTM) +1:20.222
SM Junior Race 2
Flawless start for Riccardo Andreotti also in Race2 where he was chased by Matej Kokes; the two opened a gap over the other riders. Andrea Benvenuti struggled to move to third place, and it took him some laps before overtaking Nathan Terraneo. Matej Kokes tried to move to the front, and this would have granted him the Championship victory, but Riccardo Andreotti did not give up and came home with his double victory as well as the overall victory after qualifying in front of Kokes. Thanks to the third place Andrea Benvenuti finished with the same number of points as Matej Kokes but was crowned European Champion thanks to the better results achieved during the season.
SM Junior Race 2 Top Ten:
SM Junior Classification Top Ten:
ANDREOTTI Riccardo (ITA, KTM) 7 laps in 15:11.740; 2. KOKES Matej (CZE, Husqvarna) +00.948; 3. BENVENUTI Andrea (ITA, KTM) +06.244; 4. TERRANEO Nathan (SUI, KTM) +14.024; 5. EBELMANN Rasmus (EST, Husqvarna) +21.770; 6. BERECZKI David Zsolt (HUN, Husqvarna) +32.723; 7. LAPADULA Leonardo (ITA, TM) +34.813; 8. CORNOLTI Daniele (ITA, GasGas) +35.995; 9. MATAS Leckas (LTU, TM) +1:18.348; 10. FATNA Micah (FRA, KTM) +1:31.630
Complete results available HERE.
In the photo: S4 Podium
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