AUSTRALIAN ARTHUR SISSIS STEALS ROUND 2 OF RED BULL ROOKIES CUP

Starting in wet conditions and on wet weather tires, the young riders had conditions very different to Saturday’s first round on the Spanish circuit and as the race progressed many ended up having a close encounter with the gravel on the edge of the track. But for the 15-year-old Australian, who is an experienced speedway rider it was almost a grid to flag victory. He took the lead before the first lap was complete and settled in to the business of completing an error-free race in conditions that many found hard to master. “I just went for it and once I got in front watched out for the pit board and as I could see the gap was getting bigger I was happy,” said Sissis. “Later on in the race the track started drying out so I tried a few different things. I was pushing harder going into the corners and I found I could go a bit quicker. I've not got any experience road racing in the rain and I don't know if I can do the same thing in the dry but I'm going to try and be at the front in Estoril.”

The Rookies tested in similar wet conditions on the Estoril circuit in Spain before the season and the Australian was also the fastest there. He gradually built up a comfortable lead even though on many occasions there was mayhem behind him as many riders made untimely exits. Philipp Oettl, who won on Saturday, rode a sensible race to finish section but unlike in round One when he managed to slip past leader Brad Binder of South Africa in the final stages, he was unable to close the gap and take on the Australian. Oettl, son of former 125 GP rider Peter Oettl can still be satisfied with his race weekend as he now leads the championship standings in this 14-race series run parallel to the MotoGP calendar.

Going into the final stages, the most consuming battle was for third but in the final shakeout it was Espana who took the final podium place.

Results Round 2 

1. Arthur Sissis, Australia, 33 minutes 04.008 seconds 

2. Philipp Oettl, Germany, +3.010 

3. Aaron España, spain, +4.024 

4. Kevin Argino, Italy, +18.138 

5. Joakim Niemi, Finland, +21.288 

6. Kyle Ryde, Britain, +34.693 

7. James Flitcroft, Britain, +49.132 

8. Ivo Lopes, Portugal +51.252 

9. Joe Roberts, USA, +57.435 

10. Max Enderlein, Germany +1'13.742   

Championship standings after Rounds 1 & 2

1, Oettl, 45

2, Sissis, 35

3, Espana, 24

4, Brad Binder, 20

5, Lorenzo Baldassarri, 17

Pics Red Bull