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HANIKA SNATCHES VICTORY IN RED BULL MOTOGP ROOKIES CUP RACE AT MISANO

published at 15.09.2012 / created by Marcia Hill

Karel Hanika of the Czech Republic outmaneuvered the opposition in a last minute dash to the finish line in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup on the Misano racing circuit, recently renamed to honor the memory of Italian racer Marco Simoncelli.

Hanika finished ahead of Lukas Trautmann of Austria and Belgian Livio Loi after a final scrap for the leadership in the last laps that delivered a typical nail-biting finish in this championship for up-and-coming junior races.

Hanika who won at home in Brno recently but also crashed in the second race in front of his home crowd was up with the lead group and always a major contender in the second half of the race but the final was only decided in the last minutes. “It was an unbelievable race,” he said. “For half the race I was behind Livio and I was able to read his lines.”

His win was impressive but with only two races to go in Aragon, Spain and 50 points up for grabs he is out of mathematical contention for the title although can still attract the attention of potential teams with a strong finish for the season. The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is a springboard for young riders wanting a career in MotoGP, an opportunity successfully seized by the likes of Arthur Sissis of the Red Bull KTM Ajo factory team and others who have successfully advanced to the Moto3 class.

Trautmann too rode an impressive race and was able to slip past Loi in the final corner while the young Belgian has clearly gained in confidence after his own first victory in the second of two races in Brno at the competition’s last outing.

Scott Deroue and Florian Alt came in at four and five allowing Alt of Germany to extend his lead in the championship standings to 197 points with still 50 up for grabs in Aragon. Deroue of the Netherlands has also been very strong in the second half of the season and trails Alt by 29 points. The other rider in with a mathematical chance of the title is Germany’s Philipp Oettl however it would be a monumental effort for him to bridge the gap, considering Alt’s track record of consistency so far this season.

British rider Bradley Ray, who was impressive on a wet track in the qualifying and who started on pole, finally finished in tenth. Stefano Manzi who was jousting with the leaders for the first half of the race crashed out with eight laps to go.

Resutls Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Misano
All riders on KTM 125 RR machines
1. Karel Hanika (CZ), 31:08.467 min
2. Lukas Trautmann (A), +0.161
3. Livio Loi (B), +0.415
4. Scott Deroue (NL), +0.458
5. Florian Alt (D), +0.608
6. Diego Perez (E), +0.842
7. Lorenzo Baldassarri (I), +1.637
8. Philipp Oettl (D), +2.287
9. Bradley Ray (GB), +2.411
10. Marcos Ramirez (E), +12.297

Standings Red Bull MotoGP RookiesCup after Round 13 of 15
1. Alt, 197 points
2. Deroue, 168
3. Oettl, 148
4. Hanika, 137
5. Ramirez, 120
6. Trautmann, 112

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup