It was a whirlwind couple of days for MotoAmerica Mini Cup riders Nathan Gouker and Ryder Davis, along with the 31 other youngsters who earned the right to compete in the FIM MiniGP World Series Final, which concluded on Thursday at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
After completing a rigorous schedule of practice and qualifying sessions on Wednesday that set the grids for Thursday’s qualifying races, both Americans, Gouker and Davis, ultimately made it through to the Super Final, the 19-lap deciding race that was an absolute accomplishment in and of itself to be a part of.
Eleven-year-old Gouker from Lexington, NC, and 13-year-old Davis from Pittsburgh, PA, lined up right next to each other on the fifth row of the Super Final starting grid in 14th- and 15th-place, respectively. Circuit Ricardo Tormo’s MiniGP track, which is a downsized duplicate of the road course on which this weekend’s MotoGP event will take place, offered quite a challenge for the riders, who deftly negotiated the circuit’s many turns and switchbacks with a level of skills and racecraft that belied their young ages.
Both American riders were able to advance forward during the event. Gouker improved from 14th to 12th by the time he crossed the finish line, while Davis overtook a total of seven riders on his way to a strong eighth-place result.
Congratulations to both MotoAmerica Mini Cup riders on a job well-done. They proudly represented the United States on the world stage, and we’re looking forward to much more success from both Nathan Gouker and Ryder Davis in the future.
