It was a tale of two races for MotoAmerica rider Rossi Moor in his FIM JuniorGP Moto2 World Championship debut at MotorLand in Aragón, Spain.
The weekend got off to a great start for Moor, who finished the first qualifying session on Saturday in third position, which guaranteed him passage to Saturday’s second qualifying session where he was sixth-fastest and earned a second-row start for Sunday’s two feature races.
In Sunday’s Race 1, Moor’s pace gave him confidence, and he was able to exploit the potential of his Team MMR Kalex while gaining a complete understanding of how the new-to-him tires perform during a full race distance. He managed his tires well and raced to a top-ten finish, barely missing out on eighth place by just .055 of a second and settling for a still-impressive ninth-place result.
In Race 2, Moor got off to an excellent start, and he moved up from his sixth-place starting position to fourth in the first turns. Two turns later, and he had moved up to third, but then, he got shuffled back to sixth by heavy traffic on the opening lap. Still, his pace was fast, and he decided to focus on saving his tires so he could fight for the podium in the closing laps of the race. On lap 10, Moor got into a skirmish with Eric Fernandez, and Moor had a plan to overtake the Spaniard. Unfortunately, Moor and Fernandez tangled in turn 12, and both riders ended up in the gravel and out of the race with neither of them injured in the incident.
Rossi Moor:
“Saturday was a difficult day for me as it rained all day and, therefore, I had to adapt to the bike in wet conditions in a very short time. However, sixth place on the grid gave me a lot of confidence for Sunday’s races.
“In Race 1, I think I did well as it was my first official race with very aggressive opponents, and I am very happy with my ninth final position. In Race 2, I had a good start and then I tried to find a pace on the lap that would allow me to get to the end of the race fighting for the podium. Unfortunately, on the 10th lap in turn 12, my opponent braked earlier than expected, and we touched, with both of us falling. I am very disappointed because the podium was within reach.”
Massimiliano Morlacchi (Team MMR Owner):
“I am very happy with, and for, Rossi. Despite his inexperience, he proved to be very fast. I am only sorry that he fell in Race 2 because he could have really fought for the podium. However, we will continue our work together in Valencia.”
As his team owner Morlacchi alluded to above, Moor will again race for Team MMR in the final round of the 2024 FIM JuniorGP Moto2 Championship on November 22 through 24 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
