Reardon Edges Canadian team-mate Stockill in opening day Motul MotoMINI World Championships in Valencia
Action for the top Mini racers in the world got going at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain on Tuesday, with multiple practice sessions for both the spec Ohvale 160 and 190 racers.
Canuck Champ Jager Stockill, age 12, and runner-up Ethan Reardon (now 11) were in separate sessions, and both had good days in the sunny and unseasonably warm conditions. But both will certainly have their work cut out for them Wednesday if they are to race in the main events planned for Thursday.
In the first 160 session, group A (containing about one third of the biggest field), Reardon ran well before placing 11th overall, about 1.6 behind the top guns. Next up, Stockill was 10th best, 1.4 seconds from the ultimate pace.
In Free Practice Two (FP2), Reardon was again 11th, while Stockill set a mid-field lap at 46.40 in his group.
After lunch, Reardon repeated in 11th, now a closer 1.3 seconds back as most racers picked up their pace, making him 25th overall. Stockill got 18th in his group, faster overall, but 1.6 seconds off the pace, 36th overall. Both were concerned with rear grip using the spec slick tires.
The takeaway is that Stockill will be moved to the Q1 group tomorrow, while Reardon starts his mid-day in Q2, with perhaps a slightly easier path to the main events Thursday.
Stockill will be first up at 11:30am local time – six hours ahead of his home province of Ontario.
“Our riders did well, and we understood we are facing a strong challenge – we knew that from our experience in the past two years, and we won’t have the rain to help us the way it did for Lincoln Scott and Stockill a year ago in Aragon,” confirmed Team Captain Toni Sharpless of the Super Sonic Road Race School. “Jager and Ethan are going to have to fight to earn a transfer spot to Friday’s SuperFinal.”
“Jager and Ethan both have a fight ahead,” continued Sharpless, a former World Endurance factory racer for Yamaha. “Jager can draw on his strong outing from 2024, and Ethan from his training in Spain, but it will be a battle.”
Fastest Motul Ohvale 160 racer on Tuesday in Spain was Polish competitor Jan Babiarz of the Czech Republic Team with a lap at 44.25; American Jase Dill was third at 44.66, set during FP2. Wednesday will start with FP4 for all riders prior to the racers getting separated by their best laps, moving into their respective Qualifying groups prior to their crucial Q races.
