Having got to grips with the demands and characteristics of intu-Xanadú Arroyomolinos the previous day for round four, the 25 youngsters contesting the final round of the series were back making laps around a special section of the MXGP layout for their last spin of the season.
Hot sunshine beat down on the venue that was packed full of fans and spectators. The junior e-motocrossers loaded the gate with KTM SX-E 5, Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5 and the GASGAS MC-E 5 electric machinery and the competition between Tobias Scharinger, Spaniard Eleu Jose and Austrian Elias Eder was particularly close.
In the first race of the day Scharinger, riding a Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5, was able to defeat French junior Timotei Cez by more than three seconds. Jordan Cadenel was 3rd after the initial 7 minutes and 1 lap chase. In the afternoon and through deeper and bumpier ruts, Austria’s Scharinger had his hands full with rapid Spanish KTM SX-E 5 racer Logan Liberal Rodas. The native rider was able to pull away in the final two laps to stretch a five-second margin over Scharinger who went 2-1 on the day and therefore earned the overall victory as well as ownership of the series.
Scharinger will receive a brand-new motorcycle as his prize, and all participants in the full schedule will have a testing and training opportunity this winter with an MXGP factory team. During the campaign the champion and Eleu Jose split the spoils between them: Scharinger was quickest in Italy and the Spanish double while Jose ruled in Germany and France.
“My bike is a lot of fun and I really liked being able to ride on the MXGP tracks,” Scharinger said. “It was great to win the series and I am really happy.”
As a showcase for the performance of KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GASGAS electric motocross machinery and a staging point for the raw ability and enthusiasm of junior racers in an elite environment, the European Junior e-Motocross Series has been a notable success. The first edition was initially oversubscribed and saw a spread of ages, nationalities and riders from both genders take part. Details for the 2022 edition will be released in the coming months.
David Luongo, Infront Moto Racing CEO: “We are very proud of the first season of the Junior e-Motocross series. The participation of riders has been very positive during all the Grand Prix where the series took place. I believe they all enjoyed to ride in front of thousands of fans during the MXGP weekend. It is the first step of a new journey for motocross. I want to thank KTM AG for their collaboration.”
Florian Burguet, Vice President KTM Global Marketing: “As we reach the conclusion of the first ever European Junior e-Motocross series season, we can reflect on what has been an exciting and successful project so far. We’ve witnessed some great racing from these young guns, but most importantly we’ve really seen everyone that has taken part grow and improve as riders over the five rounds. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Tobias Scharinger on taking the overall victory. As expected, the level of interest from young riders all over Europe was already very high and we anticipate that next year we will see an even fuller gate. The benefits of our electric machines are very clear, not just for recreational riding, but also in a competitive environment, which has been clearly demonstrated in this series; the future of motocross is very bright. We would like to thank Infront Moto Racing for their vision and partnership in creating this amazing experience for these youngsters, who I am sure have had an experience and made memories from here that will last a lifetime.”
