GP Czech Republic 14.8.2011 - Race

Miroslav Popov who started twenty-sixth on the grid was last after the first lap but he came seventeenth at the finish of the Czech Republic Grand Prix. In his second performance with the world’s top riders the Czech motorbike rider did an excellent job, became the best rider with a wild card and finished the 125cc class race immediately outside the points positions.

But it did not look good for the Czech rider of the ElleGi Racing team after the first lap because he ran off the track which means a big loss in such a balanced class. However the sixteen-year old Popov refused to give up and started to gradually push through to gain lost positions. Aboard a non-series motorbike he did very well in duels with more experienced riders and with a time of 2´10.8 seconds Popov even improved his personal best which he didn’t manage during the practice sessions for Sunday’s race in Brno.

For Miroslav Popov the racing weekend in the Czech Republic was an important test in the demanding environment of a motorbike Grand Prix. Each mile with world championship riders gives the Czech rider extremely valuable experience. And the experience will come in handy because at the beginning of September we will see Miroslav Popov racing on a wild card in the twelfth race of the series – the San Marino Grand Prix.

#95 Miroslav Popov (Ellegi Racing)
Race in 125cc class - p17

“I made a terrible start and was last at the end of the first lap! No need to say that it didn’t help me much but I was very keen to make a good show here in Brno. I started making good laps which helped me to push through. Maybe I could have done even better but when I caught up with the group of Tonucci, Gruenwald and Mauriello they started overtaking each other at every corner instead of riding one after another, which would have helped them to get more ahead. We all lost out because of this. Anyway I’m happy with the result of this race. Compared to Friday I improved a lot and also gained valuable experience on this circuit. In Mugello I finished nineteenth, here seventeenth so if this continues I could even score some points in Misano!”