After a good Superpole session, Jules Cluzel set the 4th fastest time just a few thousandths from second position.
After a good start, Jules had to go wide after a contact with a rider, and was in 8th position. He was fighting in the lead group until the last five laps of the race, and finished the race in 4th place, one second from the podium.
Dani Valle started from 23rd place. In a group of nine riders, Dani Valle had to fight for his first world championship points. Following a mistake at the end of the race in the first corner, Dani Valle found himself at the back of the pack, and climbed two places. He finished 18th.
Jules Cluzel : “After a contact in the first laps I lost a few places. Then I found my pace to follow the leading group. I gave my best, I finished one second from the podium, with a best time in the last lap of the race. I think we can take a step forward in the fast corner entries, to win at the beginning of the race, and play for the podium until the last lap in race 2.”
Dani Valle: “After a difficult start, I found myself in a big pack. It was difficult to get out of it. The goal of this first race was to do the best possible to prepare the Race 2. I felt that it was possible to improve in T1 and T6, to gain a few more tenths and thus play for good points. We still have the warm-up to continue to gain confidence, and then give the maximum in race 2! “
See you tomorrow at 12:30 for race 2, live on Eurosport! “