Maverick Viñales
Maverick Viñales Ruiz ( born January 12, 1995 Figueres ) is a Spanish motorcycle racer. In 2013 he won the title in the Moto3 class, the motorcycle world championship.
- 3.1 Title
- 3.2 In the World Motorcycle Championship
- 4.1 External links
- 4.2 Notes and references
Career
Viñales began his motor racing career at the age of three years. After he was driven, among other things Motocross, he focused from 2002 on the road motorcycling. In 2007 and 2008 he won the Catalan Championship. In 2008, he also ruled the Mediterranean Trophy for themselves. 2009 saw Viñales in the 125 cc class of the Spanish National Championship. After he had become in his first season runner-up, he won the championship in 2010. He also became European champion in 2010 motorcycle in the 125 cc class.
125 cc World Championship
In 2009 graduated from Viñales first test rides in the 125cc class of the MotoGP World Championship.
2011 moved Viñales in the motorcycle world championship and is effective for Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing in the 125cc class on an Aprilia. His team-mate Sergio Gadea is. Already during testing before the season he scored once the second fastest time. His debut race in Qatar he finished in ninth place in the top ten pilots. For his fourth race, the French Grand Prix in Le Mans, he scored his first World Cup victory at the age of 16 years. He sat down against his compatriot Nicolas Terol, who had previously won the three races by. The two racers fought a duel in the race for several laps that Viñales only in the last turn decided for themselves. Three races later at the Dutch TT in Assen he repeated this feat at a Grand Prix, which was stopped early due to rain. While running Japan at Motegi worked Viñales mechanic, before the start of the formation lap, too long on the bike, which is why he had to go from the 33rd and last place in the race. In this race, he made 29 pitches well and finished fourth. He finished the season with wins in Sepang and Valencia, third overall, and thus was the best rookie ( Rookie of the Year ) in this class.
The 2012 season started well at first for Viñales. After Terol and Johann Zarco vice world champion had risen to Moto2, he was regarded as the main favorite for the title as the toughest rivals were Sandro Cortese and Luis Salom called. At the opening in Qatar Viñales won ahead of newcomer Romano Fenati, Cortese was third and fourth Salom. At the Grand Prix of Spain, however, Viñales was only sixth, while Fenati won and took over the championship lead. In the next race, the Grand Prix of Portugal, this however was forced to retire early, while Viñales fought to the finish with Cortese to win, but had to settle finally beaten by only a few hundredths against him. Now Viñales was higher again ten points ahead of Fenati, but, however, two points behind the new leader Sandro Cortese. Also in the next race, the French Grand Prix, he lost ten points to the Swabians, since he left early on (even Salom and Fenati collapsed ), while Cortese was sixth. After that, however, turned the tide for the time being: Viñales won the next three races and had before the Grand Prix of Germany seven points clear of Cortese. There again, however, won Cortese, while Viñales finished only 18th place and was now 18 points behind Sandro Cortese. At the Italian Grand Prix in turn Viñales halved by a victory this residue. It seemed as if it would remain a world title fight until the last second. That changed in Indianapolis: There Cortese was second, while Viñales crashed and now had 29 points adrift. Also in the next two races in which he finished fourth and fifth, he lost to the German 17 points after the Grand Prix of Aragon omitted because of an accident in training, he even lost second overall to Luis Salom, of the race had won. At the Grand Prix of Japan after all Viñales was again second behind Danny Kent and prevented by the early title win by Cortese, who had just finished sixth (and he fought his way back to Salom over, had not come to the finish ). Thus, he had 56 points off three races to go still a theoretical title chances. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, he lost that final, however, because he left out the race due to problems with his team ( and it left even for a short time ), so that Cortese won the race and the title and Salom also fought his back to second place. Now his team to move up to Moto2 refused, so he had to go one more year. In the last two races, he returned once more to his team back, but could not get past Salom and was third in the World Cup again.
In the 2013 season Viñales fought for the title once again, this time with his compatriot Luis Salom and Álex Rins Männeren. He won in the first half of the season, the races in Spain and France, at the Grand Prix of San Marino, Catalonia and Australia led Viñales long time, but was overtaken every time in the last round of Rin. Thus he had appeared two races to go 22 points behind Salom, boosting his title hopes extinguished. Then, however, he was the Grand Prix of Japan second behind Alex Márquez, while Salom and Rin both fell and the points missed, thus it isolated before the Grand Prix of Valencia two points of Salom. Although this started from pole position and led at first, but this crashed after a few rounds and thus the title for him was gone. Now Rin was in the lead and the title seemed im sure, but this made the final turn, an error, that Maverick Viñales and Jonas Folger by hatched and Viñales still world champion.
Viñales was the team Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing until the end of the 2013 season under contract.
For 2014 Viñales will change in the Moto2 class.
Personal
Viñales owes its name Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise the eponymous hero of the action film Top Gun - They fear neither death nor devil.
Statistics
Title
- 2010 - Spanish 125cc champion on Aprilia
- 2010 - 125 cc European Champion on Aprilia
- 2011 - Michel Metraux Trophy for the best 125 cc driver
- 2013 - Moto3 World Champion on KTM
- 12 Grand Prix wins
In the World Motorcycle Championship
(As of end of season 2013)