I returned to Estoril for round 5 of the Moto4 championship. I had a fairly big crash on the previous visit which cut my weekend short when I was on for a really fast round. The weather proved challenging this time across the weekend with some crazy winds and cooler temperatures.
Thursday was spent just getting used to the bike again after a 5 week break, getting re-acquainted with the track and adapting to the very windy conditions.
On Friday, the bike was fitted with a new engine and clutch. It was another windy day so the lap times didn’t quite get up to the same pace as the front runners, and was not where I was hoping to be.
Qualifying on Saturday morning was reasonable, sitting in 10th for the last part of the session but I was just pipped in the end to qualify 11th.
Race 1. I had a bad start and went straight to the back of the pack. I managed to catch up and passed three riders, giving them a tow to the next 2 on track. I then had a great battle with all of them which went right to the finish line. One of the group pushed me wide on the last corner shunting me back from 10th to 11th across the line.
Sunday was a cloudy morning. The start was better but I got stuck with the same pack of riders as race 1 and although another great battle ensued, there wasn’t enough to break away and I finished 13th.
Overall I am happy with the way the weekend evolved, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more racecraft in those battles, but know I could have been in the front group and been fighting for top 5.