Harrison Voight runs 4-4 in Red Bull Rookies Cup opener

2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Round 1 Portimao

Young Aussie Harrison Voight recorded a 4-4 result at the Red Bull Rookies season opener in Portimao, and finishes the opening weekend of season 2022 fourth overall in the standings after a tumultuous weekend in Portugal while racing as a support act to MotoGP.

Fellow Aussie Jacob Roulstone had a mixed weekend, crashing in qualifying and starting from the back of the grid to rebound to a seventh place finish in Race 1. Unfortunately a crash in Race 2, saw no points earned from that encounter but he still holds 10th overall in the standings.

Unfortunately for New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan after running eighth fastest in testing he tested positive for Covid prior to the opening round and has had to sit this one out. Round 2 at Jerez will be his first outing of the season.

Qualifying

Angel Piqueras took pole by almost a second over fellow Spaniard Màximo Quiles as the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup roared into action at Portimao alongside the MotoGP. Australian 15-year-old Harrison Voight completing the front row for the opening round, just over a second off Piqueras, after initially looking to be on track for pole.

15-year-old Piqueras put in a brilliant Portimão lap to knock Voight off the top of the leaderboard, before 14-year-old Quiles then eased the Aussie a further spot back.

Harrison Voight

“I’m happy with that. I felt confident in the wet at the test before my crash and thought that I could put it in the top 5 on the wet track but there was so much running water earlier today that it just didn’t feel good. It was better in Qualifying and I had the confidence to go for it. As for a wet race, I don’t know about doing 16 laps, the last wet race I did was when I was 9!”

Heading the second row is Hungarian 16-year-old Soma Görbe. It had been Casey O’Gorman who dominated the two very wet Free Practice sessions and the 14-year-old set off to do the same in Qualifying. His name came up on top of the screen but then on lap 3 he didn’t come round, with a huge high-side ending his streak, but that speed to continue through the weekend.

Marcos Ruda, Gabin Planques, Tatchakorn Buasri, Rico Salmela and Eddie O’Shea completed the top ten in qualifying.

Jacob Roulstone crashed early in qualifying and was forced to start from the back of the grid after not being able to get back out on track to record a time, starting from 25th.

Portimao Red Bull Rookie Qualifying Results – Top 10

Race 1

José Rueda rode a brilliant debut race to claim victory in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Portimão when the action truly started. The 16-year-old Spaniard seized an early lead and put in a near perfect ride to gap the following group by almost 10-seconds. Apart from fellow countryman Angel Piqueras hunted him down and the 15-year-old pole man was on his tail by the penultimate lap.

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Piqueras had his sights on the win but a sudden change of direction saw his KTM RC 250 R snap sideways and he was off. Rueda was left to romp home with a nine-second advantage over Casey O’Gorman and Collin Veijer.

Harrison Voight was a tenth of a second off a podium result, followed by a more distant Tatchakorn Buasri and Gabin Planques after a thrilling race long battle with multiple place changes at every turn.

Poleman Piqueras broke two toes in his right foot when he fell challenging Rueda for the win. After a lousy start from the middle of the front row the 14-year-old Spaniard cut his way through to the lead pack only to hit a fallen bike on the last lap.

Jacob  Roulstone came home in seventh, leading the next pack, just ahead of Jakob Sosenthaler and Danial Shahril, while Lorenz Luciano completed the top-10.

Portimao Red Bull Rookie Race 1 Results

Race 2

Intense action from first lap to last saw Dutch 17-year-old Collin Veijer win a thrilling Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race at Portimão. Saturday’s winner José Rueda crossed the line first but the 16-year-old Spaniard had exceeded track limits at the final turn and was therefore docked a place.

Casey O’Gorman added third to his second from the day before and the 14-year-old Irishman only lost the win by the narrowest of margins – 0.004 seconds.

The seven KTM RC 250 R battle for the lead left 15-year-old Australian Harrison Voight a little frustrated with fourth again and Rico Salmela, the diminutive 14-year-old Fin put in a storming ride to take fifth ahead of Tatchakorn Buasri, the 21-year-old Thai who did a good bit of the leading. Gabin Planques, the 17-year-old Frenchman completed the lead pack in seventh.

Harrison Voight

“Not really happy with that. I wanted the the podium. I pushed so hard and it was a clean race until the last two laps and I didn’t like those so much. Every time I saw 99 go to the front I knew I had to go with him. I don’t know I was just going for it. It was a good race.”

Rounding out the top-10 was Maximo Quiles, Eddie O’Shea and Luca Lunetta, eight-seconds off the leader.

Aussie Jacob Roulstone had less luck in Race 2, crashing out.

To learn more about Harrison Voight check this out, and a similar feature here on Jacob Roulstone will add more background to the Aussie youngsters in the Red Bull Rookies Cup this year.

Portimao Red Bull Rookie Race 2 Results

Red Bull Rookies Standings

Images: Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool