S3 and SM Junior European Championship:
scorching heat in Pleven
Photo credit: Plamen Kodrov
After a long break the S3 and SM Junior European Championship were back in action at the track of Pleven in Bulgaria – an iconic track for the discipline, as it was the first circuit to include the asphalted off-road section also called sky section.
SM Junior
In Race 1 Andrea Benvenuti (MTR Ktm Racing) took the lead at the start of the first moto, after the first corner and despite Matej Kokes (Husqvarna) tried to overtake his rival, he did not succeed. The top three was rounded off by Nathan Terraneo (Ktm). Benvenuti’s race pace was unsustainable for his rivals, so he was the protagonist of a solitary race. The young Italian rider followed the recommendations his team gave him from the pit lane and managed the race without exaggerating and without making mistakes. The rider came home with the first victory of the day, while Kokes crossed the finish line in second and Terraneo was third.
In Race 2 Benvenuti took the lead of the race thanks to a perfect start but slipped after the third corner, so he had to start from the last position. In the meantime, Matej Kokes had taken the lead of the race followed by Terraneo. Benvenuti did not give up and was the author of a storming recovery; with record time he worked his way up and climbed the standings and reached Kokes in the last lap eventually overtaking him so that he won the race. The Ktm rider was joined on the podium by second qualified Matej Kokes while Natahan Terraneo was third.
Thanks to this result Benvenuti is the new red plate holder.
S3
The French Gianni Catorc hit a double win ahead of Czech rider Jan Ulman. Thanks to the third position in Race 2 Brando Compocasso was third overall.
