Máximo Quiles claimed victory in the final race of the FIM JuniorGP World Championship season, held on Wednesday at Estoril. This marked the first win for the rider, achieved after a closely fought race, finishing less than a tenth of a second ahead of his closest rival.
Already crowned champion, Álvaro Carpe (STV Laglisse Racing/Husqvarna) made a strong start from pole position but was overtaken by Brian Uriarte (Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team/KTM) on the opening lap. Adrián Cruces (Finetwork Team/KTM) ran in third.
The race standings shifted considerably by the third lap, though Uriarte held onto the lead, now with teammate Guido Pini in second and Cormac Buchanan (AGR Team/KTM) half a second behind in third.
A change in leadership occurred on lap six when Buchanan briefly took the lead before being overtaken by Quiles (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0/Honda). Meanwhile, a wide line from Brian Uriarte saw him slip down the order, though he remained part of the leading group.
By lap ten, Carpe had reclaimed the lead ahead of Quiles, with Marcos Uriarte (CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team) in third. The race saw constant position changes at the front, with Quiles regaining the lead a lap later. Four laps from the end, Jacob Rosenthaler (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team) surged to the front.
Rosenthaler’s stint at the top was short-lived, as Quiles soon retook the lead. Facundo Llambias (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0/Honda) also briefly led the race as the intense competition continued. Going into the final lap, nearly ten riders were separated by less than a second, with Brian Uriarte in the lead.
However, Quiles made a decisive move on the main straight, braking boldly to claim the lead. Despite intense pressure from his rivals, the #28 held firm to secure his first victory, crossing the line 0.040s ahead of Guido Pini (Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team/KTM). Jacob Rosenthaler completed the podium, finishing 0.074s behind. Cruces and Llambias rounded out the top five. Carpe, who had already secured the championship earlier in the day, finished sixth.
