The final race of the European Talent Cup season in Estoril was intense. Valentín Perrone emerged as the winner, with the top three crossing the finish line nearly side by side: the difference was just 0.003s, marking the closest podium finish in the championship’s history.
On the first lap, David González (AC Racing Team) was unable to maintain the lead after starting from pole position, being overtaken by Giulio Pugliese (CFMOTO Aspar Junior Team)… before regaining the position early in the second lap.
Carlos Cano (Seventy Two Artbox Racing Team), who was already crowned champion before this race, was running in the top five. On the third lap, Pugliese took the lead again, with Perrone (Frando Racing VHC Team) in second.
Marco Morelli (MLav Racing) and Fernando Bujosa (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) were also in contention and briefly led the race. Ten laps from the end, everything was wide open, with seven riders separated by less than a second at the front.
Other competitors included Beñat Fernández (Frando Racing VHC Team) and Enzo Bellon (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0). However, in the final five laps, Morelli seemed to pull away in the lead, maintaining about a three-tenths advantage. This situation didn’t last long as his rivals managed to close the gap and even overtake him in the final laps.
It was only after the last corner that Perrone made the decisive move to claim victory, beating Pugliese and González by just 0.003s in what was almost a photo finish. Fernández finished fourth, Morelli fifth, and Cano sixth, concluding the season in which he was crowned champion.
