KAREL HANIKA SUPPORTS ONDŘEJ VOSTATEK IN ARAGON
During the second holiday weekend, 13 to 14 July 2019, the fifth competition of the FIM CEV Repsol Junior World Championship took place on the Motorland Aragon Circuit. Karel Hanika came to Aragon in the role of coach rider to support fourteen-year-old Ondřej Vostatek, who is this year's novice in the prestigious Moto3 category.
The participants in the world championship completed their first training on Thursday and Friday. According to the programme the Moto3 category riders always started in the morning when the best conditions reigned on the track because the track was very hot in the afternoon and the track temperature was about 60 degrees. During the entire training session, Ondřej and the team solved problems with grip and optimal chassis settings. In spite of this, he moved ahead in every training session and gradually improved his lap time under the guidance of Karel Hanika.
In the first Saturday qualification, which took place in the morning, the conditions for making good lap time were better than in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Ondřej's first qualification did not come off tactically and he took 29th place. In the afternoon, he did not improve his time due to the high temperatures and ended in 31st place.
In the race, Ondřej's start was slower and he dropped two to three places. Immediately at the beginning of the race and in the first bend, two riders fell and the entire field slowed down and became thicker. There was no space or opportunity to overtake from behind and quickly get ahead. Ondřej made an effort to battle his way forward during the first five laps before the field broke into smaller groups. He successfully overtook adversaries in the bends, but they overtook him again on the straights. He could not get a higher speed even from the slipstream. In the end, Ondřej battled for 25th place in a group where the rider positions changed continuously. He battled for 25th place in the last lap and held it into the last bend to the finish line. In the last bend, he was attacked by an adversary from behind who hit his rear wheel and Ondřej ended up on the ground just before the finish line and the race was over for him.
After the race, Ondřej Vostatek said:
"I think that the aggressive attack at the close of the race was really incessant and we can be glad that we are both okay. Fortunately, I have only a few abrasions. So I was far luckier than some of my team-mates. Otherwise it was excellent for me this weekend to work with Karel Hanika, who gave me a lot of advice and I hope that I will get a further opportunity for cooperation. I now have a month's respite ahead of me during which I will continue to prepare myself to put on the best performance. In closing, I would like express my great thanks to all who support and believe in me. Thanks a lot!"
