Viñales wins Valencia, Terol crowned 125cc GP World Champion
Maverick Vinales won Valencia in front of team sponsor Paris Hilton.
Maverick Viñales claimed his fourth victory of his rookie season in the 125cc race as Nicolas Terol was crowned the 2011 125cc World Champion by finishing second in the 24-lap race.
The final race of the two-stroke era got underway at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit with the championship still to be decided.
Danny Webb (Mahindra Racing) got a great start off his first ever pole position, holding the lead until lap two when Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar) took over from the British rider.
But all eyes were on the fight for the championship between leader Terol (Bankia Aspar) and challenger Johann Zarco (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo).
Zarco started well off the front row as Terol rode cautiously from his ninth place start, the Spaniard needing only to finish 11th or better to claim the title regardless of the Frenchman’s result. But after finishing every race in the top six this season, Zarco’s Championship hopes were dashed as he crashed out on lap three while pushing to get to the front on the race.
With first and second in the Championship decided with Zarco’s retirement, the battle for third between Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany) and Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing) was on, though it was decided before the conclusion of the race when the German rider crashed and retired at the halfway point.
The race for top three positions was then down to Viñales, Faubel and Terol, as the new Champion made his way to the front to join the fight for the win, the three trading order as they stretched the gap to the rest of the field to over five seconds.
Viñales moved to the front with six laps to go, and crossed the line first to score his fourth win of his remarkable debut GP season, with Terol second and Faubel third as Terol claimed the last-ever 125cc crown which he will receive on Sunday evening along with Stoner and Bradl at the FIM Awards Ceremony.
Fourth place went to Efrén Vázquez (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo), with Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) claiming fifth ahead of Alberto Moncayo (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica) in sixth. RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom placed seventh from his second row start, Finnish rider Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing) was eighth with Luigi Morciano (Team Italia FMI) and Matteoni Racing’s Louis Rossi completing the top ten.
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