Cozar, 15/16 March 2025 – It was the Spanish track of Cozar who hosted the Castilla La Mancha GP, the second round of the world championship and first for the two category European Championships.
A weekend characterized by the rain made the work of teams and really demanding drivers. Niccolò Mannini and Julius Mikula riding their TMs started the GP with the timed tests that assigned the places to the starting gate.
Niccolò won the 3rd time of his group in the EMX125 which allowed him to have a nice starting position. On Saturday afternoon the first heat was held which saw him recover many positions in the first bars after a difficult start. Already on the first lap he conquered the second place then, after several attempts to go to the head, he was satisfied with the 2nd position. On Sunday morning in the second heat at the first corner Niccolò was entangled at the center of the group but he wasted no time to start his comeback. Despite two slips during the thirty minutes of the race, the ranking climbed up to 7th position. With these results he closed the absolute of the GP in 2nd place and went on the podium! Best beginning was difficult to imagine.
For Julius after the 16th time in Time Practice he had to face the qualifying Race cecando to improve his position in view of Sunday. After an uncertain start, he managed to reassemble up to finish in 12th place. On Sunday in the race, one Julius started badly and had to look for the comeback from the twentieth position. On the route made very heavy by the rain, he checked for almost half the race and then start reassembling until he reached the top ten, in the last lap he passed another pair of opponents ending 8th. The second heat started better and already at the first step was to the top ten. Throughout the race he fought in that ranking area trying not to make mistakes. Also in this case, in the final he exploited some falls of the opponents to end 8th again. At the end of the day Julius closed in 9th place absolute and now in the MX2 World Cup occupies the 15th position. After this beautiful weekend that brought the team and the TM Moto to the headlines there will be no time to celebrate.
The next weekend in fact the Europe GP on the French track of St Jean D’Angely will be played. We will see both our drivers in their respective categories once again.
Niccolo ’Mannini:” Despite a truly demanding track I felt good since Saturday. In qualifying I managed to take a single fast lap for a glasses problem but I still got the third group time. In the first heat I left towards the seventh position but I immediately recovered to the second. I tried to take my head but in the end without making mistakes, this was one of the goals, I “satisfied” of the second place which is then my best result ever to the European Championship. In the race two remained linked to the first corner for some contacts and in the first phase of the tender it was really difficult to reassemble. In the last bars I have recovered to the seventh despite a couple of slippers. I am very happy for the second place and my first podium to the European 125. I thank the boys of the team who worked in extreme conditions to put me in the best conditions for running, the TM and all those who support us. See you in France next weekend! “.
Julius Mikula: “Saturday morning the track conditions were quite muddy, but when the qualifying race the track was started, it had improved and was in ideal conditions. After some battles, I finished the race in 12th position. On Sunday, however, he brought much more difficult conditions. He rained heavily all night, which made the track in more difficult conditions than on Saturday. There have been showers at times throughout the day that have worsened things. In the first heat I did not have the best beginning, but I remained calm and I managed to reassemble up to eighth place. In the race two I had a better start, around 11th position, and I finished strongly in eighth place again. Overall, we secured the 9th place of the day. The track was really demanding and it was easy to make mistakes, I am happy with how we managed the situation. It was not only a difficult day for me by motorbike: it was also a great challenge for my team that worked hard to prepare the bike and manage everything else. I am very grateful for their effort and support. I can’t wait for the next race to arrive, which will take place next week in France. “
