Viu, Raffin and Muñoz to fight for victory from pole

The second round of the FIM CEV Repsol which takes place this weekend at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo promises a great deal. Aleix Viu (Marinelli Sniper) in Moto3™, Jesko Raffin (Swiss Innovative Investors Junior) in Moto2™, Daniel Muñoz (Jerez Andalucía Team) in the European Talent Cup and Joan Sardanyons in the European Kawasaki Z Cup will start from pole positions after setting the best times in the qualifying sessions of their respective categories. With Alexi Viu taking his first ever pole in the FIM CEV Repsol, Jesko Raffin set the fastest lap in a qualifying session for the first time this season. Daniel Muñoz will debut in the ETC from the front position on the grid.

In Moto3™, Aleix Viu, Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Celestino Vietti (SKY Junior Team VR46 Riders Academy) make up the first row of the grid with the best time of 1:39.410 set by the Marinelli Sniper team rider. Viu, along with Öncü and Vietti, were the only ones to go below 1:40, although the SKY Junior Team VR46 Academy rider finished just 0.571 adrift of the poleman in a very tight qualifying session: the difference between the first and the seventeenth rider classified is less than one second.

In fact, Aleix Viu and Can Öncü, who finished within 0.064 of the quickest time, were just a few thousandths away from improving on the pole time obtained last year by Jaume Masiá's 1:39.315 in the second round of the FIM CEV Repsol in Valencia , although they did beat Vicente Pérez's (Reale Avintia Academy) lap of 1:40.115 that put him at the front of the grid in the first event of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit last year.

In the second row of tomorrow's Moto3™ grid will be current leader of the category Manuel Pagliani (Leopard Junior), Sergio García (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0.0) and Marc García (Max Racing Team). Further back will be Jeremy Alcoba (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0.0), seventh, and Ai Ogura (Asia Talent Team), eleventh, two riders who are appearing as Moto3™ guest riders in the next Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez.

Jesko Raffin, currently heading Moto2™, will start in pole position after posting the best time in the first qualifying session, the second being interrupted by a brief storm which left riders with no hope of improving on times set earlier in the morning. Edgar Pons (AGR Team) and Lukas Tulovic (Team Wimu CNS) complete the front row of the grid, while Augusto Fernández (Easyrace), poleman in the first round at Estoril, Héctor Garzó (Team Wimu CNS) and Xavier Cardelús (Team Stylobike) will start behind them. David Sanchís (Easyrace M2) was the fastest in Superstock 600.

Daniel Muñoz (Jerez Andalucía Motor Talent) makes his debut this weekend in the ETC, doing so from pole position. The acolyte of José Luis Cardoso could not take part in the first meeting of the FIM CEV Repsol in Estoril because he had not yet reached the minimum age but in Valencia he will head the grid. Xavier Artigas (Honda Impala), who achieved the best combined time of Group A, will start second followed by Barry Baltus (Reale Avintia Academy), second in Group B where Daniel Muñoz was the fastest.

With the participants divided into two groups for the qualifying practice, the times of the first of Group A and the first of Group B are compared, as are the second of Group A and the second of Group B, and so on, with the best time of the two defining the starting order until a grid of 44 riders is formed.

The European Kawasaki Z Cup returns to the scene with the first race of the season in Valencia, with Joan Sardanyons (Proelit) starting from pole ahead of Javier Valera (Racing Albacete) and Marc Guillamet (XCTech).

Sunday's race schedule is as follows:

Moto3™ Race 1 (18 laps): 11.00
ETC Race 1 (17 laps): 12.00
Moto2™ (19 laps): 13.00
Moto3™ Race 2 (18 laps): 14.00
ETC 2 Race 2 (17 laps): 15.00
European Kawasaki Z Cup™ (19 laps): 16.00
Cuna 2 (9 laps): 17.00 

As usual, entrance to the paddock will be free over the weekend. In addition, FIM CEV Repsol fans who go to the main paddock access of the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo will be able to take part in the Pit Lane Walk, but only the first comers will get a pass, with a maximum of two passes per person. The Pit Lane Walk will take place at 10.15 am and start from the outside of the control tower.

The FIM CEV Repsol's TV presence continues to grow in both Europe and the rest of the world. In Spain, Movistar MotoGP broadcasts live all of the scheduled races of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Moto2™ European Championship and European Talent Cup, as does BT Sport in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Italy, Sky will broadcast live the Moto3™ Junior World Championship and the Moto2™ European Championship races.

Eurosport, through Eurosportplayer (France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Romania), will also offer live coverage of all of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Moto2™ European Championship and European Talent Cup races. In Portugal, Sport TV consolidates its commitment to motorcycling by broadcasting live or recorded versions of all the races scheduled throughout the season. For the first time Hungarian fans will be able to enjoy the European Talent Cup thanks to recorded broadcasts on the Spiler TV channel.

Fans in Latin America, the United States, Canada and France will be able to watch recorded versions of all the races through Motosport TV, while their OTT will broadcast the races live. Band Sports television extends its coverage of the FIM CEV Repsol by showing recorded versions of the Moto3™ Junior World Championship and Moto2 ™ European Championship. Also joining TV coverage of the championship, the Edgesport Channel will air live all the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Moto2™ European Championship and European Talent Cup races, as well as being available 24/7 on various platforms with coverage in Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Solomon Island, Thailand and Vietnam.

In addition, in those countries without television coverage, all races will be broadcast live on the championship's YouTube channel.