2023-08-26 21:43:03
Víctor López has made history this Saturday, August 26 by becoming the first Spanish rider to win on the Isle of Man. The man from Madrid has triumphed today in the Junior race of the Manx Grand Prix, an appointment that this year celebrates his centenary and that has seen the flag of Spain fly at the top for the first time in its hundred years of history.
López, who competes in the Team ILR team of veteran pilot Ian Lougher, already showed his intentions throughout this week riding in record times during qualifying practice on the bars of the Paton S1R, an Italian machine created specifically to compete in Lightweight/Supertwin races.
The ManxGP Junior race started two hours behind schedule due to the bad weather that prevailed on the Isle of Man in the morning; The one from Majadahonda completed his first lap in second position, almost seven seconds behind the provisional leader at the time, Joe Yeardsley, forced to abandon his Paton to Kirk Michael on lap two.
Yeardsley’s mechanical failure put Victor in first position, with a comfortable cushion of 9.4 seconds over Italian Maurizio Bottalico, also on a Paton. In the third round, Bottalico was overwhelmed by compatriot, also Italian Andrea Majolawho had been coming up fast, narrowing the gap with Víctor to 2.7 seconds.
Before starting the last lap, López saw that the margin over Majola was less than 2 seconds, and that was when he pushed his Paton S1R and set one last record lap with an average speed of 117.645 mphthe highest ever recorded in the Junior ManxGP, enough to extend his lead over Majola to 15 seconds until he reached the Grandstand and celebrated his first victory on the Mountain Course.
“I knew where I was” Victor said after finishing the race. “The other day the bike didn’t give me all the confidence, especially the front end, and when I came back they told me ‘damn, you’ve broken the record’, so I knew I still had more to give. They work super well with the ILR team, very professional. Anything you ask Ian Lougher always helps you every step we have been doing with the settings, always forward. In addition, the motorcycles they bring work here from day one.”
The man from Madrid has recognized that “I was pretty confident in the race, I knew I could be there. This year there was a high level, because in previous years these speeds have not been done, very strong newcomers have come. The race wasn’t done, you didn’t start as a favorite by far, you had to fight until the end and that’s how it was.”
Despite the confidence he had in his Paton, Víctor dared to change the settings in the morning, during the warm-up lap: “In the warm up we wanted to lengthen the bike a bit, lower it from behind, We have also changed the development, one less tooth in the crown to scratch a few more kilometers per hour. On the warm up lap the circuit was complicated, with areas of water, but it helped me to see the stability of the bike”.
Already in the race, López explained how and when he found out that he was ahead of everyone: “When I got to the pit stop I asked the team how it was going, and they told me that first. Also later in the Glenn Helen area I had a blackboard and I saw +1, that means you’re on the right track. I was talking to myself, under the helmet, like ‘do you want to win here or not?‘. He was cheering me on loudly, under the helmet. On the last lap I pushed hard, and it worked. In fact, we’ve done the record lap here on the Isle of Man, 117.645mph, that’s pretty fast for a Twin, a 105bhp bike. A lot of cornering, being very clear about how to do very fast sections, always with confidence knowing what can happen here”.
“We have made history” He admits not without getting emotional first. “A Spanish driver has never won a race here. The truth is that we always say it, we need support and recognition from our federation for what we do here. It’s not crazy, it’s a lot of preparation, years of experience, technique… It has nothing to do with a short circuit. It is a historical milestone that I hope will be recognized. I dedicate it to all the Spanish riders who have passed through here, including my partner Raül Torras, as we all know, he lost his life here in the TT. He was a very fast driver with the same aspirations. I dedicate it to him and his entire family.”
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Víctor López’s work on the Isle of Man does not end here; The Spaniard has another opportunity to continue making history this coming Monday for the Senior ManxGP, where he competes with a Yamaha R6 also included in the ILR team: “In the Senior we are also there. This year there is quite a level. The ILR’s Yamaha R6 works like a charm. You don’t have to relax, everyone is wanting to celebrate and party, I’m going to have dinner and sleep today. There’s another one left on Monday and we’ll do our best. The chances of winning are there, but it is a bit more complicated. Being such a long race, a lot can happen. If I get a podium in the Senior, after the victory in Junior with the thorn removed, it would be fantastic to end this centenary. I aspire to be in the top three.”
Results Junior ManxGP 2023 (Top 25)
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