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| 16.08.2009 |
| Kornfiel takes final race and Red Bull Rookies Cup title on home circuit |
| Red Bull Rookie Jakub Kornfiel on Sunday took all the glory on offer for the talented young riders of this junior competition when he won the final race in the 8-race series and sealed the championship title.
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All this - and in front of his home crowd on the renowned Brno racing circuit - gave the young Czech race an experience he will probably never forget as well as allowing him to take a major step forward in his career in motorcycle racing.
The Red Bull Rookies Cup, now in its third season has fast developed into a proving ground for tomorrow’s champions and Kornfiel went out in the final race with a sense of purpose to show his fans what he is made of. In the process, he hung arch rival Norway’s Sturla Fagerhaug out to dry, depriving him of the title by a mere two points.
Jakub Kornfiel: "I knew that Sturla was behind me all the way, I looked back and saw it was four riders not 10 like yesterday so I was happy about that. I just rode as hard as I could and even at the last corner I expected Sturla to come past but I guess he wasn't as close as I thought and I crossed the line on my own."
Kornfiel was a rider with a mission as he launched his bid on the wide, sweeping circuit much loved by competitors and fans alike. Putting aside his eighth place finish in the penultimate round on Saturday, he lined up on the front row of the grid in fourth slot next to Fagerhaug in third. Kornfiel shot out of the start and immediately took control of the race. Except for giving Sturla slight rays of hope in laps 8,10 and 11, it was Kornfiel that remained in control of the lead although it was never a done deal until Fagerhaug came together with 15-year-old Japanese Daijiro Hiura with just three corners to go. The Norwegian then had to relinquish any chance of beating Kornfiel to the chequered flag.
Sturla Fagerhaug was generous in defeat saying: "It was a great race and congratulations to Jakub, he rode very well. I was hit in the third to last corner so I didn't have the chance to pass him at the line. I thought I was going to be able to win before that happened. I have to blame myself though I had such a big lead in the points half way through and made some mistakes. It's been a great year though and I still have a couple of GP wild-card rides to look forward too."
American Jacob Gagne was close behind to finish third on the final season’s podium and wrap up a strong second half of the season while Fagerhaug and Hiura clinched the minor places in the overall Cup competition.
The 16-year old Czech rider who won his first junior motorcycle title in 2002 was in good company on the podium at Brno on Sunday, a day when his hero Valentino Rossi also won the MotoGP race. No stranger to glory, Kornfiel was on the podium in four of the eight races of the season, including three victories. In contrast to Fagerhaug, who had a brilliant start to the season, the young Czech turned up the heat in the second half of the season with three victories in the last four races. Kornfiel was rewarded with a KTM offroad motorcycle for his title so he can continue his passion off the road racing track as well as on it.
Results: Round 8 of 8
2. Jakub Kornfiel, Czech Republic, KTM 29:11.410
2. Sturla Fagerhaug, Norway, KTM, 29:11.589
3. Jacob Gagne, USA, KTM, 29:11.960
4. Daijiro Hiura, Japan, KTM, 29:12.255
5. Mathew Scholtz, South Africa, KTM, 29:14.809
Final Championship Standings
1. Jakub Kornfiel, Czech Republic, 132 points Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion
2. Sturla Fagerhaug, Norway, 130
3. Daijiro Hiura, Japan, 104
4. Danny Kent, Britain, 96
5. Florian Marino, France, 94
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| Title and KTM Offroad machine to Jakub Kornfiel
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| Sturla Fagerhaug offers sporting handshake to cup winner Kornfiel
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| Glorious home win for Jakub Kornfiel |
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