American rider Kensei Matsudaira began the San Nicolás round with a standout victory in Race 1, then backed it up with second place in Race 2 and another runner-up finish in Race 3, securing an impressive three-race podium streak.
Palestinian-American Madhi Salem showed impressive consistency across the event, reaching the podium in all three races with a second-place finish in Race 1, followed by two third-place results in Races 2 and 3.
American Ulises Weyrauch finished 6th-4th-6th in the three races. American Aidan Hancock scored points in all three races, finishing 9th-9th-11th.
More from a press release issued by Teams Roberts:
Team Roberts Rider Kensei Matsudaira Takes Victory and Championship Lead in Moto4 Latin Cup Round 3 in Argentina.
Team Roberts rider Kensei Matsudaira raced in Round 3 of the FIM Mobil Moto4 Latin Cup at Autódromo San Nicolás, Argentina where he took his first victory of the season in the championship. Kensei followed up the victory with two second-place finishes in the second and third races of the weekend which saw Kensei extend his 6-race podium streak and take over the lead in the championship.
Kensei showed strong pace from the first day of the race weekend, topping 4 out of the 5 free practice sessions in cold and windy conditions at a track he had never ridden before. However, some issues in qualifying ended up putting Kensei 6th on the grid after a single 15 minute qualifying session that set the grid position for all 3 races for the weekend.
Despite the less than ideal starting position, Kensei quickly worked his way forward at the start of all 3 races and lead the majority of the race laps all weekend. With the track layout having long straights with many opportunities for drafts, Kensei couldn’t make a break at the front and battled hard exchanging positions frequently in the top group. In race 1, Kensei took a hard-fought victory making a last-lap last-corner pass to take his first win of the season. In races 2 and 3, Kensei was just beaten to the finish line after final corner battles favored other riders.
With his speed and consistency, Kensei now takes over the championship lead at the halfway point of the season, with 18.5 points separating him from his closest rival.
“I’m really happy to take my first win in the championship after fighting at the front in every race we’ve had so far, losing just at the end with the draft. A little disappointed with the results of race 2 and 3 where I just missed the win in both, the effect of the draft here was big and with 6 to 8 riders in the top group in every race, I needed to manage the risk so I’m happy to leave here with two more 2nd place finishes and the championship lead. From the beginning of the weekend to the end, I was able to show my pace and always be in the front so I’m happy about that. Now it’s time to switch back to MotoAmerica and hopefully get some more wins back home in the US.”
Arney Wick, Team Roberts Co-Principal: “Once again, words cannot express the pride we have for the way Kensei and his father Kuni handle their affairs on race day and obviously this leads to consistent finishes whether it is participating in the Latin Cup in Argentina this weekend or the upcoming MotoAmerica round at The Ridge next weekend. Consistency wins championships and thus far, Kensei has been on the podium in every race so far this season. How could we ask for more from this young man?”
The next round on the Moto4 Latin Cup calendar will be held at Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina on September 4-6.
Kensei will be back in action next week on the Team Roberts Krämer APX-350 MA at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington for round 4 of the MotoAmerica Talent Cup.
Team Roberts is supported by: Fastrack Racing, Fujico, Slacker, and Liqui Moly.
Kensei Matsudaira is supported by: Team Roberts, Fastrack Racing, Iconic Motorbikes, Bullit Electric, Dave Designs, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Yoshimura R&D, California Superbike School, Team Dunlop Road Race Elite, Evike.com Airsoft Superstore, Slacker, Moto Tecnica, Ohvale USA, Apex Motorsports Park, TJ Corse, NLAB Studio & Wraps, CRA, Almassera El
Teular, Project Slush, Bickle Racing, 1 Easy Day, Karen E. Ott Photography, VNM Sport, D.I.D Chain, Vortex Racing, 73 Moto Parts, MadLabs Minimoto, Martino Designs, and KiwiMoto72.
