It was an early start for Miguel and the Comtrend racing team on Saturday the 12th of April. The sun was barely up and already there was a faint hum of bike engines and a smell of petrol in the air at Jarama. Thankfully there was no rain, but it was a cool bright day and the track was cold. Tire warmers were on the bikes and fuel requirements were being carefully calculated within box 22 in preparation for the qualifications. The hard work and preparations were only interrupted for the briefing session at 9.30.

Qualification

After the briefing it was time to put on the racing suit and some last minute checks to the bike in preparation for the qualification.  There was a 30min qualifying session which begun at 10.50.  It started well but 10 minutes into the session a red flag, which nobody likes to see, was waved in the middle of the track.  The session was stopped due to a suspected oil spillage on the track.  This meant back to the boxes, back on with the tire warmers while the riders waited to be called to the track again to finish the qualifying session.  After a short wait it was back on the track for Miguel to try to produce some qualifying laps.

At the beginning of the second part of the session Miguel did not feel comfortable with the bike, he felt there was something wrong with the pressure of the tyres.  He knew that it would cost him precious time but he pulled into the pit and went to the Michelin stand to check the tyre pressure.  As he suspected it was not right.  After some quick adjustments and not much time left in the session it was back onto the track. Miguel produced a time of 1:50.09.  With this time recorded the session was finished, now began the wait to see if it was good enough to qualify for the challenge.

The Challenge

After what seemed like an eternity the list of riders to take part in the Challenge was released.  There it was at number 28 on the grid, Miguel Vicario-Alonso.  He had made it!  After the initial excitement wore off, realization of the task ahead began to settle into Miguel and his team.  He was really going to be racing. The wait for the race was a long and anxious time, particularly as it was delayed due to a crash in the previous race.

Finally, it is 3 o’clock and the race was about to begin.  As Miguel waits in position on the starting grid he is remarkably calm and enjoying the atmosphere.  It is 1 minute to the start and all non-riders have to leave the track.  Engines are started, the red light goes green and the race begins.  The noise and excitement is unbelievable.  Miguel gets a great start moving from 28th place to 21st.   He maintains this position gaining time with each lap.  The race finishes after 7 laps with Miguel finishing in 24th place gaining 4 places from his starting position.  The first race day finishes on a high!

Now begins the wait for the next race on the 17th of May where the success of this race will hopefully be repeated.  

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