The 2025 season ends with a smile in Valencia

Friday, November 14th

Free Practice 1 kicked off the final weekend of the season in Valencia with both Snipers riders immediately showing strong pace, despite the track being far from ideal conditions.
Jesus Rios put in an impressive first run, even breaking into the Top 10 for a time and showing instant confidence on the Valencia layout.
Nicola Carraro also had a solid start, settling into 11th place early on and confirming a good initial feeling.
In the second run, both Rios and Carraro continued to improve their time attacks, working on race pace and building feeling with the still low-grip asphalt in the early morning.

Track conditions improved significantly in the afternoon thanks to the sun warming the surface, allowing both riders to drop their lap times considerably.
From the opening minutes of the session, the two Snipers riders looked competitive, ending the first run in provisional positions for direct access to Q2.v Jesus Rios further confirmed his speed in the second run: the young Spaniard delivered a solid and sharp session, finishing 7th and earning his first direct Q2 entry in just his second Grand Prix appearance.
Nicola Carraro also impressed with a strong final flying lap, which unfortunately was canceled by Race Direction. This means he’ll start from Q1 on Saturday, but the pace and feeling shown in the afternoon remain very encouraging.

Saturday, November 15th

Lap times consistent with Friday afternoon’s close out FP2 time attacks, a session both riders used to test new solutions—especially in the early laps—to find the best setup ahead of qualifying.
Once again, Jesus Rios proved sharp on the Valencian track: his fastest lap came mid-session, earning him 9th place. In the second half of the session, the young Spaniard focused on race pace, clocking steady and clean laps.
Nicola Carraro also showed solid progression. Though finishing slightly further back in the time attack, he worked almost entirely alone—without slipstreams—testing different setups and maintaining a pace very close to the front-runners, including his teammate.

Carraro started strong in Q1, leading the timesheets early on. After a tyre change, he launched his decisive lap but was blocked by another rider, who then caused a yellow flag the next lap—nullifying what could have been a Q2-worthy time.
This left Jesus Rios as the sole Snipers representative in Q2. The team opted for a single run without tyre change, sending him out with nine minutes to go. Traffic again became a limiting factor, preventing him from getting a clean lap in at the key moment. He finished just outside the top 15, but the overall feedback and pace remain encouraging ahead of race day.

Sunday, November 16th

Even in the final race of 2025, both Snipers riders delivered a strong start: Jesus Rios immediately broke into the top 15, while Nicola Carraro gained two positions in the opening meters.
Rios was quick and precise in the early stages, pulling off a series of assertive overtakes and staying glued to the leading group without losing touch. Carraro, right in the thick of a tight battle to edge closer to the points zone, defended his position with determination while trying to close the gap to the riders ahead.

Rios continued his charge through the middle part of the race, narrowing in on the top 10. The young Spaniard joined a trio slightly behind the front runners and fought aggressively to take over 10th place.
The middle phase was also crucial for Carraro. After being overtaken and forced wide, he lost a few spots, but found a strong pace again in the final laps and steadily closed the gap to the group in front.

Nicola pulled off two solid overtakes in the closing laps, finishing just outside the points but making up several positions from the start. Meanwhile, the battle for the top 10 saw Jesus Rios come out on top—crossing the line in 9th place and scoring his first World Championship points in only his second Grand Prix. A confidence boost that closes both the weekend and the 2025 season on a high, looking ahead to 2026.

Comments

Nicola Carraro is already getting ready for the first tests before taking a break:
“I’m a bit disappointed to have finished the race further back, even though I recovered some positions, but I’m very confident because in just a week we’ll have the first tests to start working well and begin improving for 2026. Only after that will it be time to rest a bit. I really want to thank the team and the sponsors for this season and all their support.”

Jesus Rios wraps up his second race and the season on the right foot:
“It was a weekend that started off well, improving little by little until achieving a P7. I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the bike — there’s still room for improvement, but we’re making progress step by step. A great 9th place to take home with my first World Championship points, in just my second race. I’m really happy with the work my team did over the weekend and I want to thank both the team and my sponsors.”