The return to Brazil with the debut at the Goiânia circuit

Friday, March 20th

The debut at the Goiânia circuit did not begin under the best conditions: heavy overnight rain left excess water on the asphalt, causing a delay of about an hour before on-track activities could start. The riders therefore took to the track on a wet surface—conditions that were not ideal for fully exploring the limits of the Brazilian circuit, but still useful in case of similar weather during the weekend.
Nicola Carraro was the first among the Snipers riders to stand out in the early stages, moving close to the top positions and steadily improving his references lap after lap until the checkered flag, maximizing his confidence with the track in difficult conditions. A more cautious approach instead for Jesus Rios, who returned to the pits early to work on the bike setup and refine his feeling, which he found toward the end of the session by setting his personal best lap on the final run.

The rain stopped ahead of Practice, but the surface remained dirty and tricky, posing a challenge for all riders. While waiting for the track to gradually improve, both Rios and Carraro initially focused on race pace, completing longer runs without immediately using the time attack tire, managing their tires well and improving lap times step by step. In the second half of the session, progress also emerged on single-lap performance, with a noticeable drop in lap times and improved positions in the standings for both Snipers riders compared to the morning session.

Staurday, March 21st

Free Practice 2, the morning session of the second day, began with a track featuring dry racing lines but still tricky due to some damp patches. Despite this, the team expected significant improvements from the riders. The first part of the session was used by Nicola Carraro and Jesus Rios to get familiar with these mixed conditions, identifying new reference points and limits of the circuit.
A red flag interrupted the session halfway through, giving the team the opportunity to work on the setup and fit fresh tires ahead of the final time attack. During this push for maximum performance, Jesus Rios suffered a crash—fortunately without consequences—and was able to return to the track immediately and complete the session without further pit stops.
Despite the incident, the expectations for improvement were confirmed: both Rios and Carraro significantly lowered their lap times, ending the session with positive indications ahead of qualifying.

Problems at the Goiânia circuit continued into the afternoon, with qualifying delayed by more than two hours due to a section of asphalt giving way on the main straight, caused by ground instability from heavy rain. Once safety conditions were restored, the riders returned to the track: Rios immediately showed good confidence, improving his references on a fully dry surface for the first time during the weekend, closely followed by Carraro, who also posted competitive laps.
Numerous crashes in the short session led to several yellow flags, preventing the Snipers riders from completing some of their flying laps properly. Despite the progress and a limited gap to the top, both missed out on Q2, remaining in the second half of the starting grid for the Grand Prix but retaining confidence for a possible comeback in the race.

Sunday, March 22nd

Despite uncertain weather conditions, the race took place on a dry track, allowing the Snipers riders to make very effective starts and gain several positions as the lights went out.
In the opening laps, Jesus Rios managed the situation well, moving closer to the points and engaging in a tight battle with several rivals. Nicola Carraro, initially more cautious, quickly reduced the gap to the riders ahead, joining the fight and even overtaking his teammate.

Just past the halfway point of the race, a series of crashes brought out the red flag, stopping the race and leading to a 5-lap sprint restart. Both Snipers riders lined up in better positions compared to the original start, thanks to the overtakes completed in the first part of the race.

At the restart, both Carraro and Rios once again showed strong launches: Rios immediately moved into the points in the opening corners, while Carraro gained further positions, overtaking three more riders.
However, during the first lap after the restart, contact with another rider ended Jesus Rios’ comeback, forcing him to retire. Nicola Carraro, on the other hand, maintained his pace, continuing his progress all the way to the checkered flag and finishing in 17th position, gaining a total of six places and narrowly missing out on the points.

Comments

Nicola Carraro keeps his head high, ready to work with the team:
“It was a weekend with some difficulties, but the championship is long and we must not get discouraged—we’re ready to improve. We will continue to work hard to find the improvements we need.”

Jesus Rios is already focused on the next race weekend:
“I knew that in those 5 laps after the restart I had to push and I was ready to do well. Unfortunately, contact on track is part of racing and this time it went this way. Now we’ll prepare for the United States, working to improve right from the first time we go out on track.”