MADRID, 31 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish sport is going smoothly. The metaphor fits perfectly to the summary of the year that ends on the many successes of Spanish motor racing in its different disciplines. Pedro Acosta, Jaume Masiá, Toni Bou, Jorge Prado, Álex Palou, Álvaro Bautista, Daniela Guillén or Marta García: new champions, some who repeat and others like Bou who only know how to win, left the flag high.
2023 was special for all of them. For Acosta, motorcycling world champion in the Moto2 category, it was a knock on the table, winning in his second year in the intermediate displacement. The one from Mazarrón, Moto3 champion in 2021, used his experience to continue improving at 19 years old and won another World Championship with authority.
The Championship par excellence of speed on two wheels left another world title for Spain, that of Jaume Masiá in Moto3. A highly sought after success and on the horn, when his future began to be in jeopardy due to the lack of results. After seven years in the category, the Valencian tasted glory in a hostile outcome, at the limit of the regulations, in the battle with Ayumu Sasaki.
Meanwhile, in MotoGP, the premier category, Jorge Martín, also Spaniard, finished second in the World Championship but fought until the last race with the Italian Francesco Bagnaia. The Madrid native stretched his chances of being champion to Valencia, although few after Lusail.
In addition, Spanish motorcycling made motocross history with the first MXGP world title for Jorge Prado. The 22-year-old Galician dominated the top category from start to finish to demonstrate the potential that he taught from a very young age. And Prado was the youngest world champion in history, after winning the 65 cc title in 2011 at just ten years old, and also the youngest European champion, doing so at the age of fourteen.
Present and future was also demonstrated by Daniela Guillén, runner-up in the motocross world at the age of 17, completing an entire Championship without leaving the podium. In addition, the also Catalan Josep García was proclaimed champion of the Enduro 1 World Championship, after having won the E2 championships in 2017 and 2021.
For Toni Bou, 2023 continued with his routine of world titles, which is now up to 34. The 37-year-old trial rider has won the indoor and outdoor Championships for 17 years. The Trial GP and
Álex Palou and Álvaro Bautista won double world titles in IndyCar and Superbikes. The Catalan triumphed again in the United States, as in 2021, while the Talavera native defended his crown in the WorldSBK, with the added bonus of doing so in Jerez.
In addition, Formula 1, beyond Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on a national level, held its first Championship for female drivers in 2023 and a Spanish woman took the victory. Marta García, 23 years old, conquered the F1 Academy with the seventh victory of the season, writing the history of her as the first in her record.