The Circuito Internazionale d’Abruzzo in Ortona hosted the second round of the CIV Junior series last weekend. Among the competitors in the FIM MiniGP Italy Series Ohvale 190 was 14-year-old Dutch rider Jaylen Korporaal. Despite a challenging weekend, he finished on a high note with a fourth-place result in Race 2.

Challenging Start to the Weekend

Friday’s free practice sessions were all about getting familiar with the track, as Korporaal had not been able to train there beforehand—unlike many of his Italian rivals. Despite this disadvantage, his team managed to fine-tune the bike, and lap times steadily improved throughout the day.

Saturday started well with a solid final practice, giving Korporaal confidence heading into qualifying. However, the first session didn’t go as planned, with lap times falling short of his best from free practice. Hopes of improvement in the second session were dashed when rain hit, forcing the session to be run on a wet track. As a result, Korporaal secured P11 on the starting grid.

Sprint Race

Despite the wet conditions in Q2, the Sprint Race took place on a dry track later that day. Korporaal fought his way through the field in some intense battles and finished ninth. Lorenzo Fino claimed victory, followed by Vincenzo Di Veroli and ‘Luchino’ Luca Rizzi.

Race 1

A strong start in Race 1 was undone by a small mistake in Turn 1, dropping Korporaal to 13th. He fought back to P11 before suffering a highside crash. Despite the setback, he remounted and managed to finish in 11th place. The race was dominated by Fino, who led from start to finish, crossing the line six seconds ahead of Di Veroli and Matteo Mancini.

Race 2 – A Strong Comeback

Race 2 took an unexpected turn as rain started falling just before the start. Initially, riders lined up on slick tires, but race officials ordered a mandatory tire change due to worsening conditions. Once the race got underway on wet tires, Korporaal made a brilliant start, moving from 11th to sixth in the first corner. He thrived in the tricky conditions, eventually climbing to fourth. With track conditions deteriorating further, race officials red-flagged the race after eight laps, securing Korporaal a well-earned fourth-place finish. Rizzi handled the wet track best, taking the win ahead of Fino and Simone Vianello.

Championship Standings

After two race weekends, Korporaal sits fifth in the overall standings with 44 points. Fino leads comfortably with 107 points, followed by Rizzi (71) and Mancini (62).

Jaylen Korporaal:

“This is a really tough track, and not being able to train here beforehand made it even harder. We had to make a lot of adjustments to the bike throughout the weekend, but in the end, we managed a fourth place in Race 2, and I’m really happy with that. Despite the challenges, I’m still fifth in the championship standings. Now, it’s time to focus on the next race in Modena.”

The third round of the CIV Junior series will take place at Autodromo di Modena on July 6-7.