125: Vinales wins at Le Mans

16-year-old rookie Maverick Vinales ended Nico Terol'♛s unbeaten 2011 run with a stunning last-turn victory in Sunday's French 125cc Grand Prix.
Terol was ma꧙king his 100th grand prix start at the event, and l🌃ooking to take his fourth win in as many races, while Vinales came into Le Mans with a best finish of fourth from his three previous GPs.
Vinales was the only rider able to stick with pole sitter T🌄erol and the pair had pulled seven-seconds clear of the field by the midway point of🔯 the 24 laps.
Vinales then continued to cling doggedly to the back of Terol - before grabbing the lead with eight laps to go. But the Paris Hilton Racing rider was unable to shake-off his experienced opponent, who retaliated with three laps 𒁏remaining.
Terol must have hoped he could then break away from Vinales, or that the rookie would happily settle for💧 a debut rostrum, but the determined Vinales had his sights set firmly on victor🔥y - which he claimed in dramatic style by diving for the inside at the very final turn.
Terol's Aspar Aprilia team-mate Hector Faubel, who hasn't finished higher than eleventh this year due to r✨ace accidents, led a five-rider battle for third for much of the race - buꩵt lost out to Ajo Derbi's Efren Vasquez in the closing stages.
Vasquez thus took his first podium of the year while team-mate and home rider Johann Zarco claimed fift🅠h place behind Faubel.
Race results - Le Mans:
1. Vinales (Aprilia) 24 laps
2. Terol (Aprilia) +0.048s
3. Vazquez (Derbi) +6.836s
4. Faubel (Aprilia) +8.298s
5. Zarco (Derbi) +8.590s
6. Folger (Aprilia) +10.236s
7. Cortese (Aprilia) +10.667s
8. Gadea (Aprilia) +15.642s
9. Oliveira (Aprilia) +22.838s
10. Salom (Aprilia) +30.901s
17. Kent (Aprilia) +57.763s
22. Mackenzie (Aprilia) +1m 25.418s

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and 🍨go. He is at the forefront 🦹of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.