Bruno Miró gave MotorLand Aragón a result to remember on Sunday, winning the combined Élite-MX1 and MX2 race outright on an MX2 bike. José Antonio Butrón crossed the line eight seconds behind him, yet still took his second MX1 victory of the weekend. Two class winners, but only one rider first to the chequered flag.
The Campeonato de España de Motocross (CEMX) is Spain's national championship, bringing Spanish and international riders together across several classes. Its headline categories are MX1, featuring the larger 450cc four-stroke bikes, and MX2, raced on 250cc machines, with both two-strokes and four-strokes permitted. At MotorLand, they share the track while scoring points in separate championships.
Saturday had set up a very different Sunday story. Butrón won the opening race by just 0.677 seconds from Víctor Alonso on the Ducati, with Gerard Congost only 0.920 seconds behind the winner. Miró took his first MX2 victory and finished fifth among the combined field. A day later, he went four places better, beating every MX1 bike to the line. Salvador Pérez, who was born in Spain and represents Brazil, was next in MX2 and third on the road, while Congost finished fourth overall and second in MX1.
From trackside, the smell of dust and exhaust hangs in the air. Get close enough to take the pictures you want, and flecks of dirt and mud will hit you. The riders launch over jump after jump, whipping their bikes sideways before landing and immediately preparing for the next turn of the twisting Motorland circuit. The amount of airtime is astonishing; the focus it takes to land and tackle the next turn is just as impressive.
By the end of the weekend, Butrón had a perfect pair of MX1 race wins and the overall class victory, ahead of Congost and Alonso. Miró matched that double in MX2, with Elías Escandell second for the weekend and Salvador Pérez third. But the image that stays with me is Sunday's finish: Miró on his MX2 bike, ahead of every MX1 rider. That takes some doing.
