Brazilian talent Bernardo Tiburcio made a serious statement on his EMX250 debut, turning heads across the paddock with a standout performance in very rough, sandy conditions—terrain that is almost completely foreign to him coming from Brazil. Despite that, the young rider showed impressive speed and composure, bouncing back from adversity to secure a remarkable third place finish in race two on his EMX250 debut.
Tiburcio’s weekend didn’t come without its challenges. Running an impressive fifth in the opening race, his hopes of a top result were dashed by a heavy crash in the closing stages. Still, the Brazilian chose to focus on the positives and rightly so!
“Thank you very much. Yesterday, I had a good race, but in the last two laps I had a big crash in the jump, but very good race, I liked it. And today, very good start, good pace and amazing race. I am very happy. No, in Brazil we don’t have any sand. None whatsoever. I trained a little bit of sand with Carlos (Campano) before coming here but this is amazing. Very, very happy. Of course, I am surprised to have been this good”, Tiburcio told GateDrop.com.
If race one showed his potential, race two confirmed it. Tiburcio delivered an outstanding ride to claim third place, running with—and battling against—some of the most established riders in the EMX250 class. With each lap, his confidence continued to build:
“Every lap I’m feeling better and better and that’s it. Of course, I enjoyed my EMX250 debut a lot. I liked it very much and I’m very happy. I’m so happy that I was able to battle with the top guys in the class.”
While the result may have exceeded expectations, Tiburcio remains grounded in his approach. The Brazilian is fully aware that this is a learning year as he adapts to racing in Europe, new tracks, and different conditions:
“I just want to learn things. It is my first year here racing. The goal is to just learn, learn, learn. Next up we’ve got Switzerland. This will be more like the tracks that we have Brazil – a hard pack track. I’m excited for this. I like ruts, in Brazil we have more ruts in hard pack and I’m feeling good”.
A key part of his rapid progression has been his preparation alongside former GP rider Carlos Campano, with the pair putting in valuable time on the bike ahead of the season:
“At the beginning of this year, I’m staying with Carlos and I very like it. Last week we rode in the sand to keep learning and it is going very good”, Tiburcio concluded.
All things considered, Tiburcio’s debut could hardly have gone better. To arrive in Europe, tackle the sand for the first time, and come away with a moto podium is no small feat. With his confidence growing and more familiar conditions on the horizon, the Brazilian has firmly established himself as one to watch as the EMX250 season unfolds – he should only get better from here.
