Racing Steps Foundation-backed KRP riders Wayne Ryan and Kyle Ryde delivered a podium apiece in the CEV Moto3 double header at Catalunya today to underline their potential as legitimate front runners in the series.

Ryan - who had signalled his intentions in free practice and qualifying - set the benchmark for team-mate Ryde with a consummate ride in the wet first race to clinch his and KRP's maiden victory in the championship.

The Kent teenager converted second on the grid to an uncontested win in the treacherous conditions by a sizeable margin of 10 seconds ahead of Wild Wolf's Fabio Quartararo and DV Racing's Gabriel Rodrigo.

Aspar's main pre-race threat, pole winner Adrian Martin, was a virtual no-show, crashing out on the opening lap. The early exit left Ryan free to dictate terms at the head of the field after dispensing with early leader Luca Amato soon after the start.

From that point on he never looked back, pumping in three of the race's five fastest laps to progressively build up a 13.5 second lead over Quartararo before easing up on the final lap.

Only a last lap near high-side threatened his total start-to-finish dominance.

Ryde was not so fortunate. He ran marginally wide on the final lap, briefly making contact with a white line and slid out of the contention while challenging Rodrigo and Quartararo for one of the remaining podium places.

In the second of the day's wet encounters it was Ryan's turn to make an early exit, high-siding out of the running within seconds of the start while Ryde made an impressive getaway to shoot up from sixth on the grid to third.

Martin, starting from pole, made sure there was no repeat of his earlier faux pas fending off the early attentions of Estrella Galicia's Marcos Ramirez to retain the lead.

Once the preliminaries were over and done with, he then set about opening up a gap ahead of race one's podium finisher Rodrigo, with Ryde in tow.

Only Dutch Racing's Bryan Schouten disturbed the early order, taking advantage of Rodrigo's lap six exit to muscle by Ryde for second.

With Martin firmly in control at the front with an 8.5 second lead on the Dutchman, Ryde's hold on third appeared secure until Halcourier's Luca Amato mounted a late comeback.

The German, who had dropped from third on the grid to 16th on the opening lap, had gradually worked his way back up to fifth by mid-distance, eventually finding a way around Ramirez for fourth with five laps to go.

At that stage the gap to Ryde stood at just over two seconds. But by the start of the final lap it was down to seven-tenths as Amato delivered one fastest lap after another to close in for the kill.

But in spite of a final fastest lap from the German, Ryde managed to keep his rival at bay mustering his own best lap of the race to finish just under three-hundredths of a second clear.

Martin, who eased up on the last lap, clinched the win by 5.6s seconds from Schouten with Ryde following on a further three-tenths of a second behind.

"To finish on the podium felt really good after what happened in the first race," he said. "But it was hard towards the end with Amato catching up so quickly.

"Knowing I'd lost out on the final lap of the last race, meant I had to push on but be careful at the same time. So it all got very close at the end. But I managed to pull out my fastest lap to clinch it."

Ryan, who was quick to congratulate his team-mate, was left rueing his costly first lap error.

"The win in race one was a great way to start the season," he said. "I got a good start, tucked in behind Amato, went underneath him when he made a mistake and just pushed on from there trying not to make any mistakes of my own.

"The one big moment I did have came on the last lap. The rear of the bike came right round on me and threw me out of the seat. But I survived it and took the flag by a comfortable margin.

"Unfortunately that wasn't the case in the second race. I just wasn't careful enough at the start and high-sided. So instead of picking up extra points I was down and out and kicking myself."