Fantic Factory Racing finishes MXGP of France with a top ten result
The Fantic Factory Racing MXGP team endured a tough and demanding weekend at the MXGP of France in Lacapelle-Marival. High temperatures and a treacherous track made things anything but easy for the riders during the sixth round of the World Championship. Nevertheless, the team managed to finish the weekend with a top ten result.
After a five-week break, the World Championship returned to action, and for Alberto Forato and Brent Van doninck the weekend got off to a difficult start. The duo finished Saturday’s qualifying race in fourteenth and nineteenth place respectively.
Following several setup changes, both riders found a better feeling on the bike ahead of Sunday’s races. Forato immediately showed the improvement by finishing eighth in the warm-up session.
However, in the opening race the Italian lost time after crashing on the opening lap. Despite this setback, he fought his way back to fifteenth place, just behind teammate Van doninck, who crossed the line in fourteenth.
The second race turned into a chaotic affair. After a red flag, a major crash occurred in the first corner immediately following the restart, involving Van doninck. The Belgian had to come back from last place but posted strong lap times and battled his way back to seventeenth place, which was also his overall finishing position for the weekend.
Forato ended the weekend on a positive note with a strong second race. The Italian secured eighth place and with that result claimed a hard-fought top ten finish in the overall classification.
Alberto Forato:
“We managed to turn the weekend around with a good second race. In the first moto I crashed on the opening lap and then got stuck behind another rider for several laps. Once I passed him, my pace was actually pretty good. I wasn’t happy with fifteenth place, but we tried to reset for the second race. I got a decent start and luckily avoided the chaos in the first corner. With an eighth place finish in the moto and a top ten overall, I can be quite satisfied in the end, especially considering how the weekend started. We made a few changes between Saturday and Sunday and gathered useful information. I feel good and I’m ready for Germany next weekend!”
Brent Van doninck:
“The results may not fully show it yet, but I already felt better than at the previous Grand Prix. My ankle has improved a lot and we are continuing to work on the bike as well. The track here was very unique and I think many riders struggled with the setup, just like I did. The conditions were tricky and we saw a lot of crashes. My thoughts are with Thibault Benistant and we all wish him the best. I crashed at the start, but fortunately I’m completely okay. I fought hard and managed to recover to seventeenth place after the start crash. We leave this GP healthy, take the positives with us and keep making steps in the right direction. There are still many Grands Prix to come and plenty of opportunities ahead. I’m looking forward to Teutschenthal next week.”
