Strong Comeback for Alberto Forato at MXGP of Turkey

After seven weeks on the sidelines due to injury, Alberto Forato made a strong return to racing at the MXGP of Turkey. The Fantic Factory Racing MXGP rider immediately showed in Afyonkarahisar that his speed is still there. With a seventh-place finish in the opening race and fifteenth in the second, he finished twelfth overall. Jörgen-Matthias Talviku secured fifteenth place overall.

Forato only received medical clearance to resume riding ten days before travelling to Turkey. Despite the limited preparation time, the Italian immediately felt comfortable on his Fantic XXF 450. He set the eighth-fastest time in qualifying before finishing tenth in the qualifying race.

On Sunday, Forato continued to make progress. In the opening race, he showed strong pace and good physical condition, riding to an impressive seventh-place finish.

In the second race, however, luck was not on his side. Shortly after the start, a stone hit his motorcycle, resulting in a technical issue. As a result, Forato was unable to ride at his normal level, but he refused to give up and still brought his Fantic home in fifteenth place. With a 7-15 score, he finished twelfth overall.

Alongside Forato, Jörgen-Matthias Talviku once again lined up for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP. The Estonian rider was initially brought in as a replacement for Forato, but remained part of the team in Turkey as Brent Van Doninck continues to recover from the rib injury he sustained in Sweden.
Talviku had several strong starts, but his weekend was mainly defined by crashes. He made a good start in the qualifying race, but after two crashes, his motorcycle was damaged and he was unable to finish the race.

Talviku also made a strong start to the opening race. At the end of the first lap, he was running inside the top eight when he suffered a heavy crash. Once again, his motorcycle was damaged and he was forced to retire.

In the second race, Talviku managed to regroup and crossed the finish line in fourteenth place. This placed him fifteenth overall.

Alberto Forato:
“It felt great to be back, although in terms of results it was also a weekend of mixed emotions. I rode a very good first race, finishing seventh, and I felt comfortable on the bike. It’s just a shame about the bad luck in the second race. It looks like I was hit by a stone shortly after the start, which caused a problem with the bike and meant I could no longer push properly.

“But I’m not someone who gives up easily, so I kept riding. It wasn’t easy to make it to the finish, but I’m very happy to be back. I really wanted to be here. Once again, thank you to everyone who made this possible!”

Jörgen-Matthias Talviku:
“The weekend started quite well and in the first few laps I had the confidence to make some good moves. The start of the qualifying race was especially strong, but then I crashed out quite early and wasn’t able to gain any more experience on the track.

“In the first race, I again had a couple of really good opening corners. At the end of the first lap I was inside the top eight, but then I had a heavy crash. The bike was damaged again and I couldn’t continue. Before the final race, I tried to regroup, but I didn’t have the confidence and my riding wasn’t great.

“I’m not used to these circumstances either, but I’ve learned a lot from the team over the past few weeks. Of course, I want better results, but things don’t change overnight. We’ll keep working on it.”