Forato and Talviku Strong at Motocross of Nations in Ernée

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Fantic Factory Racing MXGP can look back on a strong performance at the Motocross of Nations in Ernée. Alberto Forato and Jörgen-Matthias Talviku represented Italy and Estonia respectively, with both riders securing a top-ten finish in the individual MXGP classification aboard their Fantic XXF 450s. Forato finished fifth, while Talviku took tenth place.

The two Fantic riders immediately showed their speed during Saturday’s qualifying races. Forato made strong progress through the field and even came close to third place in the closing stages, eventually crossing the finish line in fourth. Talviku also delivered a strong qualifying race. The Estonian rider ran inside the top five during the early stages and eventually finished seventh. As a result, Italy started Sunday’s races from fourth position, while Estonia qualified directly for the A-Final in eleventh place.

In the first race, which featured the MXGP and MX2 riders competing together, Talviku ran inside the top five for a long time. Forato continued to move forward throughout the race and managed to pass his Fantic teammate in the closing stages. The Italian eventually finished sixth, while Talviku secured a strong eighth place.

The second and final race of the day proved more challenging. Both Forato and Talviku had less-than-ideal starts. Forato also encountered a small issue at the start and crashed, but he fought his way back from the rear of the field to an impressive twelfth place.

Talviku also suffered a crash and ultimately had to settle for 23rd place. Despite this, he finished tenth in the individual MXGP classification. His strong eighth-place finish in the opening race also made an important contribution to Estonia’s twelfth-place finish in the nations classification. Forato finished fifth in the MXGP class and helped Italy secure sixth place overall in the Motocross of Nations.

Alberto Forato:
“As Team Italy, we gave everything we had, but unfortunately the result we were hoping for was just out of reach. I think we could have fought for the podium, but things simply didn’t go our way. Still, there were a number of very positive things to take away from this weekend. I’m happy with my qualifying race, and in the first race I rode a solid race to sixth place. It’s just a little disappointing about the second race. After a small issue at the start and a crash, I gave everything I had and fought my way back to twelfth place. Thanks to everyone for the support. We had a great weekend!”

Jörgen-Matthias Talviku:
“It was a very good weekend. As Team Estonia, we did a great job on Saturday by qualifying directly for the A-Final. Personally, I had a very good qualifying race and finished seventh. I’ve been feeling good on the bike lately and really enjoyed the races, especially when I spent a long time running in fifth place during the first race. The second race was a little more difficult, but overall we can be happy with my tenth place overall and Estonia’s twelfth-place finish.”