A challenging French GP proved a tough test for the Fantic squad, but Alberto Forato and the Fantic XXF 450 ended the weekend with a well-earned top-8 finish in MXGP race 2. In EMX125, Gennaro Utech came close to claiming his first podium aboard the Fantic XX 125, finishing fourth overall.
Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
After a five-week break, the FIM Motocross World Championship was finally back in action with the sixth round of the season at Lacapelle Marival. The French weekend proved particularly demanding due to high temperatures and a tricky track to master. For Alberto Forato and Brent Van doninck, the GP got off to a challenging start, as the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP duo finished Saturday’s qualifying race in 14th and 19th respectively.
Following some setup changes, both Forato and Van doninck found a better feeling ahead of Sunday’s races. After an encouraging eighth place in warm-up, “Alby” lost ground in the opening stages of race 1 following a tip-over on lap 1. Despite that, he fought his way back to 15th, just behind his Belgian teammate in 14th.
A hectic start to race 2 then saw Van doninck involved in a first-turn crash at the restart following the red flag. Remounting from the back of the field, Brent posted competitive lap times and fought his way back to 17th place – the same position he secured overall for the weekend. Meanwhile, Forato showed all his determination to finish the French GP on a high: eighth at the chequered flag in race 2, he secured a hard-earned top-10 overall finish.
Alberto Forato:
“We turned the weekend around with a good second race. In race 1, I crashed on the opening lap and then spent quite a few laps stuck behind another rider. Once I got past him, my pace was actually pretty good. I was not happy with 15th place, but we tried to reset ahead of race 2. I got a decent start and fortunately managed to avoid the chaos in the first corner. With P8 in the race and 10th overall, I can be quite happy, considering how the weekend started. We made a few changes between Saturday and Sunday and gathered some useful information. I am feeling good and ready to go again in Germany next weekend!”
Brent Van doninck:
“Results may not show it yet, but I already felt better compared to the previous GPs. My ankle has improved a lot, and we are continuing to work on the bike as well. The track here was really unique, and I think a lot of riders struggled with the setup, just like I did. The conditions were tricky and we saw a lot of crashes – and my thoughts are with Thibault Benistant, we all wish him the best. I went down at the start, but luckily, I am all good. I fought hard and came back to 17th after the start crash. We leave this GP in one piece, take the positives and keep moving in the right direction. There are still a lot of GPs and plenty of opportunities ahead. I am looking forward to Teutschenthal next week.”
Fantic Factory Racing EMX
Lacapelle Marival saw the EMX125 back in action too – and the Fantic Factory Racing EMX riders wasted no time in getting up to speed. Gennaro Utech secured third place in his time practice group, with teammate Bertram Thorius just a few tenths behind in sixth.
At the start of race 1, the Fantic XX 125 machines were right in the mix again, as both riders got off to strong starts and immediately joined the battle at the front. Thorius held second place for much of the race before dropping one position, but he never gave up. While trying to regain the runner-up spot, he crashed hard on a jump with three laps to go. Fortunately, he was quickly back on his feet. He remounted and crossed the line in ninth place. Utech spent most of the race battling for fourth place. A solid performance in demanding conditions earned him fifth place, with the fight for the overall podium very much alive.
In a hard-fought race 2, Thorius put on a show as he battled for second place throughout, only losing out to his direct rival in the closing stages and crossing the line in third. However, a 10-position penalty dropped him down to 13th place, as he was deemed not to have slowed sufficiently under waved yellow flags.
Utech, who had once again finished fifth after another encouraging performance, was therefore promoted to fourth in the race and secured fourth overall as well – his best result of the season and an important boost of confidence ahead of the upcoming rounds. The EMX125 series will return in two weeks’ time in Latvia, with Thorius now sitting fifth in the provisional standings, while Utech has moved up to eighth.
Gennaro Utech:
“I am happy with the weekend, we showed some really positive things. After a good qualifying session, I got off to a great start in race 1. I found myself in fourth and, despite a few small mistakes and very demanding heat, I managed to finish fifth. I got another strong start in race 2 and crossed the line in fifth again, before being promoted to fourth in both the race and the overall classification, and most importantly not too far from the podium. During the break, the team and I worked a lot on the starts and it definitely paid off. Now we need to keep building on this, with the goal of improving even more.”
Bertram Thorius:
“I felt good on the track this weekend and had two strong starts. In race 1, I was pushing hard to try and regain second place, but I had a big crash on a jump with three laps to go. Luckily, I was able to continue, even though my bike was pretty banged up. In race 2, the rider behind me was putting me under pressure for the whole race and managed to get past me towards the end, but I still crossed the line in third, which would have given me fourth overall and some valuable points. The penalty was unfortunate, I did not see the yellow flag, but we learn from it and move forward to Kegums, Latvia.”
