The bold look of the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP x NILS livery and the energy of the home crowd provided the perfect backdrop to a special weekend. However, things didn’t quite come together in the races, with home hero Forato finishing 16th overall. In EMX125, Gennaro Utech placed seventh overall.
Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
Taking to the track with a one-off livery designed in collaboration with Fantic’s official partner NILS – Experts in lubricants, Alberto Forato and Brent Van doninck were determined to put on a show in front of a packed crowd, with 36,500 spectators attending over the weekend.
However, many factors need to come together to fight for a top result in the premier class of motocross, and this time luck was not on the side of the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP riders. Alberto Forato was running in a strong sixth place in Saturday’s qualifying race before a minor issue caused him to lose ground, eventually crossing the line in 18th, followed by his teammate Van doninck in 19th. A tough first race saw the Fantic pairing finish 14th and 17th respectively. Race 2 did not bring the hoped-for turnaround either, with Forato going down in turn one and Van doninck forced to retire later in the race after a heavy crash.
The positive news is that both riders are okay, and Forato still managed to score points in 19th despite another tip-over. Overall, 16th place was not what the Italian was hoping for on home soil, especially after his strong performances in Sardinia and Switzerland, where he secured sixth and seventh overall – clear signs that the feeling on the Fantic XXF 450 is there. The four-week break will give the team the perfect opportunity to continue the work, and the riders the chance to get back to full strength after an intense start to the MXGP season.
Alberto Forato:
“This is definitely not the result I wanted or expected from my home GP, especially as the pace was there to do well. In race 1, I lost a lot of ground at the start due to a crash in front of me. I managed to come back to 14th. I gave it everything I had, and that was the maximum I could achieve. In race 2, I crashed at the start. While trying to recover, I crashed again and couldn’t do better than 19th. Overall, the first five rounds of the MXGP season have still been positive. I am happy with the speed, and the feeling with my Fantic is improving more and more. Now we have a month to keep working and come back stronger in France.”
Brent Van doninck:
“I am still struggling with my ankle, but I wanted to score some decent points before the break, which should give me time to recover properly and get some more training in. Unfortunately, in race 2, Jeremy [Seewer] and I came together mid-air and crashed hard, but fortunately we were both lucky enough to get back up. It was a big one, but I am feeling alright. The bike was pretty banged up, so that was the main reason I pulled out. Now I will use these next few weeks to get back in shape and start pushing for my goals again.”
Fantic Factory Racing EMX
A weekend of mixed fortunes for the Fantic Factory Racing EMX team, which got off to a promising start with both Fantic XX 125 machines inside the top 3 of their time practice group. Bertram Thorius and Gennaro Utech also put in strong performances in race 1. Thorius got off to a great start and held second place for much of the race before crossing the line in fourth. His teammate Utech was solid as well, finishing sixth after a clean and consistent race.
With a double top-6 result in race 1, the Fantic riders were in contention for the overall podium heading into Sunday’s race 2. Things became difficult from the very first corner, however, when Thorius crashed and Utech found himself mid-pack. Within a few laps, the 17-year-old Italian had worked his way up to seventh. A mistake briefly dropped him out of the top 10, but by pushing all the way to the chequered flag, he recovered to eighth place, securing seventh overall – his best result of the season and, above all, a clear sign of progress.
Thorius, on the other hand, paid the price for pushing hard to recover, with two further crashes preventing him from finishing higher than 29th. Overall, he narrowly missed out on the top 10 in 11th place. He remains fourth in the championship standings, thanks to an impressive start to the season for the 15-year-old Danish talent, highlighted by a race win and his first EMX125 career podium in Spain. With a four-week break coming up, the action will resume in France on 23–24 May.
Gennaro Utech:
“It was an okay weekend: I was fastest in my qualifying group and finished sixth in race 1, despite a not ideal start. In race 2, I crashed when I was running seventh – a shame, as I could have come back and pushed closer to the podium. I finished eighth in the race and seventh overall, which is definitely a step in the right direction. We take all the positives and keep working ahead of France.”
Bertram Thorius:
“Saturday was good, while Sunday wasn’t the best. In race 1, I had a good start, but I was just missing a bit of speed compared to the top guys and finished fourth. In race 2, I crashed at the start, so I had to come from far back, and I crashed again… Sunday was not what I had hoped for. It is part of the sport – we just keep going and working towards France, as we have a four-week break now. We are still fourth in the championship, I am happy with the start of the season, we just need to keep going and be consistent. That is the key.”
