[jalsa777]

Riccardo Moretti, Mahindra Racing Team's lead driver in the 125GP Italian Championship won from pole position in the season opening race at the Mugello Circuit. The second driver of the team, Sarath Kumar, did not finish due to a technical issue.

Qualifying;
The championship follows a 2 session qualifying.
Moretti finished fastest in both the sessions and thus started from pole position. Kumar qualified on the 8th row and the 22nd spot on the grid.
He was lucky to have not been injured in a crash he suffered in the second qualifying session (wet session).

Race:
Moretti got a fantastic start of the race and he both maintained and quickly extended his leadership on the opponents. Kumar, on the other hand, didn't get the best start but he was able to settle into a good rhythm and to overtake several riders ahead of him. As the race went into its second half Moretti's advantage on the runner-up grew to ten seconds and he continued on to eventually win the race, while Kumar kept pushing hard before retiring due to a technical problem with three laps to go.




Riccardo Moretti :

"We started this season in the best way possible. My start from the grid was a good one and since I was in the lead I tried to push at my best to get the best margin possible. I was able to do so and that allowed me to just manage the advantage in the second part of the race. During the course of the week-end I got to know both bike and time much better and I can say we're still not at 100% but surely there's good room for improvements. I would like to thank my team that gave me a very competitive bike and I'm looking forward to the next event, that will take place at Imola."

Sarath Kumar :

"It's been a very good experience for me, despite the technical problem that didn't allow me to finish the race. I learned a lot, though. I didn't get the perfect start but my race pace was not so bad. Next time I will do better, I'm sure."

MotoGP India | MotoGP Racing | MotoGP News | MotoGP Race | Super Bikes | Moto 125 - Mahindra Racing

[Fordmanchau]

Congratulations to MRT!!
That's a sweet win. A 10 second lead is huge.
Any details on the bike?

[prmd_cochin]

Surprised the media didn't cover this in India. Good going Mahindra. Now we need Bajaj and Hero entering the 125, 250 cc moto-gp and start showing to the world how far we have come as a nation.

[jalsa777]

Mahindra Racing wins 2nd time in a row in the Italian Championship. Riccardo Moretti wins at the second round at Imola. Sarath Kumar came 7th, winning his first ever points on the international circuit. This is an improvement for Sarath considering he was only 22nd fastest at the previous round's qualifying.

Anand Mahindra – VC and MD – Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.:

“ We are ecstatic about our second consecutive win in the Italian Championship today. Riccardo Moretti has shown tremendous skill and expertise in negotiating the circuit under damp conditions. We are particularly proud of our fellow Indian Sarath Kumar for scoring his first ever International points.”

Sarath Kumar:

“It is a great great feeling of pride and satisfaction for having scored my first points in an International championship. I am thankful to all the encouragement and support given to me by my team, my manager and the Mahindra Group.”