Ivo Monticelli entered the first turn in the wheeltracks of his KRT teammate in race one but was unfortunate to be hit from behind as he throttled back for the corner. Pushed downfield to seventeenth by the incident the Italian confirmed the confidence he has gained since joining KRT to regain ninth place by the end of the first lap and had advanced impressively to seventh by half-distance. A mistake cost him two places but he was recovering again until another incident left him trapped under his bike in the middle of the track for several minutes. Medical examination revealed no broken bones but it was decided not to risk starting race two.
Ivo Monticelli: “The day started well with tenth in timed practice and I got a really good jump at the gate. I was around 4th going into the first turn but Jonass hit my bike and he was stuck in my rear wheel; I had a really good first lap and after ten minutes I was seventh; I felt comfortable and could go in a good group with Herlings and Seewer but then I had a small crash to lose two positions and I started to get a little arm pump. I crashed hard in a compression and was stuck under the bike; I didn’t lose consciousness but I had a small concussion so we decided not to start race two. It was not a good day for results but the speed was there and we look forward to England.“
Words and pic: Kawasaki
