A year after securing his very first EMX250 European Championship podium at the Arco di Trento circuit, Alexis Fueri was naturally hoping to rediscover that same feeling on a track that had previously brought him success.
The MRT Beta rider approached the weekend with confidence, but luck wasn’t on his side. A heavy crash right at the start of the first moto on Saturday cut his hopes short. In pain and forced to grit his teeth on Sunday, the Frenchman reflects on a weekend that left its mark both physically and mentally.
“There was a bit of stress, maybe too much pressure. I’m struggling a bit with myself at the moment. I’m setting the bar a little too high. As a result, I want too much and, in the end, it backfires on me,” Fueri told Kevin Frelaud. “I didn’t get off to a bad start in the first moto, but I couldn’t get into fourth gear in the middle of the straight. I held third gear too long, the others came back at me, and I got pushed. It’s a racing incident, but it’s my fault. I had a big crash, I don’t remember much. I hurt my back. I got run over. I was covered in blood. When I got back to the truck, I felt some pain in my elbow and when I took off my jersey, it turned out I had two pretty nasty holes in my elbow. You could see the fat coming out. I went to get stitches. They told me I was lucky because it was very close to the nerve, but that I was going to be in pain—and I was, all night. I wasn’t sure I’d ride on Sunday. I took two Doliprane before riding, because they wouldn’t give me anything else due to doping [laughs].”
Despite far-from-ideal conditions, Alexis Fueri still managed to bounce back in Sunday’s second moto at Arco di Trento. After grabbing the holeshot, the MRT Beta rider quickly realised the race would be a mental battle. Between the pain and the difficult context of the weekend, the Frenchman had to dig deep to make it to the finish and salvage an encouraging fifth place given the circumstances.
“I managed to get a good start and ride fairly well. But it was a mental battle against myself, dealing with the pain and everything that’s going on at the moment. So I didn’t ride amazingly, but considering the circumstances, I’ll take that fifth place.”
A staple of the calendar, the Arco di Trento circuit proved particularly demanding this year, with its tricky, breaking surface—especially on Saturday.
“Honestly, Arco is always a bit special,” the Frenchman says about the Pietramurata track. “Saturday was really tough. There was this thin sandy dust layer on hard ground, with very sharp bumps. It was even dangerous in places. For aggressive riders who really go for it, it works one time out of two. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, a bit calmer. So I take a bit more time. I think sometimes that works against me on tracks like this. It was a bit better for us on Sunday. And also for the two-stroke, because it was quite dry on Saturday. Especially since I went with a sand tyre for the motos to optimise the start, because it’s really hard to pass here. I think we saw that in all the races. I preferred to struggle a bit on track but try to get a good start.”
Beyond the raw result at Arco di Trento, Alexis Fueri offers a broader reflection on his current season. In a championship where difficulties have been stacking up, he acknowledges that the mental side remains a key factor in his performances. It’s a clear but mixed assessment, combining some strong moments unfortunately overshadowed by a lack of consistency.
“The damage is done in the championship, but honestly, given the circumstances, I’m not focusing too much on it. I want to try to ride the way I know how over two motos, try to enjoy myself above all and just let go. I’ve been putting pressure on myself for too many years, telling myself I absolutely have to succeed. And I’m losing the desire to ride, I’m losing that little bit of magic when I come to a race—the feeling of being happy to be there—because I’m only coming to perform. And I think that makes me try to control everything, but there are 40 riders on the gate—you can’t control everything. I need to let go and relax a bit. As for the championship, it’s a bit complicated, that’s true. Still, I think I’ve shown some good things, whether it was my first moto in Spain, my first moto in Switzerland, or even in the elite races, because I haven’t ridden badly. Now I need to put it all together over two motos, and every weekend.”
