The Fantic Factory Racing MXGP Team secured another valuable haul of World Championship points during the tenth round of the FIM MXGP World Championship in Águeda, Portugal. The biggest positive of the weekend was the return of Brent van Doninck, who was cleared to race again following his heavy crash in Montevarchi.
After undergoing a mandatory medical examination ahead of the race weekend, Van Doninck was declared fit to compete. Fortunately, the back injury he sustained during the MXGP of Italy proved to be less serious than initially feared, allowing the Belgian to make his comeback aboard the Fantic XXF 450.
On Águeda’s demanding red clay circuit, both Van Doninck and teammate Alberto Forato faced a highly competitive field. Despite solid efforts, both riders narrowly missed out on a place inside the top ten.
Forato delivered a consistent performance in Race 1 to finish 13th, with Van Doninck crossing the line immediately behind him in 14th. In the second moto, Forato struggled to match the pace of the front runners and finished 15th. Despite still feeling the effects of his back injury, Van Doninck continued to fight throughout the race and brought his Fantic home in 16th place.
The combined results placed Forato 13th overall for the day, while Van Doninck finished 16th overall. More importantly, after missing his home Grand Prix in Montevarchi, the Belgian immediately returned to scoring World Championship points.
After ten rounds, Forato currently sits 12th in the MXGP World Championship standings. The team will have another opportunity to build on its results next weekend when round eleven of the season takes place in South Africa.
Alberto Forato:
“There isn’t really much to say. It simply wasn’t my weekend. That’s disappointing, but the season is still long. We put this one behind us and focus on the next races. As always, I’ll continue giving everything I have, just like everyone within the team and at Fantic. We’ll keep working hard until we achieve our goals.”
Brent van Doninck:
“Of course, this isn’t the result we were hoping for. But considering that just a week ago I didn’t even know if I’d be able to race, I’m happy to take this outcome. The positive thing is that my back felt good throughout the weekend, and that gives me confidence heading into the upcoming races.”
