- Simone Mancini nearly cracks the top 10 in MX2
- A crash in warmup knocks Calvin Vlaanderen out of the MXGP Grand Prix of the Czech Republic
The Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, the thirteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, ended prematurely for Calvin Vlaanderen. The Dutch rider; who finished sixteenth in Saturday’s qualifying race, after being hampered by a crash, was determined to bounce back in Sunday’s two heats, but an accident during warmup forced him to withdraw. The Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team rider is scheduled to return next weekend, when the Grand Prix of Flanders will take place in Lommel, and Calvin will be reunited with teammate Andrea Bonacorsi.
Calvin Vlaanderen: “It wasn’t the weekend I was hoping for this GP, on one of my favorite tracks. On Saturday I had a good feeling and everything seemed to be going well. My riding was good in qualifying, even though I had a small crash that cost me a few positions, but I was confident for Sunday. Unfortunately this morning, during the warm-up, I crashed, hit my head, and that was the end of the day. Now I’ll try to be ready for Lommel next weekend.”
In MX2, Simone Mancini performed well. He replaced the injured Ferruccio Zanchi on the Desmo250 MX, coming close to finishing in the top ten with two solid performances. The Beddini Racing Ducati Factory MX2 Team rider finished the first race in 11th place, after a long battle with the rivals ahead of him. After a perfect start to the second race, Simone occupied sixth place for the first laps, losing a few places over the course of the race. Accustomed to competing in the shorter EMX250 European Championship heats, held between Saturday and Sunday, Mancini struggled in the final part of the race, finishing 13th, a result that earned him 12th place overall for the Grand Prix.
Simone Mancini: “It was a positive weekend for me, and I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to compete with the world championship riders. Here in Loket, I felt comfortable with the track right from free practice and had the speed to stay in the top 10. Until midway through the second heat, everything was going well, but unfortunately, towards the end, I suffered a physical decline and lost positions, finishing 13th. Now let’s get back to thinking about the European Championship, which takes place next weekend in Lommel.”
