Ponte a Egola (PI), February 12th, 2023
In its first 2023 race, the official Fantic MX team impressed with Elias Escandell in the 125 class. Contrasting performance in MX2 class.
In its first 2023 race, the official Fantic MX team impressed with Elias Escandell in the 125 class. Contrasting performance in MX2 class.
125 Class Results.
The Internazionali d'Italia 2023 opened with the 125 class, where the Fantic Racing team presented itself with two new riders: Elias Escandell and Maximilian Werner. In morning practice, the two put on a show, finishing respectively first and third, leaving the other riders more than 1.5" behind.
In race 1, Escandell stuck to Alfio Pulvirenti's gussets, studying him along the Santa Barbara jumps, before launching the decisive overtaking move with four laps to go. The No. 6, riding the Fantic XX 125, retained the lead in the race, winning it by 5.626".
On the other hand, Max Werner had to run against bad luck: after a good start, he was the victim of a crash that caused him to lose several positions, forcing him to come back from the rear. Nevertheless, the German recovered position after position, bringing home 14th place.
Race 2 opened in the sign of the Spanish rider of Fantic Racing, author of a holeshot. But a perfect start was not enough for him to get out of the way of Pulvirenti, who passed him on lap 3. It was still a challenge between the two: Elias stayed attached to the rear of his rival in a race to the last jump, but in the end, the Italian prevailed by a plug.
Good race for Max Werner: the German improves and finishes in 10th place.
Promising start for Elias Escandell, who is now second in the overall standings with 47 points. Maximilian Werner is ninth, with 18 points.
After the head-to-head between Escandell and Pulvirenti in this first clash, the second round next Sunday in Arco di Trento promises to be exciting
MX2 Class Results.
The performance of the Fantic Racing team in MX class could have been more positive. Confirmed Alexis Fueri and Cas Valk with the XX 250 were joined by new team-mate Tom Guyon, riding the XXF 250.
In practice, the Dutchman with the 2-stroke engine and the Frenchman with the 4-stroke finished in the top ten for the eighth time in their respective groups. Fueri closed behind them for the 11th time in a very competitive grid.
In race 1, Fueri shows off immediately, starting like a rocket, placing himself close to the leaders, and, with a great rhythm, the nr 717 of the Fantic Racing team closes in tenth place.
Guyon was the protagonist of an exciting comeback after a crash: the French rider, dropped to last place, responded to misfortune by giving the best of himself and his XXF 250, managing to close in the points zone in 14th position.
Valk closes in 28th place: the Dutchman was the victim of a fall and, in his eagerness to recover, of some mistakes too.
In the second race, Guyon showed concentration and consistency and, with a great pace, improved on his previous result, finishing ninth. Valk also improved, finishing 16th, while Fueri finished 23rd in a tough race.
The signs are good. Once the right balance is found, the young riders of the Fantic Racing team will be able to take their satisfaction.
Marco Maddii's Fantic Racing MX is looking forward to the second round of the Internazionali d'Italia, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19, in Arco di Trento.
Marco Maddii, team manager of the Fantic Racing team, said: "Pretty positive weekend even if we could have done much better. I'm happy for Escandell, who is second overall, although the win was within our reach. Also good for Werner, who was penalized by bad luck, but he was tenacious. I am confident in our 125 riders. However, in the 250 class, we can and must do better. After this first round of the Internazionali d'Italia, we go home knowing where we need to work to improve, to better prepare for the next race and the rest of the season."
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