Red Bull KTM rider Tomoyoshi Koyama on Sunday finished a creditable fifth after rocketing into the lead from his second row starting position at the beginning of the fifth round of the 125 cc world Championships at Mugello.
The Italian Grand Prix was characterized by a thrilling battle among the leading group, including Koyama, which kept the crowd on the edge of their seats right through the 20 lap race of the Italian Grand Prix.
Koyama finished just 1.6 seconds off the winning pace in one of the closest and most exciting finishes so far this season. The other two Red Bull KTM riders in the class, Switzerland's Randy Krummenacher and American Steve Bonsey crossed the chequered flag in thirteenth and twentieth place respectively.
"I had a fantastic start and took the lead from my second row grid position," Koyama said after the race. "But then I realised that I was in a little bit of trouble with the front end of the bike. The front was closing and it was difficult to push under hard braking especially over the bumps of this track." Koyama said he had been able to make up for this with the bike's good top speed. "I would lose a bit out of the turns, but always managed to recover on the following straight. The engine felt great, and in my opinion our bikes are even better than the ones of our fiercest competitors. When we get the set-up right, we are definitely in for strong results. It's a relief to be fifth here in Mugello, and I look forward to the next race in Barcelona where I even hope for a podium finish!"
Krummenacher said the race had been a difficult one for him. "I had a good start and when everybody pushed towards the inside going into the first turn, I passed a lot of the guys on the outside line and ended up in front of Espargaro." The Swiss rider did say that some carburetion problems that the team is still working created some difficulty going over the bumps. "I sometimes struggled to remain on top of the bike. Considering that, my result isn't too bad, but I really should be much higher up in the list!"
It was not quite a happy ending for the young American Steve Bonsey, who nevertheless remains positive for the coming races. "At the beginning of the race, I really struggled with chattering and with a lack of traction," Bonsey said. "Later on, I took it easy on the sections of the track where I was in trouble and gained some ground in the sections where the bike worked well. Now I'll continue to train hard and look forward to the Grand Prix in Barcelona!
Unlike the wet conditions riders had experienced in training, the track stayed dry for the 125cc race, held on the picturesque circuit in Tuscany in front of a huge and very enthusiastic Italian crowd.
Results:POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT.
1 55 - Hector Faubel - Aprilia - Spain
2 33 - Sergio Gadea - Aprilia - Spain
3 24 - Simone Corsi - Aprilia - Italy
4 14 - Gabor Talmacsi - Aprilia - Hungary
5 71 - Tomoyoshi Koyama KTM - Japan
6 75 - Mattia Pasini - Aprilia - Italy
7 11 - Sandro Cortese - Aprilia - Germany
8 38 - Bradley Smith - Honda - United Kingdom
9 44 - Pol Espargaro - Aprilia - Spain
10 8 - Lorenzo Zanetti - Aprilia - Italy
13 34 - Randy Krummenacher - KTM - Switzerland
20 51 - Stevie Bonsey - KTM - United States
Standings:POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT. POINTS
1 55 - Hector Faubel - Aprilia - Spain - 102
2 14 - Gabor Talmacsi - Aprilia - Hungary - 95
3 52 - Lukas Pesek - Derbi - Czech Republic - 91
4 24 - Simone Corsi - Aprilia - Italy - 71
5 33 - Sergio Gadea - Aprilia - Spain - 66
6 44 - Pol Espargaro - Aprilia - Spain - 46
7 6 - Joan Olive - Aprilia - Spain - 44
8 38 - Bradley Smith - Honda - United Kingdom - 44
9 71 - Tomoyoshi Koyama - KTM - Japan - 43
10 35 - Raffaele De Rosa - Aprilia - Italy - 32
20 34 - Randy Krummenacher - KTM - Switzerland - 7
23 51 - Stevie Bonsey - KTM - United States - 3
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