Red Bull KTM factory rider Tyla Rattray of South Africa overcame flu to race to second podium place in the Grand Prix of Italy on the sandy Mantova circuit on Sunday while teammate Tommy Searle was third.
Despite a formidable finish by title holder Antonio Cairoli of Italy in the second MX2 race of the day, Tyla was able to amass 42 championship points to keep ownership of the coveted red number plate as the championship leader. After five rounds, Rattray now has 199 points, a mere three point lead on his arch rival, while Tommy Searle, his Red Bull KTM factory teammate is close behind with 191 points. Searle finished third in Mantova.
"I'm very happy to still have the red number plate," Tyla said after the race. "Today I started to feel better after having had the flu this week and my results were quite ok. The track was very bumpy from the rain and we had to work on the bike's settings." Tyla was third in heat one and said that was because he was behind Cairoli when the Italian crashed and he lost time because of the incident. "I got a good start in the second heat but I took the first corner a bit too wide and I got overtaken." With rain falling and the track getting cut up, Rattray said he didn't want to push too hard in the second heat and take any unnecessary risks. He finished behind Cairoli but in front of teammate Searle in heat two, a result he said was "fine for me".
Tommy Searle was hampered with arm pain in the first heat and was quite satisfied with his fourth place. "I made some mistakes and just tried to stay on the bike," he said. "I did try to catch Tyla and Cairoli in the second heat but I wasn't able to manage it. Also the track was ruined after all the rain at the weekend." Tommy will now return to the UK for some concentrated training ahead of his home GP in two week's time.
Shaun Simpson of KTM UK finished fifth, KTM rider Jeremy van Horebeek of Belgium and GP Juniors Team Champ, finished seventh, one place ahead of the third Red Bull KTM factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal.
Rui Goncalves, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday at the track-side Red Bull Energy Station, said that even though he finished in overall eighth position he was happy with his riding and rhythm on the Mantova circuit. "I crashed twice in the second heat and I had to go into the pit lane and try to straighten my handlebars so I lost quite a lot of time," he said. "Overall I am quite satisfied. I am still working well with Stefan Everts (Red Bull KTM Team manager) and my mechanics."
GP Results :
1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM
3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM
4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha
5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM
Other KTM:
7. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM
8. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM
14. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM
17. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM
Standings:
1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 199 points
2. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 196
3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 191
4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 146
5. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 132
Other KTM:
6. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 124
8. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 109
13. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 63
15. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 54
19. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 46
Images by Archer R.
