Onde 2000 KTM 125 rider Raffaele de Rosa was hard to console after the 125 cc Grand Prix of Italy when he was unable to convert his first career pole position into a podium place and had to settle for thirteenth place.
The 21-year-old from Naples experienced an unexpected lack of engine power in today's hot summer conditions and dropped back behind the front runners to finish in the middle of the field. Red Bull KTM 125 rider Randy Krummenacher secured 17th position and is now looking forward to the next race in Barcelona, where he had made his first ever podium finish one year ago.
Raffaele de Rosa
"My bike lost power early on in the race. Once I had lost the draft of the leading group, there was nothing I could do than settle for my own rhythm. I am very disappointed, because after my first ever pole position, I had certainly hoped for a better result!"
Randy Krummenacher
"We made further set-up adjustments for the race that I hadn't been able to try in the warm-up this morning and it took me a while to adapt my riding style to these changes. When I found the confidence to brake late, hard and deep into the corners, my lap times improved, and I caught up with a few riders. I am still struggling a bit on the corner exits, but all in all, we are improving and we seem to be on the right track. I know that I don't belong where I currently am in the rankings, and I can't wait to start at Barcelona next week where I celebrated my first podium last year. I will be on the attack there for sure!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"I am very sorry for De Rosa who obviously would have deserved a much better result. It turned out that the drop in engine power was due to a lack of airflow to the cylinders that could have been avoided. Managing our bikes is not only a learning experience for our young riders, but also for our new teams. From race to race, everybody is gaining experience, and I am sure we will be able to avoid problems like this in the future."
Results:
1. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 39:59.020
2. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 39:59.039
3. Pol Espargaro, Spain, Derbi, 39:59.056
4. Mike di Meglio, France, Derbi, 39:59.155
5. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 39:59.198
Other KTM:
13. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 40:17.386
17. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland Red Bull KTM 125, 40:29.649
19. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 40:32.888
20. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 40:35.948
25. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc, 40:55.380
DNF:
Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran
Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM
Images supplied by Kirn F.
