The 125cc Grand Prix at Assen on Saturday was eventful and plagued with changing weather that red flagged the race, punctuated with crashes after just nine laps. Five laps were raced in part two for the final result.
KTM rider Esteve Rabat held onto the lead in the second part of the race and looked set for a top finish when he ran wide in the final stages and had to settle for sixth.
Repsol KTM rookie Marc Marquez was also a victim of the weather. He crashed in the final stages of the first laps after having battled his way to fifth position. He was unable to get back to the pits with his bike in time for the restart and missed out on the second heat altogether. Red Bull KTM rider Randy Krummenacher also crashed in the first part of the race, but continued with a lonely ride at the end of the field. His efforts were rewarded after the re-start, when the Swiss teenager managed to score nineteenth position.
Esteve Rabat (Repsol KTM 125 - sixth)
"This was an incredible and difficult race. I was able to hang on to the leaders, and when I saw an opportunity to attack on the last lap, I gave it all and passed the others to take the lead under brakes. I kept pushing, but then I went into another turn a little early, and ran wide on the corner exit, so the others passed me again. But you learn from such experiences, and I am still very happy with our result. I want to thank KTM and my team for all their support, because we made a big step last week in Donington Park, and now another big step here. I am very confident for the next races to come!"
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - nineteenth)
"I had a good start, but then I couldn't overtake straight away. But I saw that I was able to go fast and keep the pace of the top riders. I overtook two of the other guys before the chicane, and then I was a little too fast going into these turns. The grip level there wasn't that high after the rain, and it was just slippery enough for me to crash. My re-start was good again, but if you really want to make it to the front, you need to be very hard on the brakes. We had decided to go for cut slicks which was a mistake because the track dried up again, and I felt the limit of the tyre grip very early on, and couldn't brake late enough. The positive thing is that I saw that I can ride within the top five. My aim for the next race in Germany is to show exactly that!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"The 125 cc race was exciting to watch, and Esteve was very close to win the race. He made a little mistake in the end, but nevertheless, it was a fantastic performance!"
Results (after five laps of restarted race)
1. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary Aprilia, 9:04.520
2. Joan Olive, Spain, Derbi, 9:04.648
3. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 9:04.775
4. Sandro Cortese, Germany, Aprilia, 9:04.860
5. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 9:04.945
6. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 9:05.088
Other KTM
10. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 9'07.074
13. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 9'07.721
19. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM, 9'15.163
20. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM, 9'15.369
Standings
1. Mike de Meglio, France, 141 points
2. Simone Corsi, Italy, 125
3. Joan Olive, Spain, 94
4. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, 93
5. Nicolas Terol, Spain, 82
Other KTM
14 Raffaele deRosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM 30
15. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc 26
17. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc 24
18. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 22
22. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM 11
23. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 10
24. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM 125 10
Images by Kirn F.
