The MX1 Prestige Italian Championship started at the Tazio Nuvolari track in Mantua on Sunday. In the MX1 Class, Ben Watson (Beta RX 450), after setting the third fastest time in Group 1 during qualifications, took second position in the first race despite a crash in the early stages of the race. In Race 2, after a good start Ben moved into first position on the third lap but was then forced to stop due to a technical problem. In the MX1 Championship standings after the first race he is sixth, with 210 points.
Watson: “The plan was to test some new parts on the bike in preparation for the World Championship. In the first few rounds I was able to find a good feeling with my suspension, which later improved after some adjustments. In Race 1 I didn’t get off to a great start and I also had a small crash, which compromised the fight for the win. For Race 2 we decided to try some different setting adjustments, which turned out to be right. I managed to get a good start, but then while I was leading the race I was forced to stop. The important thing is that we still made some progress and I am confident for the Swiss GP next week.”
Well in the qualifying session, where he set the best time in his group, Alessandro Lupino (Beta RX 450) was unlucky in the two races, but still achieved a third place in Race 1 behind his team-mate Watson, and a seventh place in Race 2 in a comeback, after a crash on the first lap due to a contact. In the MX1 Championship standings after the first race he is fourth with 270 points.
Lupino: “After a good qualification, the two races did not go exactly as I hoped, but I am satisfied with the result because we tried new things and improved the feeling with the bike. In the first race I was at the pace of the leaders, in fact I was slightly faster, I was getting closer when unfortunately in overtaking a lapped rider we touched and I crashed, finishing third. In the second race I had started fifth, but at the second turn again a contact with another rider forced me to make a difficult comeback from the back of the pack, which however allowed me to return to the top-five of the day, fourth.