EMX2t - R2 - Mantova Italy 2019

ANDO RETAINS THE RED PLATE  

Mantova, Italy.  The 2nd round of the EMX2t Two-Stroke European Championship.

After going 1-1 at Matterley Basin in R1, Brad entered this round top of the championship and 8 points clear of Kovar who was in 2nd place.

Mantova, the MXGP of Lombardia, was a very tight and twisty track.   

So day one was a bit of a challenge.  Brad didn’t take to the track. 

It wasn’t his style and he felt that it didn’t flow too well. 

It was sand on top of a rock hard base and was very slippery.  

 

QUALIFICATION:

 

Brad struggled to get a clear run in qualification. The track was tight and twisty and it just wasn’t his bag.  So Brad got 8th gate pick for R2 of the championship. 

 

RACE 1:

 

Brad got an excellent jump out the gate but went down on the first bend as he hit someone’s back wheel and ended up in a pile up.  He got up and was down to 29th place.  If this wasn’t bad enough, he came off again at the end of Lap 1, got someone’s handle bars stuck in his ribs and lost 3 more places.  He was sore, struggling to breath but battled on regardless.  He managed to dig deep and push through for a 13th place finish, gaining some valuable points in race 1. 

 

RACE 2:

 

After a wild night of hurricanes and pouring rain, Brad went out in Race 2 in soppy wet conditions.  A totally different track than the day before and a total mud bath.  Determined to pull back some points, Brad got another excellent jump out the gate and this time got the hole shot and took off out front.  He was going strong when at the end of lap one he slipped off in the mud and dropped back to 5th place.  Quickly back up he fought hard and in lap 7 he made an inside pass on Kras to take the lead.  Brad then had a clear run to the finish to take a comfortable P1 in Moto 2.

 

OVERALL:

 

So 13-1 for 3rd overall at the GP of Lombardia, at Mantova in Italy.  Still holding the Red Plate, Brad now goes into R3 with 14 clear points ahead of 2nd place Mike Kras. 

 

QUOTE FROM BRAD ANDERSON:

 

Day one was a stinker after going down on the first turn and hurting my ribs but day two was a totally different day track.  I knew I had to get a good start and I did and got the hole shot.  I was over it yesterday with Bad results but I knew what I had to do.  My ribs were killing me but when the adrenaline kicks you just don’t think about the pain.  Not sure how I ended up on the box for 3rd overall and I have still got the championship lead.  A big thank you to the team, Michael Rochford and my dad for this weekend and a big shout out to all my sponsors. 

 

QUOTE FROM TEAM MANAGER ADRIAN KIRK:

 

Brad dug deep once again and came out on top at a track that he didn’t particularly like.  He rode through pain yet again and it paid off with him still leading the championship by 14 points going into the next round.  Now on to Agueda in Portugal for Round 3.