MONTICELLI ONTO HIS HOME GP

For Italian Ivo Monticelli signing for the Beta Factory team for 2024 was exciting news, not just for him, but also for fans of the sport, as Monticelli is very much a World Class rider and with the right backing can produce good things. At the time of the new deal, the Italian was excited and expected big things.

"Getting back on an official bike is a great opportunity that I took with great excitement,” Monticelli told us. “Also, because I already know the MRT team's passion and professionalism since I have raced with them for several years in the past.”

And while points have been hard to come his way and he sits down in 21st place in the MXGP championship points, you just know that big points will come if he keeps his head down and remains positive, which is how he came out of Latvia last weekend.

“I had a positive weekend in Latvia. I am happy with the way I run because compared to the previous races my pace was better. On Saturday I closed the qualifying session in 15th position even though the suspension set-up was not perfect. Before the Sunday races though, thanks to the help of the KYB technicians, we made some changes that gave me a better feeling in the seat. In the warm-up I got the 9th fastest time but unfortunately on the first lap of race one I came into contact with an opponent on a long jump and we both crashed. I also lost time restarting because the bikes were stuck together. Once I got back into the race, I started to make a comeback and finished 16th. In the second race I got off to a better start and in a few laps climbed to 12th place, but unfortunately, I was forced to retire. Physically I felt better and although I was never very fast in the sand on this occasion, I think I defended myself well.”

A week earlier in Germany a crash and then an unfortunate injury saw him DNF the second race on Sunday, but there are signs he is growing into his Beta ride and would improve as the season gets into the later rounds.

“The qualifying heat went quite well. After the start I was in 15th position for a long time. At the end I had a problem with my goggles which forced me to slow down. I preferred not to take them off because the ground was very heavy, but I lost a few positions and finished 19th. In the first heat I started well at the gate but at the second corner I made contact with an opponent and found myself among the last. I tried to recover but didn't get further than 21st position at the finish. I felt good on the track, but the feeling was not optimal. In the second start I had to brake to avoid some riders who had crashed in front of me, and I lost contact with the group ahead. The pace was good, and I started to recover. Unfortunately, in a crash I hit my shoulder. I tried to restart but the pain was bad, and I preferred to retire to avoid making more mistakes.”

Now onto Maggiora his home race, you can be sure that Monticelli will be looking to make this the best GP so far in 2024. Until now, that was the Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished with 14-13 finishes for 13th overall. As we all know, cracking the top ten in this very deep class isn’t easy, but you get the feeling the Beta factory rider might come close in Maggiora this weekend.

Photo Credit : BETA

Author: 
Geoff Meyer

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