Over the weekend the historic and impressive Loket track hosted the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, the thirteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship 2024. A summer weekend hosted a large crowd of spectators who took their seats on the natural grandstands surrounding the Bohemian track.
After having set the twentieth fastest time in free practice and twenty-third in the time trials, Ivo Monticelli (Beta 450RX) was forced to make a tough comeback in qualifying, still in twenty-third position, after a crash during the first lap. In the first heat the rider started twentieth and thanks to a good pace he was able to recover up to fifteenth. In the second heat Monticelli was involved in a crash at the start and, having got back on the seat in the last positions, was forced to make a tough comeback, finishing in the points zone in twentieth position. With the seven points gained in the two heats Monticelli finished eighteenth in the Overall of the day.
IVO MONTICELLI: “After more than a month my comeback to racing was quite positive for me. Unfortunately, I always had to make up for unlucky starts but still managed to pick up a few points. I started twelfth in qualifying on Saturday, but on the first lap I crashed after a collision with another rider and I had to chase back, finishing twenty-third. On this track the start is very decisive. The start of the first heat did not go as I would have liked and at the end of the first lap I was in around twenty-fifth position. At the start I struggled to find my rhythm but then I started to lap with good times and made up positions, finishing fifteenth. In the second one I crashed in the first corner, just after the start, and when I got up I was among the last ones. I managed to climb back up to twentieth position but by the end I was very tired. The energy spent in the comeback took its toll in the final laps. Over the next few days we will focus on working with the team to try to improve my starts”.
The MRT Racing Team Beta Factory will get on track next weekend in Lommel, Belgium, for the fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship 2024
