The sixth and final round of the Italian Pro Prestige Championship was held on the Ciclamino di Pietramutrata – Arco di Trento circuit. A course that once again put the bikes and riders to the test.
The team was represented by both Yago Martinez, who returned after a break due to a blood virus, and Brando Rispoli. Both rode their TMs in the MX2 class.
Saturday’s time trials brought good news with Yago’s third fastest time and Brando’s fifth. Excellent starting positions for both of them for the motos.
On Sunday, at the start of the first race, Yago got off to a good start and immediately found himself in the top ten, while Brando was immediately faced with a comeback race. If Yago, who was not at his best, managed to stay close to the front to take a good sixth place in the final, Brando also suffered a fall in his comeback that ended under the chequered flag with a 14th place finish.
The second moto was more of the same, with Yago always in the top ten and Brando struggling to recover from a crash at the start. This time his bike was damaged in a collision with another rider, he took over the race but could only manage 29th place. For Yago, a race in which he was in control ended in eighth place, which was certainly a positive result given the lack of training in the final period.
In the final championship standings Yago took second place in the Elite MX2 class and should be applauded for gritting his teeth and bringing home a strong result. For Brando the Fast MX2 event ended in fourth place, just off the podium, but with a better day and taking advantage of some misfortune on the part of his opponents he could have finished second.
Once the Pro Prestige is over, the last official appointment for the team will be the last of the Italian Junior Finals, to be held in Ottobiano. For Brando, the mission is to end this 2024 in the best possible way.
YAGO MARTINEZ: ‘Well, the last race of the Italian Championship in Arco di Trento. After a blood infection, I am happy to have arrived in time to take part in this last race and also to save second place in the championship, which was the objective. I have no words to express my gratitude to all the people at TM and especially to my team who have worked with me day after day. Thank you Robin, thank you Brian, you have made a sporting season a wonderful memory that I will take with me. Having said all that, we have shown that the work is working, the bike is good and the margin for improvement is still huge, I wish them all the best!
BRANDO RISPOLI: “Saturday’s qualifying went quite well, I was 5th in my group. Sunday was disastrous, in the first race after starting in 30th position I crashed and hit a hard bump, I started again from 28th position and climbed up to 14th. In race two a contact at the start gave me a hole in the muffler, which took me out of the race because I had a good start. I would like to thank TM for letting me grow with the 250 this year and for giving me the opportunity to race with a bike that is better than the others.
