Mahindra Racing wins at Mugello!

Indian motorcycle racing team Mahindra Racing scored their first victory at the Mugello circuit at the season opener round of the 125GP Italian Championship. This is the first time in the history of the sport that an Indian motorcycle racing team has taken top honours in Europe. Piloted by Riccardo Moretti (44), the Mahindra Racing 125cc race-machine crossed the finish line in first place to give the Indian team its first ever race victory! Mahindra Racing’s Italian rider Moretti got a brilliant start in the race and there onwards upped his pace to pull a lead on the rest of the field behind him. Midway into the race, Moretti had pulled a ten second lead over the runner up and eventually took home the win in a dominant manner giving the Indian team its first race win as well as clinching the top spot in the championship standings. Speaking about the race Moretti said, "We started this season in the best way possible. My start from the grid was a good one and since I was in the lead I tried to push at my best to get the best margin possible. I was able to do so and that allowed me to just manage the advantage in the second part of the race. During the course of the week-end I got to know both bike and time much better and I can say we're still not at 100% but surely there's good room for improvements. I would like to thank my team that gave me a very competitive bike and I'm looking forward to the next event, that will take place at Imola."

His team-mate and Indian rider, Sarath Kumar (69) had a tough yet impressive weekend at Mugello, his first weekend at the Italian race-track. Despite suffering a crash in the rain-soaked second qualifying session, Indian rider Kumar showed immense grit and determination in the race. A poor start from his 22 position on the grid meant he had some serious hard work to do. Gradually upping his pace, Sarath was fighting with Luca Marini in the race when his bike suffered a technical glitch and he was forced to retire out of the race. Sarath Kumar commented "It's been a very good experience for me, despite the technical problem that didn't allow me to finish the race. I learned a lot, though. I didn't get the perfect start but my race pace was not so bad. Next time I will do better, I'm sure." Acknowledging the team's efforts, Muffadal Choonia, Team Mahindra Racing Principal said "We feel ecstatic winning the first race of the italian championship which is one of the toughest national motor racing championships in the world. A victory in our debut race is a shot in the arm. We are now in the right frame of mind to vie for the championship title!"