Orelac Racing VerdNatura rider Fahmi Khairuddin took a superb tenth place in the World Supersport Championship race at Magny-Cours today despite having to start from the eighth row of the grid. He made a good start and was up to 14th at the end of the first lap, before battling his way up the order to take 10th at the end of the 19-lap race. After a series of no-scores, today’s 10th place was a huge boost to the team and will hopefully lead to better results in the remaining two rounds. Fahmi’s teammate, Nacho Calero, was also heading into the points today, but got baulked twice by other riders and ended up 17th.
Fahmi Khairuddin: 10th
“It feels as we have been out of the points for a long time, so it’s good for us to get back into the points and finish in the top ten again. The bike was chattering a little in this morning’s warm-up, so the mechanics made some changes and the bike was much better in the race. Our tyre choice may not have perfect, but the bike set-up felt good and I was happy with the performance. Before the race our aim was to get into the top ten and we achieved that, thanks to all the hard work the whole team put in.”
Nacho Calero: 17th
“It’s always difficult when you start so far back down the grid, but I made a good start and was 15th at the end of lap 1, just behind Fahmi. Soon after, a rider nearly crashed in front of me and I had to take action to avoid him and that cost some positions. I settled down and then had a good fight with a pack of riders. In the closing stages of the race, I thought there was a chance of a top 15 finish but, once again, a rider just in front of me made a mistake and nearly fell. I had to go wide to miss him and lost time – just enough to miss out on fifteenth place.”
Giulio Bardi (Team Manager)
“I am pretty happy today – especially when you consider our grid positions. Both Fahmi and Nacho made good starts and performed well. We improved Fahmi’s bike from the warm-up this morning and he was able to fight a very good battle. Nacho was held up (especially by Tangre) but his race lap times (in the 1:43s) were very respectable. I am very happy with the performance of the riders and the team and this has been a very positive result after three races without any points. Now we are all looking forward to the next race in Jerez.”
