The season also kicked off for the young 125 riders, with Francesco Bellei making his debut with the Fantic Factory Racing EMX team aboard the Fantic XX 125. The talented rider from Trentino showed great speed from the very first laps, setting the fastest time in his qualifying group. In the first race, he got off to a perfect holeshot and led into the first corner, fighting hard to maintain his lead. Despite the challenging track conditions, he secured a promising third place. In the second race, his start was not as fast, and after a slight mistake, he lost a few positions. He crossed the finish line in fourth place, narrowly missing out on a podium with P4 overall.
After moving up to the Fantic XXF 250, Simone Mancini secured a solid eleventh place in the first race, competing against a strong MX2 field. His start in the second race was even stronger, as the Fantic Factory EMX rider battled within the top ten during the early stages. However, a crash in difficult conditions forced him to retire, compromising his final result and leaving him in sixteenth place overall. Nevertheless, the outlook remains highly positive as he focuses on his main objective—preparing for the EMX250 European Championship.
Unfortunately, the third Fantic Factory Racing EMX rider, Douwe Van Mechgelen, was forced to withdraw from the Internazionali d’Italia due to a left-hand injury sustained during training. The young Belgian will focus on his recovery, with his sights set on the EMX125 European Championship, which begins in mid-March in Cozar, Spain. All other Fantic riders will be back in action next weekend in Montevarchi at round 2 of the Italian preseason series.
Francesco Bellei:
“All in all, a solid start with good sensations on the bike. We are taking away two major positives: the start and the qualifying. The track was really tough, and I am not fully satisfied with the outcome of the race because I couldn’t push as much as I wanted. This was just the first race, and we still have to work on some details. We will keep doing that and will try again in a week in Montevarchi.”
Simone Mancini:
“I am quite happy with the day, even though I couldn’t get the result I was looking for. In race 1, in the second corner, I got stuck with two other riders and I had to work my way up. I was off to a better start in the second moto and was running in about eight place, but then I fell and had to retire.”
Internazionali D'ITALIA mantova
Simone Mancini, al via nella classe MX2 degli Internazionali dopo il passaggio alla Fantic XXF 250, ha concluso la prima manche con un buon undicesimo posto in una gara dominata dai protagonisti del mondiale. Ancora migliore l’avvio della seconda manche che ha visto il pilota Fantic Factory EMX lottare nella top 10 per la prima parte di gara. Una caduta in condizioni pesanti lo ha costretto al ritiro, compromettendo il risultato finale e facendolo chiudere in sedicesima posizione assoluta. Le sensazioni in vista del suo principale obiettivo, la preparazione all’Europeo EMX250, restano comunque molto positive.
Francesco Bellei:
“Tutto sommato un buon inizio, con delle belle sensazioni. Ci portiamo via soprattutto due aspetti positivi che sono la partenza e la qualifica. La pista era molto tosta e non sono del tutto soddisfatto del risultato in gara, perché non sono riuscito a spingere come avrei voluto. Siamo solo alla prima gara e dobbiamo ancora lavorare su alcuni aspetti. Continueremo a farlo e ci riproveremo già tra una settimana a Montevarchi.”
Simone Mancini:
“Sono abbastanza contento della giornata, anche se non ho portato a casa il risultato finale. In gara 1 alla seconda curva sono rimasto incastrato con altri piloti e ho dovuto fare una grande rimonta. In gara 2 sono partito meglio, ero attorno all’ottava posizione ma poi sono caduto e sono stato costretto al ritiro.”
