Fabio Di Giannantonio Reassures Everyone After His Bad Crash in the Motegi Sprint Race
After a solid qualifying session in which he secured sixth place (1’42″628), Fabio Di Giannantonio of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team got off to a good start from the second row and held his position. Unfortunately, the Roman rider was unable to show his true potential due to a crash he was involved in at Turn 3 on the first lap; fortunately, he escaped without any physical injuries. Di Giannantonio remains fifth in the overall standings with 230 points.
“Fortunately, I’m fine; I just took a hard blow to the ribs,” he said. “We worked hard to try not to wear out the tires too much; we thought we had a good chance to do well. I got off to a good start and managed to take the first corner perfectly. From there, I had the chance to build a strong race, which ended too soon, unfortunately. We won’t give up and will bounce back for tomorrow; I think we have good potential and can put on a strong race.”
The crash at Turn 3 also involved Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez, with Di Giannantonio being transported to the medical center at the Motegi track for the necessary examinations. Fortunately, the tests revealed nothing serious, confirming what the Roman rider himself had stated.
In terms of the overall standings, the crash in the Sprint race further complicates Di Giannantonio’s pursuit of a spot on the world championship podium. The Roman rider, fifth with 230 points, now trails third-place Marco Bezzecchi (268 points) by 38 points and is 83 points behind the leader, Jorge Martin, who leads with 313 points ahead of Marc Marquez, second with 306. The title battle between the two Spaniards is getting tighter and tighter, with just seven points separating them after Marquez won the Motegi Sprint by overtaking Martin right from the start, while the Aprilia rider was penalized for track limits and dropped to third place.
Testifying to Di Giannantonio’s strong form leading up to this difficult weekend was none other than Alessio ‘Uccio’ Salucci, team manager of VR46, who in recent weeks had praised the Roman rider’s work: “Di Giannantonio has a solid foundation this year—including his own personal one—and has managed to get back into the top 10.” These words confirm that the No. 49 rider from the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team has built a solid rapport with his bike over the course of the season, making the outcome of the Japanese Sprint race all the more bitter.
The action is now set to resume in Sunday’s race, where Di Giannantonio aims to capitalize on the potential he demonstrated in qualifying to recover valuable championship points and keep his ambitions alive in the final stretch of a season that remains wide open.
