Second in timed practice, Steven confirmed his speed as he stormed into the lead of the qualifying race before a minor riding error cost him a couple of places. The confidence gained by this strong performance saw the Frenchman advance from fourth to second in the first GP moto before a severe bout of stomach cramps in the closing laps forced him to surrender one place before the finish. Bravely deciding to try to ride the second race he was forced to withdraw after running top five for five laps as the pain became more severe. Steven could derive some consolation from his brave performance as the points scored in race one have seen him advance to fifth place in the championship standings.
After his strong performance for Bud Racing at the French GP a fortnight earlier Valentin Teillet was invited to stand in for the injured Gautier Paulin in Italy and, soon adapting to the magnificent handling of the KX450-SR factory bike, he posted an impressive seventh best time during practice. Sadly racing did not run quite so smoothly for the diminutive Frenchman and he hurt his ribs when he crashed during the qualifying race. Despite the discomfort he finished both GP motos in sixteenth and seventeenth position and has already been confirmed to race the KRT machine next weekend in Germany.
Steven Frossard: “I had a good qualifying race on Saturday, even if I made a small mistake while I was leading to finish in third position. I had a very good feeling with the bike and was confident for the races; that’s great as I feel better and better each weekend. I’m convinced that I have the same speed as the top guys in this class, but I’m just missing consistency as once more I finished only one moto. In the first race today I was leading and then second, but with five minutes to go I had stomach cramps and couldn’t defend my position so Van Horebeek passed me. Between both motos I didn’t feel well but wanted to race so I started the second race but after five laps I again had pain in my stomach and it was impossible to continue.”
Valentin Teillet: “ The timed practice session was very good for me with a seventh position, less than two seconds from the pole position. I felt comfortable on the bike, but in the qualifying race I crashed during the last lap and felt pain in my ribs. This morning I had pain during the warm up; Jacky Vimond did some strapping and it was possible to ride. My results are not what I could expect; I had the chance to get a factory bike but didn’t really take it. I need to get better starts and to be more aggressive to pass; I saw that when you’re racing with riders like Leok, Karro of Guarneri it’s very difficult to pass them! I’m happy to have another chance next weekend, as the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team confirmed to me that I will also race for them in Germany.”