Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo matches his best result of the year -eighth position-. Niklas Ajo suffers a crash and injures right ankle.

The Husqvarna riders had mixed fortunes at the Dutch TT, which was eventually held in the dry. British rider Danny Kent had his best race of the year, finishing in eighth place after fighting for fourth right to the finish line. Niklas Ajo, meanwhile, suffered a heavy crash on Lap 7 when riding with the front group.

Danny Kent’s eighth place matched his previous best result of the season, taken at Austin. Starting from eleventh position, Kent held the position off the startline, gaining a place on the first lap. From the early stages he was amongst the large front group, consisting of 14 riders who gradually let Marquez, Rins and Oliveira escape at the head of the field. In the end, seven riders fought for fourth place, including the Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo rider, who placed inside the Top 10 once again.

Niklas Ajo started from the front row of the grid for the first time in his career, but his chances of a dream podium finish ended at Turn 7 of Lap 7. A highside in the middle of the first group ended his day early and sent him to the circuit’s medical centre, where he had his battered right ankle assessed. The Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo rider will travel to Barcelona for another medical examination to analyse his condition.

After eight races, the Husqvarna riders -Niklas Ajo and Danny Kent- are tied on 35 points in thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively. The last race before the three-week summer break, the German Grand Prix, takes place between July 11th and 13th.

Results – Race
1. Alex Marquez  (Honda) 38:07.648
2. Alex Rins (Honda) +2.960
3. Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra) +3.644
4. Alexis Masbou (Honda) +16.350
5. Niccolo Antonelli (KTM) +16.466
8. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) +16.559
DNF – Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2014
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 117 points
2. Romano Fenati (KTM) 110 points
3. Alex Marquez (Honda) 110 points
4. Alex Rins (Honda) 107 points
5. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 102 points
13. Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) 35 points
14. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) 35 points

Danny Kent >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“Undoubtedly we have taken a step forward. All weekend we worked better, both me when I put in a lot of laps by myself, and with the team as we showed in the race. I’m a little disappointed because I think I had enough pace to go with Oliveira and try to catch the two at the front, but every time I took the lead of the group, other riders overtook me on the straights and then were slower on the corners. That allowed the leaders to escape and I couldn’t fight for the podium. It’s not that my bike was slower -the Husqvarna worked really well- but in this class it is very easy to take advantage of a slipstream to gain positions on the straights. Overall I’m pretty happy and we have to continue like this. At Sachsenring we will try to take another step forward.”

Niklas Ajo

“Today was not my day. Firstly I suffered a heavy crash in the warmup, on the last chicane of the circuit, having just put on slicks. For the race I had an injection in my left hand because it was very sore, but I was able to get out there and stay in the first group. On Lap 7 I  had a highside  that I could not save. My right ankle is the one most affected and therefore I’m going to Barcelona for a further review and to decide the next steps to take. I hope to be ready as soon as possible.”