Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo rider takes twelfth place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Niklas Ajo fails to complete the race after collision at the start.

A tough and intense Moto3 race took place at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. The Husqvarna riders had mixed fortunes in the contest. Whilst Danny Kent was able to cross the finish line in twelfth place after gaining five positions in the race, the Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo rider was hit by another rider on the opening lap and was unable to recover fully, concluding the contest prematurely after a crash.

Danny Kent made a good start and gained three places on the opening lap. Starting from the 17th spot on the grid, the Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo rider saw the group ahead of him breaking away. The Briton tried to make up ground, overtaking a number of riders along the way. He finished the Indianapolis GP in twelfth place, part of the second group and just 4.4 seconds behind the winner, Efren Vazquez.

Niklas Ajo returned to Grand Prix participation following an injury but,  after an excellent start that placed him seventh on the opening corners, contact from a rival at Turn 4 disrupted his plans. The Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo rider received a heavy blow to his left leg and was forced to go onto the grass. Despite that, and despite feeling very tender afterwards, the Finn continued until a mistake with 14 laps to go saw him crash out.

The Moto3 World Championship gathers pace once again, and the series continues next weekend with the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Danny Kent will head to Brno in twelfth place in the overall standings –with 50 points– whilst Niklas Ajo is fifteenth with 35 points.

Results – Race
1. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 39:12.977
2. Romano Fenati (KTM) +0.065
3. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.219
4. Alexis Masbou (Honda) +0.372
5. Alex Rins (Honda) +0.719
12. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) +4.439
DNF – Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2014
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 158 points
2. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 137 points
3. Alex Marquez (Honda) 133 points
4. Romano Fenati (KTM) 130 points
5. Alex Rins (Honda) 118 points
12. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) 50 points
15. Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) 35 points

Danny Kent >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“We knew the race would be very difficult because yesterday we didn’t have a good qualifying session and we started from 17th. In the early stages I lost a lot of time to the first group –maybe as much as eight seconds. Later I could start riding at my own pace and I closed the gap to four seconds. We had the pace to be up at the front, but the problem was that my start wasn’t great. At least we’ve learned something this weekend: I need to have a good qualifying session. If we do this, then we are able to be up at the front.”

Niklas Ajo >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“Before the race everything was going great. This morning we made a few changes to the bike, with which we improved a lot. We set very good times with used tyres, so we had a good feeling for the race. The start was very good and we moved up many positions. After the fourth turn, another rider clipped me from the outside and went down. I stayed up, but I had to change course a lot and suffered a pain in my left leg from the collision. I tried to ride as well as I could, but it was very difficult. When you have a leg strain you can’t do anything. Then I made a small mistake that I could not save and I could not continue. It’s a pity. The riders at the front were very fast and I think I could have been up there. But that’s racing. Now we have to focus on the next race.”