Dutchman suffers a crash a few metres from the finish line, when fighting in the leading group. Niccolo Antonelli is unable to race due to severe pain in his right shoulder, after his crashes in FP3 and the Barcelona test.

Sunday was an unfortunate day for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team at the Dutch GP, in which a fall just a few metres from the finish line left Bo Bendsneyder without a place in the Top 10. The Dutchman fought in the lead group throughout the race, and was even up into first place in the early stages. Niccolo Antonelli did not take part in the race, after experiencing significant discomfort in his back and right shoulder as a result of crashes in yesterday’s FP3 and last week’s test in Barcelona.

In the race, Bendsneyder remained in the top three after the start, leading his group on Lap 5. After an intense fight between six riders, the group in front increased to eleven at the midway point. Whilst he continued in the Top 5, contact with another rider, with seven laps to go, relegated him to the back of the group. Refusing to throw in the towel, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider returned to the podium battle before the end.

In a thrilling last lap Bendsneyder went from eleventh position to fifth on the last sector. Just after the last chicane and a few metres before the chequered flag, he was hit by another rider and crashed, thus depriving him of a great result in front of his fans.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will have an opportunity to make up for their disappointment next weekend in Sachsenring, Germany, when the Moto3 World Championship season reaches its halfway mark. 

Results (Race)
1. Aron Canet (Honda) 38:20.364
2. Romano Fenati (Honda) +0.035
3. John McPhee (Honda) +0.117
4. Jorge Martin (Honda) +0.310
5. Jules Danilo (Honda) +0.532
DNF. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2017
1. Joan Mir (Honda) 140 points
2. Aron Canet (Honda) 110 points
3. Romano Fenati (Honda) 108 points
4. Jorge Martin (Honda) 89 points
5. John McPhee (Honda) 83 points
17. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 17 points
18. Niccolo Antonelli (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 16 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“Of course, we can’t be happy that finally Bo [Bendsneyder] was unable to finish. For me he was in 10th position and could have finished even better, but he had bad luck in the final stretch. In any case, he should be happy with his progress in the last few races. He is gaining confidence again and this weekend he worked really well. In the race he was fighting relentlessly, and maybe we should look at what to improve when it comes to contact with other riders, seeing if we can take another step forward and be stronger to be among the best. As for Niccolo [Antonelli], he is experiencing a lot of pain in his shoulder right now, so we have to calmly analyse if he will be able to ride at Sachsenring.”

23 NICCOLO ANTONELLI
“It’s a shame that I was not able to participate in the race, but I was suffering too much pain. We already had doubts about participating in the warmup, and when I did it, I wasn’t able complete a lap and returned to the box. My back hurts, and especially my right shoulder. I had no strength in my arm and I couldn’t ride, it was impossible. Now it’s time to focus on recovering.”

64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“On the last chicane I went a little off-line and I got to the finish line with less speed. I hadn’t taken that into account, I was clipped and the bike went down. It was a fight for everyone and, in the end, these things happen. It’s a shame to end the race like this, but in the end I had a good race in front of my home crowd. The positive side is that we were very strong throughout the weekend; it’s a shame that we leave here without any points, but we have shown that we can be at the front and, despite the crash, we can be satisfied. It has been nice to receive the support of my fans over the last few days, and when I took the lead I heard them cheer me and it was very exciting.”