Nelson Mandela Bay motorcycle superstar Ruche Moodley made some huge strides in the 18th round of the Moto3 World Championship at the Mandalika Circuit on Lombok Island in Indonesia on Sunday.
“Mandalika is a beautiful circuit that was designed specifically for motorcycle racing and from what I saw on TV, it has great flow, so I was really looking forward to riding my BOE Motorsports KTM there,” the SA teenage riding sensation said before the race.
Sadly, many people in the MotoGP paddock, including Moodley, were affected by a stomach bug due to the less-than-ideal water conditions in Lombok.
The practice sessions on Friday were all about learning the new circuit, and the unfamiliar circuit layout and poor health left Moodley languishing at the tail-end of the field.
“It was a real challenge to get to grips with the track as it is quite slippery off line,” he said.
“If you were just a few centimetres off the ideal racing line, you were losing time. And it really didn’t help that I was low on energy as well.”
Despite the setbacks, Moodley felt his confidence grow with each passing lap, knowing that he had plenty of pace in hand as the weekend progressed, and it showed on the time sheets as he was the quickest rider in the Q1 session, which earned him a pass directly into Q2.
In the shoot-out for pole position, Moodley set the 18th quickest time, which was where he would start Sunday’s race from.
His start on Sunday was one of the best of his rookie season thus far and he went from 18th place on the grid up into the top 10 and then dropped back slightly to cross in 15th place at the conclusion of the first lap.
“I timed the race start perfectly and made a great launch as the path to turn one opened for me as most riders moved over to the left side of the track, trying to take the racing line into the right-hander at turn one, but I stayed on the right hand side and it felt great as I passed about half a dozen riders by the time we got to turn one.”
The teenager then put his head down and knew there would be attrition as the race progressed in the hot and humid conditions.
As the field strung out, he found himself just off the leading pack with seasoned campaigner Dennis Foggia for company.
“I could see the leaders just ahead as Dennis and I battled lap after lap.
“I’d get past him for a few laps, then he’d get ahead of me and we battled hard but fair as we gave each other enough room. It felt great to be keeping pace with a strong rider such as Dennis.”
Positions continued to swap lap after lap, and as some of the riders ahead faltered, the pair progressed up the leader board, where Moodley found himself in P12 with just six laps of the 20-lap race left to run.
“It was incredible to see P12 on my pit board, but I had to maintain my concentration as there were still a few laps left to race.”
Moodley dropped down to 14th, and then gained a position, but the race suddenly ended prematurely as it was red-flagged after a nasty accident.
Moodley’s official classification was 13th, with a handful of points for his efforts, despite feeling unwell and experiencing low energy levels.
“It was a really positive weekend for us,” he said.
“This is the form I was enjoying before the injury troubles around mid-year and it feels fantastic to be back in the points.
“It was also good to make progress throughout the race weekend, even though I felt miserable most of the time, getting faster with each passing session, which is very important for a rookie like me.”
The next round of the Moto3 World Championship takes place at the Phillip Island Circuit in Australia on October 19.
The Herald
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