Riccardo Moretti rides solo for Mahindra at Indy

The return to the tracks after the long summer break was a tough one for the Mahindra team, after top rider Danny Webb joined a list of high-profile victims of a treacherous surface, and was not able to start in today’s Indianapolis Grand Prix, round ten of the inaugural Moto3 season.
 
Second rider Riccardo Moretti (27, from Italy) claimed a top 20 in his first grand prix finish in the new-this-year four-stroke 250 class, finishing 20th and adding valuable miles and data in his dual role as development rider/racer. It was Moretti’s second race, and his first visit to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosts the grand prix on an infield circuit within the famous “Brickyard” banked oval.
 
Webb injured his wrists when he fell heavily in yesterday’s qualifying session. He went out in race-morning warm-up, but intense pain sent him to the medical centre again, where doctors discovered a fracture in his right wrist, undiagnosed yesterday. It was the end of his hopes of racing.
 
The race, round 23 laps of the 4.216-km circuit, brought a first victory for Spaniard Luis Salom. Next week, Moto3 goes to the Czech Republic, to restart the European season.
 
It will be an important weekend for the only Indian company in the MotoGP series. Mr S. P. Shukla, Mahindra’s President of Group Strategy and Chief Brand Officer, will be on hand at Brno for an important announcement, revealing the automotive giant’s plans for its future in the MotoGP series.
 
“Mr Mahindra said at our Moto3 launch last year that we are here for the long run. Clearly 2012 has been a difficult year for the team, but we remain determined and committed and you will hear more next weekend about our plans for the future,” said Mufaddal Choonia, CEO of Mahindra Racing.