29.04.12Tough conditions for Kent in Jerez

The second round of the new Moto3 series on 29 April at Jerez, Spain, saw extremely difficult conditions for all 34 participants. Residual water from earlier rain caused half of the field to crash out during the 23-lap race. Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory rider Danny Kent was the first of the KTM riders to be eliminated during a three-rider crash in the opening lap.

After a wet weekend of practice, the set-up for Jerez was difficult to gauge. While qualifying started off wet, the track dried quickly meaning a lot of competitors switched to dry tyres. However, Kent’s decision to maintain on rain tyres impacted on his qualifying times, losing any initial advantage on the grid.

The race itself was declared dry enough for slicks, but remaining wet patches caught Kent out on turn nine; positioned in the middle of the pack he was unable to see upcoming bad spots, causing him to high side in a multi-rider crash.

Despite damage to his ankle and bruises to his knuckles and back, team boss Aji Ajo believes Kent will be fit for Estoril. Kent said: “I’m a little bruised but have had time to relax. I am looking forward to getting back out on the track in Estoril… time to turn this championship around!”

To see Kent’s BBC sport interview with Azi Farni on horseback at Jerez click here.