Red Bull Rookie Fynn Kratochwil: first penalised, then triumphed at Assen

“The fourth race weekend of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the TT Circuit Assen was finally able to get underway, and I was really looking forward to it,” said Fynn Kratochwil after his trip to the Netherlands. “I was very well prepared, already knew the track and, after my strong weekend at Mugello, wanted to be right up there fighting at the front again straight away. Unfortunately, I had to tackle the weekend without my mechanic, Dirk. During a motocross training session midweek, we had a minor accident in which Dirk was injured and was therefore unable to travel to Assen with me. Fortunately, my dad stepped in at short notice and did a really good job as my mechanic. Of course, that wasn’t the situation we’d hoped for, but we didn’t let it affect us. These were things we couldn’t change anyway, so we kept our full focus on the race weekend.”

Genesungsgrüße

Foto: Kratochwil

“The practice sessions went well,” he continued. “In the first free practice session, I was in the top three for long stretches. It was only in the final minutes that many riders managed to improve their times. Nevertheless, I knew my pace was right and that I felt really comfortable on the bike. The second practice session also went well. By finishing second, I was able to show once again that I can compete at the front and was accordingly motivated for qualifying.”

“In qualifying, as is so often the case, there was a lot of dawdling,” said Kratochwil. “I tried not to let that affect me as much as possible and just do my own thing. In the end, I didn’t manage a perfect lap, but I still secured 7th place on paper. Thanks to penalties imposed on other riders, I was eventually able to start Race 1 from fifth on the grid and Race 2 from seventh. Of course, I knew more would have been possible, but at the same time it was clear: the pace was there and nobody was able to pull away decisively.”

Retrospective penalty in Race 1

“In the first race, I didn’t get off to the best start, but I was able to work my way back up the field quickly,” said the young driver. “I even led the race for one lap and was in the leading group the whole time. Unfortunately, I then made a small mistake that set me back considerably. But I didn’t give up; I fought my way back up the field lap by lap and crossed the finish line in fifth place. I was generally satisfied with this result, even though I knew that without my mistake, much more would have been possible.”

“After the race, however, came the big disappointment,” he continued. “I was given a penalty for an overtaking manoeuvre. From my point of view, I had already completely passed the other rider and could no longer see him. It was only in the left-hand bend that I felt his handlebars catch on my right foot, causing him to crash. After speaking to race control, I was even told that I hadn’t caused the crash deliberately and that, given my position, I couldn’t have seen the other rider at all. Nevertheless, the penalty was imposed and I was demoted from fifth to 17th place. It was a decision I couldn’t really understand, but which I ultimately had to accept.”

Cleared the way in the closing stages

“So for Race 2, the motto was: ‘Focus on the front’,” was his battle cry. “Together with Dirk, we’d worked out a clear plan, which I was able to execute perfectly right up until three laps from the end. I was in fifth place, right in the middle of the leading group, and still fighting for the win. My aim was to save everything for the closing stages and the final lap. Unfortunately, things turned out differently: another rider took me out and my race was over. Yet another situation that was through no fault of my own. Just terrible luck. Unfortunately, weekends like this are part and parcel of racing.”

“Even though the results in the end don’t reflect what might have been possible, I’m taking away a lot of positives,” he concluded. “The most important thing for me is that I showed once again this weekend that I have the pace to compete right at the front, not just in the slipstream of the group, but also on my own. This confirms that my performance at Mugello was no fluke and gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races. Unfortunately, weekends like this are part and parcel of racing.”

“Now my full focus is on the Sachsenring,” he said, looking ahead. “I’ll prepare as best I can to give it my all again there and make my family, friends, sponsors and all my German fans proud at my home Grand Prix. Many thanks to everyone who has supported me this weekend and throughout my career. We’ll keep working hard, we won’t give up, and we’ll come back stronger. We’ll stay on the ball.”