Mahindra Racing Team wins Italian Championship 125GP race

Italian rider Ricardo Moretti earned a remarkable victory for Mahindra Racing Team in the season-opening race of the 125GP Italian Championship at the Mugello Circuit on Sunday.

It was also a good race for his partner Sarath Kumar until he was unfortunately forced into an early retirement due to a technical issue.

Moretti started the race from the pole, thanks to the outstanding performance displayed in the two qualifying sessions, while Kumar got off from the 8th row - the 22nd spot on the grid.

It was the first weekend for the young Indian rider on the Italian track and also the crash suffered during the wet second qualifying session didn't help.

Moretti got a good start in the race as he maintained the lead which he quickly extended. Kumar, on the other hand, didn't get the best of the starts but was able to settle into a good rhythm and overtook several riders.

As the race went into its second half, Moretti's advantage on the runner-up grew to an amazing ten seconds, while Kumar kept pushing hard before being forced to pull up with an early retirement due to a technical problem he experienced with three laps to go. Before that he had a good battle with Luca Marini - brother of MotoGP great Valentino Rossi.

The race ended with an overpowering victory for Moretti, who crossed the finish line with a big margin over the rest of the field.

"We started this season in the best way possible. My start from the grid was a good one and since I was in the lead I tried to push at my best to get the best margin possible," Riccardo said.