After suffering from a few injuries in his rookie year in the Moto3 world championship, Gqeberha motorcycle star Ruche Moodley put in a solid performance in the inaugural visit to the new 4.03 kilometre Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary on Sunday for the fourteenth round of the championship. He made steady progress throughout the weekend on the unknown track and qualified in twentieth position for Sunday’s race.

“It is really great to be back in the saddle and I was not sure what to expect of my fitness levels after the injuries and summer break. But at the end of the race I was feeling really good, with no pain and full strength in my forearms. My recovery feels complete” said a satisfied Moodley

There was bound to be chaos at the start of the race as the first corner is a 180-degree turn, followed by a sharp left-hander. ““I dropped a few places at the start as I was on the outside of the pack and forced to go wide. But there was a long race ahead of us and no one really knew how tyre wear would affect performance in the heat. I was having some really good battles swapping positions with the guys around me. I’d gain two positions, and then drop one the following lap. It was tough, but fair racing and really good fun” added the youngster.

Moodley’s race strategy was to play the long game and with some impressive overtaking moves he progressed from 24^th place at the end of the opening lap to move up to 18^th by the seventh lap. The heat in Hungary took its toll as some riders fell by the wayside, but Moodley kept his nerve with the intention of seeing the chequered flag. It was a good strategy as he climbed up the order crossing the finish line in 16th place, agonisingly close to scoring a point.

“I watched my pit board and saw my race position climb as the laps counted down. When I got to 16th I knew there was a possibility of scoring a point, but the guys ahead were just too far for me to catch. I struggled a bit with my strength in the many changes of direction at this circuit. I just need to ensure I stop losing places at the race start so I can challenge for points,” concluded Moodley.

The next round of the championship takes place in Catalonia in Spain on the 7^th September.