South African rider Ruche Moodley finishes Moto3 debut in the points

South African rider Ruche Moodley made his highly anticipated Moto3 debut at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand this weekend, and despite it being a chaotic race, the Gqeberha teen managed to finish in the points.

Conditions at the Moto3 season opener were trying, particularly since Moodley only got to experience the Buriram track for the first time on the Friday before the race. He also crashed during the second practice session, but soon bounced back and entered qualifying in a positive frame of mind. 

“I was a little sore after the high-side crash, but thankfully I was not injured. I knew there was still plenty to play for over the rest of the weekend,” Moodley said.

Starting from 19th position on the grid was perhaps not a bad thing as the race start was chaotic, with several riders making aggressive moves on the pit straight. The South African teen dropped a few places, but bided his time.

“I knew that I had to be smart about the race and my strategy was not to go crazy from the opening lap.” And it worked.

Keeping a cool head in the Thai heat, Moodley chipped away at the field, eventually graduating to 10th place by the penultimate lap. Despite defending his position tooth and nail, he ultimately finished in 11th place, earning five points in the World Championship event.

Jose Rueda won the Moto3 opening race, with Alvaro Carpe and Adrian Fernandez completing the podium.

Moodley described the race as being very tough, both physically as well as mentally.

“It’s by far the hottest race I’ve ever competed in. I tried really hard to defend into the final corner. I was a bit disappointed to be overtaken because I was really close to a top 10 finish.

“But overall, it was a positive weekend as I gained a lot of experience and confidence. This is just the beginning of a long season. I am happy about how we have started and we will continue growing from here. I am hungry for more,” Moodley added.

IOL