RICHARD Spencer-Fleet’s season looks uncertain after he sustained a broken leg and severely damaged his bike in the latest round of the Ducati Trioptions championship.
He came into the weekend feeling positive, and said the bike was “feeling good and on pace”.
Practice went well for Spencer-Fleet, and trying something new saw him finish in 11th.
Come qualifying he got to ninth, the best qualifying he’s ever had at this level: “The team and I we’re really happy as there was nothing in it with less than a second to fifth.”
But this is where the team’s luck ran out.
Race one didn’t last very long, going on the outside of a competitor at turn one was a mistake as he ran wider than Spencer-Fleet’s bars and hit his fairing. This brought him down. The bike suffered some damage but Richard walked away unhurt but “frustrated”.
In race two Spencer-Fleet started from 15th but a stall on the line saw him dead last into turn one.
After a few laps he had made up to 19th from 34th and “felt good”.
On lap three, the bike went into a false neutral. Without the engine braking the bike didn’t slow as it should and in a split second reaction tried to brake hard and put in gear. There wasn’t time or a line to take and he collided with a fellow rider.
Spencer-Fleet said: “So what now? Time to rest and reflect. The rest of the season now looks uncertain as I sustained a broken leg and numerous other injuries, but also the bike currently is in a very bad way. I would like to thank my family, friends and sponsors for all their support. It’s been amazing and wouldn’t have got to where I have without you all.”
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