In the third Grand Prix of 2024, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team drafted in British sand ace Todd Kellett to race in the dunes of Riola Sardo, filling in for the injured Jago Geerts, where he took five championship points in Sardinia.
Qualifying race: The winner of Le Touquet and the Enduro del Verano is completely at the outside after the start, is even forced outside the track and has to start a catch up race from position 29. And the Brit – who fills in for the injured Jago Geerts on a one-off basis – does that more than nicely. Kellet moves up ten places and crosses the finish line in P19.
First race: Not a good spot for Kellett at the starting gate and he enters the first turn in position 22. In the beginning the Brit keeps a good pace and passes a few of his competitors. After 4 laps he rides in 18th position. Halfway through the race it goes wrong: Todd crashes and drops back to place 23. In the end he still manages to move up to P21.
Second moto: A slightly better start this time for Kellett (16th) who has now got the hang of it – the longer the race lasts the better he gets. The Brit moves up to place twelve, although he has to let his compatriot Watson pass. Todd seems to be on his way to a nice 13th place until he crashes three laps before the end and he loses three more places. Nevertheless: good for five championship points. Nice.
Todd Kellett: “It was damn hard, but at the same time I really enjoyed this Grand Prix. A huge thanks to Yamaha and the team for this opportunity. The intensity is a lot higher than in the beach races. Not normal how crazy these guys go here. I felt like a squash player trying to play tennis. The crashes in both motos were a bit frustrating. But all-in all: a fantastic experience.”
Words and Images by Monster Energy Yamaha Factory – Full Spectrum Media
