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Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup - Brno Race 1 - August 16th

Mathew Scholtz won his first Rookies race with a superb win over Sturla Fagerhaug and Matthew Hoyle in desperately slippery conditions that saw both JD Beach and Luis Salom crash as they chase overall victory in the 2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.

The 15 year old South African started from Pole after two soaking wet qualifying sessions and despite a lack of wet weather experience Scholtz charged into the lead chased by the more experienced 16 year old Norwegian Fagerhaug and 17 year old Briton Hoyle.

Quickly into 4th was 16 year old American Beach ahead of 17 year old Spaniard Salom. With the Cup at stake both were determined to grab any advantage possible. Beach was first to make a mistake, thrown off just before the completion of lap 5. "I didn't feel I was going any faster than I had before but the back just came around on me and then high-sided me. I was lucky because when I landed I was sliding towards the bike and just picked it up as fast as I could. I hurt myself though, my lower back was real sore and now that I've got off the bike my right shoulder is also painful so I'm going to have them looked at. My back was hurting in the race and I didn't want to keep going but I thought I had better."

That gave Salom the advantage in the Cup chase but he was not content with just going after a good finish. The second half of the race saw Scholtz leading and Salom getting the better of a superb battle for second that included not only Fagerhaug and Hoyle but also 13 year old Austrian Nico Thoeni and 15 year old Scot Deane Brown.

Scholtz had gained himself a 2.2 second advantage but lost almost all of that in one big slide that put Fagerhaug right back on his tail. Salom saw his chance of another race win, went past Fagerhaug and set his sights on Scholtz. With 4 laps to go Salom had his KTM snap sideways just a few metres from where Beach had suffered the same but the Spaniard's bike was not then ridable.

"Luis is just no good in the rain," said Salom afterwards. He then laughed at himself. "Well actually Luis is very fast in the rain.... but...." and added a wry grin and exaggerated shrug of the shoulders. "Tomorrow we will see. I am just going to do what I can. Hopefully it is going to be dry but whatever it is I will do my best. You know I really thought the win was possible today, well it was possible, it just didn't happen. The bike was perfect it was just me."

Salom's fall had even more of an effect on the race result as it gave Scholtz back a breathing space over Fagerhaug, Hoyle, Brown and Thoeni in their intense battle for second. It could have gone to any of them and Thoeni had his chance in second along with the others. Brown was also riding superbly on his return to the Rookies Cup from the broken leg he sustained in a British Championship race early in the year.

In the end it was a very cool Fagerhaug who took second spot and was only slightly disappointed. "I wanted to win that one. Early in the race Mathew was just too fast but then towards the end I closed back up to him and pulled the others with me. I thought I might be able to win but when Luis crashed we were all in a bunch and that gave Mathew the chance to get away."

"It wasn't easy at all out there," said Scholtz. I just tried to go as fast as I could without making any mistakes. I had one really big slide and thought I was going to crash but didn't. Then I just had to concentrate again and it is so great to get my first win. For tomorrow I don't know. It will be very hard again but I love the track and I'll enjoy it."

Thoeni made a big play for third in the last corners on the final lap but that almost ended in disaster and he did well just to stay on with Hoyle crossing the line in third just ahead of Brown with Thoeni 5th.

"I want the win," said third placed Hoyle. "I tried but just couldn't do it today, I just didn't seem to be able to get the drive coming out of the corners. Wet or dry tomorrow I am going for my first Rookies win, it's my last chance."

Into the final race Beach has a 20 point advantage over Salom but as the American must still drop one round the 5 points he scored with his 11th place finish today are discounted to give him a 15 point lead.

- Peter Clifford -

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