A collision between Ivan Ortola and Stefano Nepa ends curiously in Austin, as Ortola then runs towards the wrong bike to resume the race
It’s not unusual for a rider to have to collect himself and refocus after a collision. However, it is rather rare that he wants to resume the race on the wrong bike. But that’s exactly what happened to Ivan Ortola at the Moto3 Grand Prix in Austin
Shortly after the start of the race on the Circuit of The Americas, there was a crash between him and Stefano Nepa, who was unable to avoid Ortola after he crashed directly in front of him. Both crashed into the asphalt run-off zone.
While Ortola’s bike came to a halt at the side of the track, Nepa’s motorcycle continued on without a rider and finally came to a stop at the track boundary. Fortunately, both riders were uninjured, so Ortola rushed straight to his bike to continue – only to run into the wrong bike.
Nepa ran straight after Ortola. He was already sitting on his bike and trying to get it running again. When Nepa pointed out the misunderstanding, Ortola finally turned around and ran back to his actual bike.
Both continued, but only Nepa finished in 18th place. Ortola crashed a second time during the race and then had to retire for good.
This could explain the mix-up: Nepa and Ortola were teammates in the MTA team last year. Ortola then switched to the MSI team at the start of this Moto3 season. However, he still has to get used to the new colors
A mistake that we’ve seen several times in the past! @IvanOrtola48 went to the wrong motorcycle! AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/Pdvm7mvM72
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 14, 2024
The Moto3 race in Austin was ultimately won by David Alonso with a commanding start-finish victory. There were a number of crashes and collisions behind him. Second and third place were decided in a photo finish between Daniel Holgado and rookie Angel Piqueras, who were separated by just 13 thousandths at the finish line.
The only Moto3 rider from a German-speaking country, Noah Dettwiler, finished the race in 14th place and scored his first world championship points
