Ruché Moodley hopes low-key return puts him in good stead

Teenage Moto3 sensation Ruché Moodley hopes to bounce back strongly in Aragon next weekend after a rather low-key return from injury at the British Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old BOE Motorsport rider suffered a fractured radius in his right arm during practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix last month. He had to undergo an operation which included a titanium plate and half a dozen screws. He watched the French MotoGP on television before getting the green flag to race at Silverstone last weekend.

Moodley kept a low profile at the end of the field at Silverstone. He was still regaining his fitness and served two long-lap penalties for causing the collision at Jerez, which caused his injury. He qualified in 21st place and rode through the pain to finish 20th.

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Ruché Moodley plays it safe

“We made a decision that I would stay out of trouble on the opening laps. If I crashed or was taken out, my penalty laps would be carried over to the next race. So I took it easy at the start and dropped a few positions on the opening lap,” Moodley told Double Apex.

“I took my penalty laps early in the race, on lap two and three, as I figured the field would be most bunched up then. I struggled later on because I lost a lot of feeling in my arm. It started to feel numb, so it was difficult to feel what the bike was doing.

“I don’t have the strength that I had before to muscle the bike around, since I could only start moving my arm in the week leading up to the race. It lost strength after being immobilised for three weeks.”

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The Gqeberha-born Moodley made a sensational start to his Moto3 career by finishing 11th in his first race in Thailand to earn five points. He went on to finish in the points in three of his first four races before missing the fifth and sixth rounds of the season.

He is 23rd in the championship on nine points and is confident he can fight for points again at the Aragon Grand Prix.

“The plan now is to build up the strength in my hand,” he continued. “I will be much stronger in two weeks when we get to Aragon. I am looking forward to riding that incredible circuit.”