Van den Goorbergh Escapes Huge Crash, Hit with Long Lap Penalty

Zonta van den Goorbergh escaped a heavy crash during Moto2 qualifying at Silverstone on Saturday, involving Mario Suryo Aji. The Momoven Idrofoglia RW Team rider was extensively checked at the medical centre and declared fit for Sunday's race. Van den Goorbergh will start from 17th place but must serve a Long Lap Penalty due to the incident.

Van den Goorbergh began Saturday with a solid feeling at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain. He progressed from Q1 to Q2, where he believed he had good speed. However, disaster struck in Q2. While on a fast lap and set to improve his Q1 time by half a second, he made contact with Aji entering Maggotts.

“Before the fast left-hander, I had a much better exit from the right-hander. He wasn't really on a fast lap, so I had to go to the inside. I went for it. Eventually we touched,” explained Van den Goorbergh. He claimed he was already ahead of the Indonesian at the moment of contact, but the impact initially seemed light, yet it had major consequences. Aji fell, while Van den Goorbergh was violently thrown from his bike.

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The crash looked severe, but both riders walked away. Van den Goorbergh spent considerable time in the medical centre but was eventually cleared to race. “The most important thing is we're standing here. Physically I can't complain, but the shock is still there. It could have been much worse,” he said.

After qualifying, the stewards decided to hand Van den Goorbergh a Long Lap Penalty for his part in the incident. The Dutchman struggled to accept it. “I understand that I caused a crash, but on the other hand, I was ahead when we touched, and he turned into me. But I went for the overtake, so I'm guilty. We proved with data that I had the same line and speed as in Q1. I'm not at peace with it, but we can't change it,” he stated.

Starting from P17 with the penalty, Van den Goorbergh remains optimistic. “I think we can move forward from P17 and still have a good race despite the Long Lap,” he said. After the crash, Van den Goorbergh and Aji sat together. There is no bad blood. “Aji is not my enemy. We get along well. He said he didn't know anyone was behind him. I apologised, as it wasn't my intention to take him out,” he explained.

The Moto2 race at Silverstone starts Sunday at 11:15 local time (12:15 WIB), as the first race of the day.