Early Crash Ends Furusato's Race at Mugello
Autodromo Internazionale del MugelloThe seventh round of the 2026 Moto2 World Championship came to a frustrating end for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia on a hot and sunny Sunday at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. Taiyo Furusato was the team's sole representative this weekend and faced an uphill battle after receiving a grid penalty on Saturday, forcing him to start from the last row of the grid.
Despite the difficult starting position, the Japanese rider made a strong start of the race and immediately began gaining positions during the opening lap. However, his race came to an unfortunate end before it could properly unfold. At Turn 6 on the first lap, Furusato was involved in an incident with another rider and crashed, ending his race prematurely. Fortunately, he escaped uninjured, but the team was left without the opportunity to build on the positive progress shown throughout the weekend.
Attention now immediately turns to the next challenge, as the Moto2 World Championship heads to Hungary next weekend for Round 8 of the season at Balaton Park Circuit. The objective remains clear: transform the encouraging pace and growing confidence into tangible results.
It has been a disappointing Sunday for us. We were expecting Taiyo to make another step forward during the race and continue gaining valuable experience after the progress he showed throughout the weekend.Unfortunately, on the first lap another rider made contact with him and that caused the crash, ending his race immediately. The positive aspect is that Taiyo is okay and did not suffer any injury, but we lost an important opportunity to complete race distance and continue learning. Now we must focus on the positives, reset quickly and prepare for Hungary. We will keep working hard together with our rider and continue pushing forward.
It has been a disappointing Sunday for us. We were expecting Taiyo to make another step forward during the race and continue gaining valuable experience after the progress he showed throughout the weekend.Unfortunately, on the first lap another rider made contact with him and that caused the crash, ending his race immediately. The positive aspect is that Taiyo is okay and did not suffer any injury, but we lost an important opportunity to complete race distance and continue learning. Now we must focus on the positives, reset quickly and prepare for Hungary. We will keep working hard together with our rider and continue pushing forward.
I am very disappointed with today's result because I felt we had made good progress throughout the weekend. The team worked really hard to help me improve session after session, and I felt more comfortable with the bike than in previous races. We were getting closer to the level we want to reach, so it is frustrating that the race ended before we could show that progress.Starting from the back was always going to be difficult, but I was determined to fight and recover positions. Unfortunately, sometimes racing can be like this and an incident can change everything in a matter of seconds. I want to thank the team for all their effort and support. We will stay focused, keep working and aim to come back stronger in Hungary.
I am very disappointed with today's result because I felt we had made good progress throughout the weekend. The team worked really hard to help me improve session after session, and I felt more comfortable with the bike than in previous races. We were getting closer to the level we want to reach, so it is frustrating that the race ended before we could show that progress.Starting from the back was always going to be difficult, but I was determined to fight and recover positions. Unfortunately, sometimes racing can be like this and an incident can change everything in a matter of seconds. I want to thank the team for all their effort and support. We will stay focused, keep working and aim to come back stronger in Hungary.
