Daniil Kvyat walked away unharmed from a hefty crash in the closing stages of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Saturday, causing a red flag stoppage.
With less than one minute remaining in Q3, Kvyat ran wide at the left-hand kink before the turn 11 hairpin, touching the grass on the left hand side of the track.
The Russian driver’s car speared into the wall at high speed, causing a great deal of damage to the chassis and sending debris across the track. The session was red flagged immediately.
Red Bull’s pit wall quickly radioed Kvyat to make sure that he was unharmed, to which he responded: “Yeah, I’m okay.” Team principal Christian Horner confirmed after the session that Kvyat was slightly winded by the accident, but was otherwise fine.
The damage sustained by the RB11 car means that a pit lane start looks likely for Kvyat on Sunday as the team will inevitably have to break parc ferme restrictions to piece it back together. The Russian had been due to start from P10 at Suzuka.
Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles
“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.
“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”
Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.
“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”
Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.
Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.
The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.
Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.
