Mahindra achieved their pre-race target of a top-ten result at the Dutch TT after Marcel Schrotter finished ninth in a rain-shortened race at Assen. The German had already produced his best qualifying performance of the year to seal a place on the fifth row, and followed it up with his best race performance.
Heavy rain brought out the red flags on lap 15 with Schrotter hot on the heels of Efren Vazquez and Jonas Folger in the battle for seventh, and the 18-year-old felt he could have overtaken them had the race gone the full distance.
“Danny and I both got a good start, but in the first three or four laps I made a couple of little mistakes and lost touch with the lead group. Then it started to rain a little, each lap a little bit more. I had a good feeling and I was closing up. I was trying to be fast but also safe: really concentrating. I gained some places, then I was behind two riders. I could have passed them for seventh, but I had no idea that the race would be stopped so I was waiting for a safe opportunity.”
Danny Webb ensured that both GP125s finished in the points with 13th place. The Briton scored points for the second consecutive race and added that the result was conformation of the Indian manufacturer's continued progress.
“The race was hard but the end result not so bad. At the beginning Marcel and I were with the front group and feeling comfortable … but then another rider nearly hit me at the chicane and forced me to slow. After that I was stuck behind him: his bike was a little faster on the straight but he was slower in the corners, and the front guys got away. It was pretty frustrating – but the bike ran perfectly all weekend, and both me and Marcel were right up there. It's proper progress.”
Team Principal Mufaddal Choonia watched the race from the team's Mumbai headquarters and is proud of the steps the team has taken in its debut season.
“This is an extremely proud moment for all of us at Mahindra. We have broken into the top 10 in just our sixth race. And what makes it more special is that both Marcel and Danny finished in the points. We have been working very hard to improve our bike over the last couple of months and I am glad to say that all that effort is gradually bearing fruit.”
