For the third time in his debut season, South African Moto3 rider Ruche Moodley has put championship points on the board for Denssi Racing BOE Motorsports.
Moodley had a shaky qualifying and start at the Qatar Grand Prix during the fourth race on the calendar last weekend, but he made it up with a gutsy fight at the tail of the race.
Moodley gained seven positions to claim a 13th-place finish at Lusail Circuit in Qatar.
It was not his best finish, given his P11 at Sepang during the opening race of the season, but it definitely was one of his hardest fought races so far.
The 18-year-old said racing under lights was a whole new experience for him.
The addition of unnatural lighting at high speeds creates an illusionary effect, especially when racers go into extreme modes of concentration, according to several Formula 1 drivers who spoke in Netflix’s drive to survive.
Races in the UAE are generally held at night due to the high temperatures during the day.
A high speed circuit combined with the lights puts the driver into a sort of “tunnel-like experience”.
“It was my first visit to this track, and racing under lights is a completely new experience for me. I was feeling strong after the early practice sessions, but I knew the front-runners would lift their pace as the weekend progressed,” Moodley said.
The layout of Lusail requires riders to pick up on the slipstreams available if they want to reach top speeds, even more so during qualifying where they push as hard as they can to get in front.
The main straight at Lusail is just over a kilometre long, and requires some finesse and tactics to gain speed.
“I was in a bit of a middle ground during qualifying. I couldn’t really pick up a decent tow from anyone,” he added.
The Gqeberha-born rider had to settle for a P20 start, and knew he had a lot of ground to cover before making the cut on points. There are 29 riders competing for the title.
After a wheelie from the starting line, Moodley kept a level head to move up positions when the opportunities presented themselves.
His team opted for a slightly harder than usual tyre compound, which sacrificed grip early on, but made up for it with speed and consistency over the course of the race.
A few crashes and mechanical issues on the side of other teams also allowed Moodley to move up the pack. By mid-race, he was in the points.
“The race pace today was really quick. The heat, for the tyres and riders, was tough to deal with,” Moodley said.
“It was the first time I have ridden in these conditions and now know how tough it is. I am glad that I kept my cool as gaining experience is very important. To leave here with points is great.
“I had managed my tyre wear to keep a little in reserve for the end of the race.”
Moodley and his BOE Motorsports teammate Cormax Buchanan are tied on the rider standings with nine points a piece.