MALMESBURY'S Danny Kent had another tough Moto3 race at Mugello in Italy on Sunday when he also had to battle a bout of food poisoning, writes Alannah Fellows.

The 20-year-old struggled in qualifying to make 26th on the grid.

After a tough warm-up session on Sunday morning, the Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo rider put in a stunning performance to climb 11 positions throughout the race, despite his energy levels dipping early on.

Kent crossed the line in 15th position, to score one point. He now sits in 12th position in the championship standings after the first third of the season.

Kent said: "We knew it would be difficult to have a good race after the way the qualifying session went, with us starting from 26th on the grid. "Also, I wasn't feeling quite right. From the warm-up onwards I felt a lack of energy after just a couple of laps, so the whole race was very hard. After just four laps, my energy was sapped.

"I gave it my best. It was not the result we wanted ahead of the weekend, because we knew we could be stronger, but the way things went, a point isn’t a bad return. I am confident that we can improve.”