Danny Kent and Sandro Cortese told to race hard but fair

British rider Danny Kent and Red Bull KTM Moto3 team-mate Sandro Cortese have been told to avoid a repeat of the aggressive battle they engaged in during a thrilling Moto3 race in Assen last weekend.

The pair will be back on track this weekend for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring after a couple of high-speed collisions during last Saturday’s Dutch TT.

German Cortese was the chief aggressor in a thrilling Dutch Moto3 encounter and one moment of contact in the closing stages almost caused Kent to crash.

Cortese’s aggressive moves drew criticism from inside the paddock, with reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner believing he had been close to overstepping the limit.

Kent rode a brilliant race though to record his maiden Grand Prix podium after he was handed third by just 0.001s over Luis Salom following a photo finish.

Red Bull KTM team boss Aki Ajo said Kent and Cortese were spoken to prior to the Assen race and again afterwards and he told MCN: “For sure there was a bit too much risk.

“I understand why because they were thinking that perhaps (Maverick) Vinales can pull away and it can make them a little bit nervous.

“But you have to be more careful and we have to talk about it. I am not angry but I think both of them understand they have to work together.

“We talked about it before the race. In some respects we were lucky nothing big happened and we talked with them again after the race. They understand they have to support each other and they have a good feeling together.”