One lap to go, Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau are trading places like Pokemon cards. Of course, the stage is Le Mans, and the year is 2003. That’s probably my favorite Le Mans moment.
I wouldn’t argue with you if yours were Chris Vermeulen taking his only MotoGP victory in the wet, MotoGP’s 1000th race in 2024 – where Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, and Pecco Bagania put on a show for the ages – or one of many more from the archives. But none of those are the Le Mans moment we’re talking about today – and it was just a moment.
In 2018, during a Moto3 race at Le Mans, we saw one of the most spectacular displays of what riders at the highest levels can do when needed.
Upon the exit of a turn, Jakub Kornfeil was immediately faced with a lowsided bike, and on a moment's notice, stood, and used it like a ramp. As though he were Jett Lawrence, Kornfeil launched into the gravel, landing one of the saves of the decade, before rejoining the track.
This clip resurfaces every year on the run-up to the French Grand Prix, but whatever happened to “that rider”, as he’s often referred to? Where is Kornfeil? It’s worth mentioning that Kornfeil won the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2009, then competed in the 125cc World Championship from 2009-2011 before moving to Moto3 in 2012.
I won’t spoil the ending, but his days of professional racing were numbered after that famous clip.
The Czech finished the 2018 season in seventh place, grabbing one podium at his home circuit. In 2019, he finished in 14th place, but despite having a contract with BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race team for the 2020 Moto3 championship, Kornfeil announced his retirement in January of 2020, citing financial constraints.
Kornfeil’s main sponsor, Czech company Redox, pulled its support, leaving the 26-year-old with no option but to finish his Moto3 career. But that wasn’t to be his last professional ride. In 2020, he filled in for Bradley Smith, and rode in the MotoE World Cup for seven rounds, finishing 18th overall.
His time competing on two wheels came to an end in 2020, but he’s not done racing. Kornfeil became the first-ever MotoSurf world champion in 2015 and continues to compete today. When he’s not making waves, Kornfeil is bringing forth the next crop of Czech racers, as he works as a trainer for the FIM Mini GP & Miniracing Czech Republic Series.
Somewhere in all this, he found the time to write a book titled Definice Sportu or Definition of Sport, which was published in 2022.
Kornfeil’s clip brings so many riders so much enjoyment at this time of year – now we know his story. And for some added trivia, the bike he used as a ramp belonged to Enea Bastianini.
