Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race in Malaysia.
The track will be wet for Moto 2. There might be some sunshine expected for the latter part of this race. On pole for Moto 2 will be Pol Espargaro. This will be a wet race, for a distance of 19 laps. Marc Marquez can clinch the title unless Pol Espargaro wins from pole. The bikes set off on their warmup lap. There's a local Malaysian rider in this race who has been fast. Hafizh Syahrin is that rider, who qualified 27th.
This is round 15 of the Moto 2 championship. Two rounds left to go. At the start, Scott Redding gets a good start and so does Taki Nakagami. Marc Marquez gets a slow start. Nakagami leads but falls. Bradley Smith leads with Julian Simon now fourth. Xavier Simeon is coming up as Marquez drops back. Alex de Angelis is right up there, too. You have to be very careful. Johann Zarco falls and Mika Kallio slides off into the gravel trap. Xavier Simeon is in there, too. Pol Espargaro gets passed by Thomas Luthi. Johann Zarco is OK, but, it's game over. Gino Rea is up to sixth spot. Anthony West gains ten spots from 22nd to 12th. The track is beginning to dry out. Julian Simon had a podium at Indianapolis. But, he hasn't been as successful this year.
Taki Nakagami has resumed in the race, but has lost time. Julian Simon and Alex de Angelis are 1-2 with Rea, Redding and Luthi, the top five. Pol Espargaro wants by Marc Marquez. Tito Rabat and Mike DiMeglio are up there. So is Andrea Ianonne. A Malaysian wildcard rider is also going well. Anthony West is flying. Tom Luthi is up to fifth as the track is drying out with two laps complete. Scott Redding gets passed by West. Takaaki Nakagami has another crash. He collides with Eric Granado who tries to chop across in front of his bike, sending him to the pavement, hard.
The track is beginning to dry, but there are more black clouds coming. Will riders need to change tires? The rain tires will heat up, and begin to chunk. They need water to work. Rtthapark Villarot ditches his bike. Julian Simon might be in the catbird seat here. Leading right now is Alex DeAngelis, with fifteen laps left. Simone Corsi serves a ride through penalty for starting in front of the control line. Julian Simon tries to pass but can't. Wildcard rider Hafizh Syahrin is running well.
Pol Espargaro runs twelfth. He needs to move forward if he'll try to stop Marc Marquez's effort to win the title. Gino Rea is trying to close on Anthony West. Thirteen laps to go. Syahrin has fast lap. Not sure what the lap time is. Pol Espargaro passes Mika Kallio and Mike DiMeglio. Eric Granado is also out of this race after being involved in the crash with Nakagami. Gino Rea passes Alex de Angelis. Gino Rea actually takes the race lead. This is a great race, seeing these different contenders up at the sharp end.
Gino Rea and Julian Simon run really fast laps. But, up to third, it's Hafizh Syahrin! That will make the home fans happy. With eleven laps to go, Julian Simon resets fast lap as Syhrin goes for second! Wow! Could a wildcard rider win? Syahrin leads the race, going inside on Rea! Rea was like, "who is this guy?" This is only Syahrin's second race appearance! Can he win? He's opening a gap up over Rea and De Angelis. Wow! The team is going berserk! What a performance! Anthony West is fourth and he might still have a chance.
It's been a long time since a wildcard rider has won one of these races. Syahrin sets another fast lap at 2:23.7. Bradley Smith is ninth with Mika Kallio tenth. Rain is getting heavier with nine laps left. Gino Rea passes Alex de Angelis. It will be a battle between Syahrin and Rea. Will Anthony West make a move? Not yet. Rain is starting to fall another time. This won't be declared a wet race. Marc Marquez will be world champion at the end of this race. Syahrin twitches. Rea is right on top of him. West wants third and gets it from Alex de Angelis.
It's a four way battle for the win. It's Syahrin vs. de Angelis. Anthony West gets the door shut on him by Rea. de Angelis takes the lead back. Syahrin is battling with riders who have won in MotoGP before. Marc Marquez crashes! He won't be champ unless he gets going! Can he get it refired? Andrea Ianonne was pushing him. He still has to wait to win this title. Espargaro is 12th. Marquez is out of it. Anthony West is now second. Marc Marquez is distraught. Could he still be champ here? If Espargaro finishes lower, Marquez can still win the title. Espargaro's team mate Tito Rabat is his rival. If Rabat passes, Marquez is champ.
Alex de Angelis is running in the 2:26 bracket. Six laps remain. Mike DiMeglio falls and resumes. But, this puts Pol Espargaro up further in the order. Alex de Angelis wobbles, but he has a sufficient gap. Tom Luthi is closing up on the second group. Five laps left now. Thomas Luthi drops his bike now. Pol Espargaro will still have a chance at the title going into the next race in Australia at Philip Island. Nico Terol also crashes out. The rain has really become a factor. It's starting to bucket down. It's really getting heavy. The weather will indeed be monitored, especially for standing water.
Gino Rea takes the lead from Alex de Angelis. Anthony West is now second. Three laps to go. West comes back past Rea. Wow! This isn't over yet. The rain is getting worse. Can Gino Rea win this? The red flag is out. Has Gino Rea won? Andrea Ianonne drops his bike. It will go back a lap. Will Alex de Angelis win this race? Alex de Angelis wins it! Rea thinks he has, but no. Rea is third. This is the third career win for the San Marino native.
#15 Alex de Angelis RSM FTR Rimini
The next Moto 2 race is at the Philip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia, next weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment