After a wicked MotoGP race, here are the highlights of Moto 2 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
As we know, Moto 2 bikes are smaller and lighter, with 600cc motors. This race will be scheduled for 19 laps, and is going to be a good one to be sure.
Scott Redding has pole for this race. Pol Espargaro is seventh. Scott Redding has pole, and is the first British rider to have pole in the second tier class since Jeremy McWilliams in 1999. What will the tires do? Dunlop provides tires for the Moto 2 championship. The field rolls off on their formation lap. There will be about 30 bikes on this grid. This will be a good one. There was no tire testing for the Dunlop tires on this course. 19 laps scheduled for a distance of 65 miles.
At the start, Scott Redding comes back after getting shuffled at the start. So far so good on the wide, uphill turn one. Redding leads and Taki Nakagaami gets second. Nico Terol, Dominik Aegerter and others run single file down the order. These 600cc machines will be going 167 miles an hour down the straights. Dominik Aegerter is pushing hard, and Redding wants to have control of this race. Aegerter makes a move as the bikes and riders settle down.
This is a real physical race course as spoken about in the MotoGP race in the last feature. Three bikes won't go into the first turn. You can block pass as Nakagami goes to the lead over Redding. Sandro Cortese languishes in 20th spot. Aegerter is running well, as Redding is trying to pass for the lead. Redding and Aegerter are battling. Redding says, "no, no, sunshine. Let me in." Nico Terol tries to pass and can't quite do it. Swing the bike back to the left to set up for the triple apex turn 18. Mika Kallio is coming. Carry momentum. Don't accelerate too hard. Cortese will be penalized for a jumped start as Redding runs a 2:13.007.
Pol Espargaro is moving up. Cortese serves his penalty. Nico Terol is still second, wanting to pass Scott Redding. These guys are doing a lot with lean angle, too, as Terol tries. But, calm down. This is good stuff. Any of the top six are on par to have a shot here. Espargaro tries passing Aegerter. But, he can't quite do it. Mika Kallio is up to third. Pol Espargaro falls in turn six. He's hurt, possibly. Let's hope he'll be OK. Terol, Redding, and others, are battling. Anthony West is running well. He's coming. Right now, Kallio is third, behind Redding, followed by Aegerter.
Mika Kallio has 180 or so races in the FIM championship. He's very experienced. Kallio takes second from Redding who may be overriding the bike. Nico Terol pulls out, catching Redding off guard. Dominik Aegerter is still going for it. Simone Corsi is up there, too. These bikes have a minimum weight requirement. Aerodynamics is big with these bikes, as all the motors are the same. They're all 600cc bikes. Kallio wants to go for it. Pol Espargaro is limping. But he should be fine. Dominik Aegerter slides the bike all over.
He'll need to be careful. Thirteen laps to go. Taki Nakagaami is out. He learned from the great Kenny Roberts, about how to race. Nakagaami almost falls off. The rear tire might be at fault. It's an abused tire that the Dunlop technicians will need to look at. It's how you set the bike up, and how you ride it. Kallio and Aegerter run laps in teh 2:12 range as Simone Corsi falls. Anthony West is up to fifth place. The gap is
1.8 seconds. Nicolas Terol, the Spaniard, leads it.
Nicolas Terol has a 2.4 second lead. Dominik Aegerter still slides the bike. Taki Nakagaami had a tranmission issue. But, Tito Rabat is running quick. Can he get to a podium? He's got no one else around him, with clear race track. Terol runs a 2:12.8. Aegerter tries to pass Redding. Kallio breaks away from these two. Toni Elias is 16th and has had a fraught season so far. Randy Krumenacher from Switzerland has crashed, low siding the bike. The more body you use, the less lean angle you carry.
Do your moves to ride the motorcycle more precisely if the tires go off. Aegerter passes Redding, and Dominik Aegerter is going to try Mika Kallio next. Turns nine and ten are very tricky corners. This is quite a performance from Mika Kallio. But, Nicolas Terol is going for it. Esteve Rabat remains fifth. The gap is 2.9 seconds. Aegerter is 8/10ths quicker than the leader. He's coming for Mika Kallio. Dominik Aegerter could get a podium. He is under pressure from Tito Rabat. Seven laps left now.
Will Aegerter last without running his tires ragged? The long duration corners have really stressed the tires. Scott Redding will still need to search for his first Moto 2 win. The gap is closing now between Kallio and Aegerter. Nico Terol has his bike set up well. He's been in the zone. Friday testing was wiped out because it was too cold. Mika Kallio goes wide, but holds on well. These guys have to use throttle control and their bodies. They don't have the traction control and the bells and whistles of a MotoGP machine. Aegerter still wants by Redding.
Rabat cuts the gap down and Aegerter has held his line over Redding. Now, Esteve (Tito) Rabat, is going to have more chances. He's run a 2:12.4. Esteve Rabat is right on it now. Mika Kallio is still pushing. Nico Terol has a decent gap, coming to the finish of this race. Three laps remain. Nico Terol has a 2.7 second lead. He's checked out. Dominik Aegerter sweeps by Mika Kallio. Esteve Rabat is also coming. Mika Kallio is also trying hard. Kallio lost his braking spot, allowing Rabat to pass. The clutches on the Moto 2 bikes are adjustable.
Kallio can't keep the wheels in line. Mika Kallio is going for it. He's run MotoGP before, so he knows these 600cc bikes will be a piece of cake. Rabat is up to third, sliding past Aegerter. There is a corner on this track where a car or bike is prone to sliding. That was seen in the F1 Grand Prix last fall. Less than two laps remaining. Rabat is behind Kallio. It seems Terol is going to win. Kallio goes sideways. Nico Terol will very likely win his first Moto 2 race here at COTA. Kallio under pressure and Rabat gets second. Kallio is still going for it. Who will get the advantage?
In turn 12, Kallio might be able to do it. He does. No. Wait. Yes, he does. Rabat gets loose and Aegerter is touched by Kallio! Rabat wants by Kallio. No dice. Kallio gets second. But, Nico Terol wins his first Moto 2 race!
#18 Nico Terol ESP Suter Alcoy
The next Moto 2 race will be the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, coming up in three weeks or so, the first weekend in May.
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