Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race from the Misano Adriatico circuit. This is round twelve of the Moto 2 championship. Six races to go. Pol Espargaro trails Scott Redding by 38 points. This event for Moto 2 will be 26 laps. The track temperature is getting warmer. The wind picks up. Hoping for no rain. Takaaki Nakagami is third. Tito Rabat is second. Pol Espargaro has pole position. Scott Redding is going to roll off fifth.
Alex de Angelis, on row seven, is from San Marino. Steven Odendaal is back racing after his big warmup crash at Silverstone, as the bikes are on their warmup lap. The warmup lap is complete. We're ready for a start to this one. Good start from Scott Redding. Good start from Julian Simon. There's passing going on already in this 26 lap race. Scott Redding has already passed. Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro are 1-2 into Quercia. Xavier Simeon runs wide. Dominik Aegerter is running well. They come to Curvone flat out on a Moto 2 bike.
Again, these are 600cc machines. Now, Nakagaami passes Rabat. Dominik Aegerter is starting to move up. Something lists Xavier Simeon as leading. That's not true as the timing is out. Into Quercia again. Anthony West is now tenth, and may have added a spot. Oh. Nope. Back into Curvone. Nakagaami is closing up on Espargaro. Nakagami is there, and so is Dominik Aegerter, who started tenth. Nakagaami runs fast lap at 1:38.5. Pol Espargaro holds off Nakagami's challenge, going into the last turn.
Espargaro is just in front of Nakagami. Tito Rabat is third. Tom Luthi runs seventh right now, two laps into this race. Nakagaami makes his move at La Quercia. He makes the move stick. Rabat holds off Scott Redding, down the back straight. Johann Zarco is running well. The battles are starting to heat up. Mika Kallio was passed very late by Xavier Simeon, as Mattia Passini had also tried to get by. Dominik Aegerter sets new fast lap. Not sure what the time is. Redding is slower than Aegerter through the tenth turn and into the final right hand turn sequences.
Espargaro is going to have to throw evrything he's got at Redding, including the kitchen sink. Redding sticks a pass on Aegerter. Brave stuff from both of these guys. Go for it. Nakagami is moving ahead of Espargaro and Rabat. Tito Rabat sets his personal best lap time. They run into Curvone, as the battle of the team mates, continues. Yellow flags in to Quercia? Hmmm. Simone Corsi has fallen out of twelfth place. Anthony West, Marcel Schrotter, and Nico Terol, move up.
Tito Rabat sets his personal best lap time. Redding is 6/10ths of a second slower than Pol Espargaro. This race is settling into a pace as Nakagaami runs laps in the 1:38 range. Espargaro runs a personal best of 1:38.2. Nakagami also sets an identical lap time. Aegerter and Johann Zarco continue to follow behind Scott Redding. Espargaro sets another personal best lap time. Espargaro might have tire issues. Then again, maybe not.
Aegerter passes Redding. Nakagaami's gap is 2.1 seconds right now. Johann Zarco also goes around Scott Redding's Marc VDS bike. Redding is 4/10ths quicker than Aegerter and a tenth up on Zarco. Anthony West gets into a slight tangle with Xavier Simeon. The front gap closes a bit. Thitipong Warokorn from Thailand, falls. But, back to the front, Nakagami wants this win. He's been second in the last three races. The gap is up to two seconds. Tito Rabat sets a personal best lap, and he's closing on Pol Espargaro as Scott Redding is still trying to pass Dominik Aegerter. Tom Luthi is lurking, too.
Nakagami is feeling for tire wear as Scott Redding is now dealing with Tom Luthi. The gap closes to 1.1 seconds between the Team Harmony riders (Rabat and Espargaro). Redding might be able to pull out the stops at the end of this race. We'll see. Aegerter, Zarco, Luthi, and Redding, all battle over fourth spot with just six laps left. Five now, actually. The gap is closing. 1.4 seconds. Rabat is motoring. Nakagami might be worried about losing this race.
Nakagami leads again. Espargaro also wants this. Tom Luthi is up to fourth. Aegerter runs deep trying to pass Luthi. New fast lap from Espargaro. 1:38 flat! 1:38.070. Four laps remaining now. Espargaro might catch Nakagami. He's straining every sinew right now. Espargaro is closing as the bikes start their next lap with three remaining. Espargaro must ride the wheels off his motorcycle. Redding is stuck in seventh, still. Luthi, Aegerter, and Zarco, are ahead of Redding. Back into Quercia again. Nakagami's armor is starting to crack.
Espargaro is closing right up on Nakagami. Both these guys are desperate. Nakagami wants a win. Espargaro wants to get the points to catch up to Redding in the championship. Espargaro leads now, with two lkaps to go. Nakagami must respond, after having a three second lead at one point. Espargaro lengthens his gap. Just over a lap left now. It looks like Nakagami is going to have to settle for second. This is the last lap. This could be the most important Moto 2 win of Espargaro's career.
Nakagami is coming back. Has he got something left in the locker? Half a lap left. Unfortunately, Nakagami is not going to get there. Pol Espargaro is going to win this race.
#40 Pol Espargaro ESP Kalex Granollers
The next race is in Spain at Motorland Aragon, in two weeks.
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