The Moto2 World Championship, races the second round of it's season, along with the other classes, at Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas.
20 corners makes this track, a roller coaster ride, and we've seen that in MotoGP. Moto2, is next! Windy, cloudy conditions. But, a good day, for racing. It's the third race for Moto2. Tom Luthi, of Switzerland, is the championship leader. Luthi, and Johann Zarco, have won races this year so far. Alex Rins earns his first pole of 2016 and it is the 17th of his career. Sam Lowes is third on the grid. Alex Rins won from pole in Moto3 at the inaugural race at COTA in 2013. Franco Morbidelli's motorcycle was totally rebuilt before the race, with a new frame, and swing arm. Tom Luthi finished second in Moto2 in 2014. He has not led in Moto2 since the middle of the 2012 season.
What can Takaaki Nakagami do? He needs a good result. He's been going backwards in races after qualifying well. He was quickest, in the morning warmup for this race. Franco Morbidelli has not had the best weekend at all, as mentioned. Morbidelli started and finished fifth here at COTA, last year. Dominique Aegerter has qualified fourth. 19 laps scheduled for this race. Julian Simon makes his 100th Moto2 start. Marcel Schrotter is 13th on the grid and his scored points in every Moto2 race he's run in here at Circuit of the Americas. Luis Salom was on the podium in Qatar, and finished third in the 2013 Moto3 race here.
Axel Pons fell in turn three on Saturday, rolling off 15th. Hafizh Syahrin has had some great results so far this year. He starts down the order today, in 17th spot. Danny Kent dominated Moto3 here a year ago. But, he's struggling in Moto2. Sam Lowes wants to repeat after winning this race last year, and Alex Rins, wants a podium. Xavier Simeon was on pole for this race last year, and could only muster 15th this time out. 28 motorcycles will start. Efren Vazquez has a fractured right ankle after falling in qualifying. Vazquez, was knocked out cold, in the fall. He is in the hospital, with a fractured ankle.
The riders have the bikes on the warmup lap. Lowes, Zarco, and Rins, may be the top riders in this race. Other riders, will just be tripping over each other for fourth spot, perhaps. Turn one here at COTA is a tricky corner. Will Alex Rins be affected by media pressure, wondering if he'll be a MotoGP rider next year? Johann Zarco wants two wins in a row in Moto2. We are ready, for a start. It's Moto2, in Texas!
Here come the lights. Away we go! Dominique Aegerter gets a good hole shot off the line. A few riders find the going in turn one, treacherous. Just stay on the motorcycles, boys. Alex Rins takes the lead, and Johann Zarco slots into second. Simone Corsi may have touched another bike. Not sure. Jonas Folger is moving up, and perhaps, Sam Lowes, was snoozing when the red lights went out. Folger goes into turn seven hot, and Sam Lowes gets around him. The next group of riders, is a trio with Takaaki Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli, and Tom Luthi.
The battle is on into turn eleven, with the riders bobbing and weaving all over the track. Sam Lowes wants by Dominique Aegerter right now. Lowes sweeps around Alex Rins, and looks like he might take Zarco on the inside! He's wide, and Aegerter will capitalize. Rins now leads by 3/4 of a second. Aegerter runs wide as this pack bunches closer together. You might have a rabbit being chased by a pack of hounds here, in the next couple laps. Hafizh Syahrin is up to 12th. Alex Rins is checking out, meanwhile. Lowes cuts back inside Aegerter and makes the pass. This is racing on the ragged edge, early on in Moto2.
Nakagami has his hands full with points leader, Tom Luthi, in a battle for sixth spot. Sam Lowes wants to pass Johann Zarco, as a few bikes are off the road. Hopefully, no one has fallen down. Two riders have jumped the start. Lorenzo Baldassari and Axel Pons will be penalized. Sam Lowes moves to second, and is now going to try hard to chase down Alex Rins, who is ahead by a country mile at this point. Aegerter challenges Zarco, and meanwhile, he is feeling the heat from Jonas Folger. Julian Simon has made a great start, but going the opposite direction, is Simone Corsi. Folger takes Aegerter by surprise and Aegerter has to sit up. Wow! That's close!
Tom Luthi still looks for a way by Takaaki Nakagami. Fastest lap set at the start of lap three by Sam Lowes. 2:09.994. Luthi passes Nakagami. Lowes continues to chase down Zarco. Confirmation then, of Baldassari and Pons, having the visit the sin bin for a jump start. Jonas Folger tries to pass Johann Zarco. It's all getting cramped down in midfield right now. Zarco, runs wide, and, Folger tries to make a move. No dice. Zarco, slams the door in his face. They are queuing up behind Johann Zarco right now.
Folger passes Zarco, but crosses up, and runs wide. Folger is off the road, and Aegerter goes by. Folger also gets passed by Luthi. Baldassari is in the pit lane for his ride through penalty. Simone Corsi has had to recover from a fracas at the first turn. Takaaki Nakagami was going forward, but now, he's sliding down the order again. Game over for two riders. Luca Marini and Robin Mulhauser, are headed for the house, after crashing. Four riders, have to hold station, and not get into a real dogfight. Folger, Luthi, Aegerter, and Zarco, will have to watch their pace. Tom Luthi tries to pass. We have a spill, ladies and gentlemen. Luca Marini skids off the track, ditching his motorcycle.
There is another rider involved. This is a replay, of the shunt between Marini and Robin Mulhauser. Is Johann Zarco managing tires? Or, is he dropping back? Normally, he wouldn't even remotely be 2.5 seconds off the leaders. Nakagami, Corsi, and Julian Simon, are slowly coming back to the fore. Sam Lowes is comfortable in second, and has gapped Zarco. Aegerter goes under Johann Zarco. Simone Corsi also passes Jonas Folger. Corsi is riding a Speed Up chassis, and speed up, is the operative action, here at Circuit of the Americas. Danny Kent is in the lane. Could it be game over for rider #52?
No damage to the Leopard (or leo-pard) Racing Kalex bike. But, the crew will still take a look. All they're doing is checking rear tire pressure. Kent reckons he may have a flat rear tire. Tom Luthi goes inside Johann Zarco. Zarco fights back, but he could be going backwards here. Bad news for Danny Kent fans. It's game over. The team believes that the clutch packed up on the motorcycle. Simone Corsi moves up and Dominique Aegerter is also improving rapidly. Aegerter, on a clear bit of road, puts in his best race lap at 2:10.422. #49 Axel Pons is pitting for his ride through penalty. Luthi passes Zarco in turn one, and Zarco fights back in turn three.
Takaaki Nakagami makes his way past Simone Corsi. Jonas Folger is wheel to wheel with Nakagami. Luthi is trying his best, but still giving Zarco a headache. Alex Marquez moves into 11th spot. Marquez has gone longer than five laps in a race for the first time in 2016. Zarco was the slowest rider of the top seven, on this particular lap. Franco Morbidelli is slowing. He's not running competitive times. Luthi tries drafting by Zarco, and into the braking zone, he's got the inside line. Can he make it stick? No. He runs straight on. Luthi has tried several times to get by Zarco. But, each time, he makes a mistake.
Alex Rins consolidates his lead, and Sam Lowes, is knocking on the door, but cannot come in. Rins has the key and doesn't want to open up. Rins is not putting a foot wrong. This could be a textbook master class on how to ride a 600cc motorcycle, just as it was done, by Zarco, last time out in Argentina. Twelve laps still to go. Dominique Aegerter is demoted to fifth place. Nakagami goes inside Simone Corsi. Luthi is picked up again, by Johann Zarco. Zarco has lost touch with the leaders. Does he have anything left in the locker? A number of riders see the carrot dangling on the end of the string.
Aegerter wants a podium for the first time since Mugello last year. Nakagami last had a podium at Misano last fall. Luthi passes Zarco. Julian Simon and Marcel Schrotter are ninth and tenth. Julian Simon closes on eighth. Alex Marquez and Sandro Cortese run ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Mattia Pasini. Nakagami steals seventh from Corsi. Aegerter was third a short time ago and wants to claw his way back. Rins and Lowes still lead this race. Lap 10. Halfway home. Simone Corsi pushes his way through. Rins and Lowes are a half a second apart. Aegerter passes Corsi. Another rider has had issues. Miguel Oliveira, on the sister Leopard bike. He, like Danny Kent, has had a fraught race.
It's been a tough race for Leopard Kalex. Sam Lowes has to put in a series of perfect laps. Catching is one thing. Passing is another. Lowes is slightly quicker in lap time compared to Rins. Danny Kent's motorcycle had the clutch go out. Sam Lowes looks like he's running wide. No. He's drifting the rear wheel of the bike. Alex Rins gets into a consistent rhythm and does not make a mistake. Similar to Zarco, and also, Jorge Lorenzo. Nakagami forces Corsi wide. Dominique Aegerter runs his personal best lap at 2:10.3 and he was 6/10ths quicker than Lowes, and 4/10ths quicker than Rins.
Zarco is right on Tom Luthi's tail. Miguel Oliveira's race is run. Nil points for Leopard Kalex. Rear brake issues for Oliveira. No rear brake, on the motorcycle. Could Dominique Aegerter be on for his third fifth place in a row? Maybe. A very consistent start to the season for Aegerter. Jonas Folger has been languishing down in eighth spot. Nakagami runs wide and puts in his personal best lap of the race. Four riders are separated by eight points in the championship table. Sam Lowes is doing everything pressuring the race leader. Rins hasn't blinked as Lowes has been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him.
Johann Zarco is picking up his pace. Nakagami puts the move on Aegerter. Nakagami is running some corners in second gear, while other riders run them in first gear. Lower revs, are kinder to the rear tire. Nakagami is closing on Zarco and he almost crashes into another bike! He came in close to Zarco, missed his braking point, and almost crashed! Xavier Simeon is up to tenth place. Six riders are going for one podium spot, for third. Xavier Simeon has passed Alex Marquez, and Marcel Schrotter has made his way by Sandro Cortese.
Zarco sweeps inside Tom Luthi, and Luthi leans on him a bit. Zarco holds the advantage and comes to third. Will Takaaki Nakagami make a move? No. Dominique Aegerter passes Simone Corsi. Luthi tries to make a move. Can't do it. Jonas Folger has not shown anyone a wheel yet. Folger has not had the speed this weekend. Nakagami, Luthi, and Corsi, three wide! Corsi dives inside, and he taps Nakagami, and Nakagami sails off the road and out of contention! Nakagami did not deserve that bit of rough riding. It was a nudge, but sent Nakagami for a wild ride. Zarco is now third. He has a second or more over Luthi. Incident between Corsi and Nakagami is under investigation by the stewards.
Corsi essentially moved Nakagami out of the way, and Nakagami paid the price. Sam Lowes has given up the charge, and it looks like Alex Rins will dominate this race, from pole. Three laps remain. Johann Zarco is third and a full second ahead of Tom Luthi. It won't be a second straight win here in Austin, Texas, for Sam Lowes. Sam Lowes has ridden really well. But, he's been behind Rins this whole race. Two laps now remain. Folger gets in too hot, after setting a 2:10.490 lap. Zarco passes Luthi, and Luthi falls down the order. If the results stay this way, Sam Lowes will have the thinnest of championship leads. Folger passes Luthi. Luthi could slide outside the top six places. Luthi passes Jonas Folger.
Folger comes back. Luthi bounces back. This is for fifth. Some light rain falls in pit lane. It's the last lap now. Alex Rins is 1.6 seconds ahead of Sam Lowes. Luthi cannot stay in the top six. Sam Lowes has done everything in his power to do a double. But, he will fall short. A lot of MotoGP teams are keeping an eye on Alex Rins. The rain, is localized. It's stopped already. Rins may negotiate a MotoGP ride for next year. It's the final lap. Lowes will lead the points by one going into the next race. Rins wins it!
#40 Alex Rins ESP. Kalex
Tom Luthi loses his championship lead. Alex Marquez finishes eleventh. One point for Takaaki Nakagami in 15th. He'll feel cheated after this race. Next up for Moto2, Jerez, Spain, this weekend.
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