Category: Moto2

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Moto3: Debut Pole to Debut Win for Jaume Masia

The Argentinian Moto3 Grand Prix was typically maniacal, with the general order of the day being ‘pass or be passed’. Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) took his debut win, from Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) and Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) who completed the podium.

The race took the form of a typical Moto3 race, a large group with many lead changes, riders not spending a great deal of consecutive time at the front, some arriving at the front before dropping back, others remaining in the very top positions for the majority of the race, and others able to make little progress with so many riders around.

Jaume Masia, winner of the Moto3 race in Argentina 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

It soon became clear, though, that Darryn Binder was out on the attack, making big, bold moves at every opportunity. He was slow on the straight, but had a few yards on is competitors on the brakes, an area where he is almost always at an advantage compared to his rivals.

Also making his presence known in the front group was Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Racing) who, in his home Grand Prix, was prepared to accept nothing other than a win, which in the end cost him a podium.

The final lap began with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in the lead, but by turn five he was out of contention, having been pushed wide by the melee going on around him. It was unfortunate for Dalla Porta. He did nothing wrong, but that’s Moto3.

Whilst Dalla Porta was out of contention, Rodrigo had taken the lead, only for it to be snatched away from him in turn seven by Masia with a nice out-braking move. Masia had been pushed back in the pack earlier in the race but fought hard to arrive back in victory contention by the final lap.

Once Masia had the lead, he just had to hang onto it. He out-braked everyone in the final corner, and there was the chequered flag, waiting for him, as he took his first career victory. Following the disappointment of a DNF in Qatar, the young Spaniard proved he is a force to be reckoned with, and will look to back this performance up in the coming rounds, and identify himself as a championship contender.

Darryn Binder had looked slightly over-aggressive all weekend, but he harnessed that in the race to give himself second place. Once he arrived in the top positions, he didn’t leave them, something which is difficult to do in Moto3, but his prowess on the brakes meant it was difficult for anyone do to anything about him.

Darryn Binder in the Moto3 race at Termas de Rio Hondo 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Since this race last year Tony Arbolino has been awaiting a podium. He was leading comfortably in Valencia last year before he crashed, and he led in Qatar, but finally the Italian has his first podium in Grand Prix racing, something which he will be hoping to build on in the coming races, especially in Jerez, a circuit in which he has gone well in the past.

Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) started the race incredibly well, leading for periods and spending a lot of time in the front positions. He got forced back in the group mid-way through the race but fought back well to finish fourth, his best result since his podium in Motegi back in 2017.

Missing direct access to Q2 yesterday put a dampener on Ayumu Sasaki’s (Petronas SRT) weekend, but fifth place in a chaotic race represents perhaps his best performance since he arrived on the GP scene in 2017. As with the podium finishers, this is a result which the Japanese will be hoping to build on.
Gabriel Rodrigo entered turn thirteen on the final lap in second place but he exited it sixth, having spun the rear tyre on the exit, allowing four riders past. It was a shame for the home rider, who finally put together a good weekend in Termas at his sixth attempt.

Despite leading into turn one on the final lap, Lorenzo Dalla Porta managed only seventh, ahead of Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) who made a good recovery after a difficult qualifying to finish in the top ten, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and round one victor Kaito Toba (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), who was sent out of the group for being caught up in an incident with John McPhee (Petronas SRT) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) which saw the Spaniard retire.

Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) had a strong race, especially in the middle portion, but finished only eleventh in the end, ahead of Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who spent most of the race at the front but disappointingly fell back at the end. Thirteenth went to Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who was ahead of Celestini Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Raul Fernandez who completed the points finishers.

Featured Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

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Moto2: Vierge Takes Second Termas Pole

Qualifying for the Moto2 class for the second round of the World Championship in Argentina saw Xavi Vierge take pole position for Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS.

First, though, the fourteen fastest riders from free practice were joined by the four fastest riders from Q1, who were: Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) and Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team).

In contrast to the Moto3 session, which saw everyone waiting until the end to set their fast laps, the Moto2 Q2 was fairly regular, with everyone going out at the start, and lapping until the chequered flag.

Vierge’s pole lap was set early on, in the opening minutes of the session, and came as a surprise considering both his and Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez’ lack of pace throughout the weekend. However, they clearly found something ahead of qualifying, and now the #97 will be hoping it continued to work in the race on Sunday.

Marcel Schrötter 2nd for the 2019 Moto2 race, Termas, Argentina. Image courtesy of Dynavolt IntactGP

Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt IntactGP) qualified second with a late lap to slot him into the middle of the front row. The German had spent most of the session in the first positions, but a late surge from several riders put that at risk, although the #23’s response was sufficient to have him at the head of the grid for the second time this season out of two.

Qatar was a disappointment for Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), both in qualifying and in the race, but a lap late on – his final lap of the session, in fact – in Q2 saw him fire himself onto the front row of tomorrow’s grid in third place, a grid slot from which he will be aiming to fight for the podium.

Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) looked good for a front row start for much of the session, but that late lap from Lowes bumped him to fourth place. The Spaniard made good progress after a difficult Friday, and will be joined on row two by race one runner-up Tom Luthi (Dynavolt IntactGP) and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder.

Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) topped FP3 in the morning, and so was hotly tipped for a debut pole position, however he could manage only seventh place, and will be joined on row three tomorrow by the VR46 Rider Academy pair of Qatar winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) who will be hoping to make it further than turn one on his second attempt at a Moto2 race.

Simone Corsi was a surprise in tenth after coming through Q1, whilst Jorge Navarro (Beta Speed Up) took eleventh place and Enea Bastianini will complete the fourth row on his second Moto2 start.

Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) complained after Friday of struggling over one lap, and he will need to hope that his race pace is strong, coming from thirteenth on the grid. He will be joined on row five by Andrea Locatelli and Iker Lecuona (American Racing).

Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) impressed on the NTS, out-qualifying reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to start tomorrow’s race sixteenth. Martin’s fellow Moto3 graduate and 2018 teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Speed Up) will complete the sixth row of the grid tomorrow, after being the slowest of the Q2 competitors.

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Moto2: Can Anyone Break Kalex in Argentina?

The second round of the Moto2 World Championship takes place this weekend in Argentina, three weeks on from Lorenzo Baldassarri’s win for Sito Pons’ Flexbox HP 40 squad.

Baldassarri’s win was one which came as a result of a staunch defensive performance in the face of strong late race pace from the returning Tom Luthi, who took second place on his debut for the Dynavolt Intact GP team. The win also means that Baldassarri comes to Argentina leading the World Championship for the first time in his career, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with that this weekend, at a track where he has never made the podium, a best result of fourth coming back in the 2017 edition of the race.

Thomas Lüthi riding for Dynavolt Intact GP. Image courtesy of Dynavolt Intact GP

For Luthi, the goal this weekend will be to prove that Qatar was not a fluke, not a one-off, and that his return to the intermediate class of grand prix motorcycle racing from a season of MotoGP in 2018 has come with a new impetus for the Swiss, who is once more in search of a second world title in 2019, and will know no doubt that a result to support the one of Qatar can be very important for his chances, though not vital. For example, last year’s Moto2 World Champion Francesco Bagnaia suffered his worst weekend of the season in Argentina, finishing only ninth. However, it is worth pointing out that in every year previous to that, the winner of the Argentinian round of the Moto2 World Championship had gone on to win the title.

Something else to keep in mind this weekend is that only Kalex have won intermediate class grands prix in Termas de Rio Hondo. However, several other chassis brands have landed podiums in Argentina since 2014: Suter, Speed Up and KTM have all taken rostrum positions at least once in intermediate class races at Termas. However, seeing past a Kalex whitewash of the podium is difficult, considering how they dominated Qatar.

In Qatar, every bike in the top ten was a Kalex, the first non-Kalex chassis being Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Speed Up frame in eleventh. Additionally, the weekend was a disaster for KTM, with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) damaging his hand on Saturday, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) suffering after the initial laps to finish twelfth – not the way he wanted his championship campaign to begin in a season in which he aims to win the title.

JorgeMartin, Qatar Moto2 2019. Image Courtesy of Gold and Goose /KTM

The saving grace for Binder in Losail was that his two main championship rivals, or the two thought to be his main championship rivals before the season got underway, had similarly disappointing races.

Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) managed only eighth place in Qatar, and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) came home sixth after entering the weekend as the favourite for the win. For these two, and for Binder, Argentina represents a clean slate – three weeks on from disappointing races in Losail they will view this weekend as the true beginning of their respective championship challenges.

There were impressive rides in Qatar for Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) who finished fourth and fifth respectively. Like Luthi, they will be aiming this weekend to show that they can replicate those performances on a regular basis.

In fact, for Gardner, he will be aiming to go one step further this weekend, after he was narrowly beaten to the line in Qatar by Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) to what would have been his first podium in the World Championship.

The Marc VDS team is the second most successful Moto2 outfit in Termas, having enjoyed two wins there since 2014, with Tito Rabat (2014) and Franco Morbidelli (2017). Both riders went on to win the championship in their respective victorious years in Argentina, so look out for Xavi Vierge – who finished second in Argentina last season – and Alex Marquez this weekend.

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Moto2: Baldassarri Takes Inaugural Triumph Powered Win

The 2019 Moto2 World Championship began under the lights in Qatar to the soundtrack of 765cc Triumph three-cylinder motors, and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) came out on top in a last lap duel with Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP).

Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) made the holeshot from Baldassarri, but it took the Italian only one lap before he assumed the lead.

After a few laps, Vierge dropped another spot to Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) – the polesitter – and the attack from the German was enough to destabilise the #97 rider to the extent that Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) soon found their way through as well.

From this point, Baldassarri and Schrotter engaged in a cold war, trading lap times but Schrotter was never able to get within range of Baldassarri.

As the race settled down, Tom Luthi started to make his charge from the back half the top ten. He had a lot of pace, but took his time in passing people. By the halfway point, though, Luthi had passed Alex Marquez for fourth place, and was setting on after Gardner for the final podium spot. With three laps to go, the Swiss veteran of the Moto2 class had seized second place from teammate Schrotter and by the end of the penultimate lap he had caught Baldassarri.

Thomas Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP)

It was clear that Luthi had a large advantage in edge grip, able to carry significantly more corner speed than Baldassarri, and this was especially noticeable through the three fast right-handers towards the end of the lap.

However, despite showing a nose in turns fourteen and fifteen, Luthi was unable to make a pass stick on Baldassarri, and the Italians snaking on the run to the line was enough to keep the 2005 125cc World Champion at bay, as Balda took the first win of the Triumph era of Moto2, a year on from being beaten to the Qatar victory by Pecco Bagnaia.

It was a stunningly metronomic ride from Baldassarri, consistently lapping in the mid-1’59s, dipping into the low-‘59s when he needed to. Against a more aggressive rider, maybe he would have lost out on the final lap, but the Italian did what he needed to do to go to Argentina leading the Moto2 World Championship for the first time in his career.

Tom Luthi’s return to Moto2 was last than half a tenth of a second away from being precisely perfect. If he hadn’t been considered already, Luthi has, with this ride, announced his intentions of winning his first world title in fourteen years. The Swiss held on impeccably to his tyre, something which his rivals were unable to replicate. This could prove to be a critical advantage throughout this season.

Marcel Schrotter hung on to the last podium position on the final lap from Remy Gardner, the German just running out of pace at the end. It has deserted him so far but Schrotter seems to be edging closer to that first Moto2 win.

Having stolen third place from Schrotter in turn one on the final lap, Gardner lost it again towards the end. He arrived in Qatar as one of the favourites for the win, so disappointment from the Aussie would be understandable. However, it was perhaps the best dry performance of the #87 in his entire grand prix career, and a fourth place is a good beginning.

Marcel Schrotter in the Qatar Moto3 race. mage courtesy of Dynavolt Intact GP

Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) had a quiet but impressive first ride of the season in fifth place, easily clear of those behind and closing in on the podium battle towards the end.

Behind Fernandez was Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2). If Remy Gardner arrived in Qatar as one of the favourites, Sam Lowes arrived as the absolute favourite, and by a chunk. However, several mistakes when overtaking people hampered his progress from the second row, and it is difficult to avoid the fact that the Brit missed out on a lot of points at the season opener. Luckily for Lowes, the season consists of nineteen races, not just one.

Seventh place went to Alex Marquez, who like Lowes will be disappointed with his result, having felt he had a strong race pace for the season opener.

Equally disappointed will be Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46). He had not looked to have the pace to fight at the front for the whole weekend, or even in the test.  Luca who is both expected and expecting to fight for the title this season, when his supposed main rivals Lowes and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) were struggling he would have hoped to take advantage, especially at a track where he has gone well in the past.

Brad Binder, Qatar Moto2 race 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

But, for Binder, the race was even worse. He started by climbing four places to fourth place, but slowly slipped back from there, and appeared to run completely out of tyre at the end, haemorrhaging positions in the last couple of laps to: Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), Xavi Vierge – who suffered massively mid-race – and Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up). Whilst it was a disaster for Binder, to beat such a recognised championship favourite in their first race would have been something to smile about for the rookies, Bastianini (finished ninth) and Di Giannantonio (finished eleventh).

Despite starting the weekend in a good way and with some good speed, Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) could only manage thirteenth in the race, ahead of Jesko Raffin (NTS RW Racing Team) who replaced Steven Odendaal and reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin who was the final points scorer.

Most of the retirements came on the first lap, as Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) collected Iker Lecuona (American Racing Team) on the way into the first corner, and Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) got caught up in the melee as well. Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3) had a disappointing start to his Moto2 career as he crashed at turn six on the first lap after some contact with Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team), who crashed at turn four early in the race as well.

Featured image  courtesy of Dynavolt Intact GP

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Moto2: First Moto2 for Schrotter

For the first time in the history of the intermediate class of grand prix motorcycle racing, the qualifying session in Qatar for the opening round of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship was split into two parts. In the same way as Moto3, the fastest fourteen riders from the combined free practice times would be joined in the pole position shoot-out of Q2 by the four fastest riders in Q1.

The four advancing riders from Q1 were: the Sky Racing Team VR46 duo of Luca Marini and class rookie Nicolo Bulega; Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM), the Spaniard the beneficiary of Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up) having his fastest lap cancelled.

As in the preceding Moto3 Q2, there was some bunching out on track as riders looked to get a tow. However, the rider who took pole made his lap time on his own, and he did it over and over. Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) took his first Moto2 pole position as a result of a 1’58.585, which followed a series of laps from the German which would have been good enough or pole.

Marcel Schrötter,gets the first pole of 2019 Moto2 Season. Image courtesy of Dynavolt Intact GP

In the end, Schrotter’s advantage over second place was 0.146 seconds, and it was over Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who put himself in almost the perfect position for his debut with his new squad tomorrow.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) ensured it was three different nationalities on the front row of the first Moto2 round of the 2019 season, but also that it was a Kalex front row lockout for the first GP of the Triumph-powered era of the Moto2 World Championship. Baldassarri finished second in Qatar last season, and will hope that this good grid position will allow him to go one better this time round.

Fourth place went to Luca Marini after he made it through from Q1. The Italian could have been on the front row but a crash at turn two in the closing stages of the session put him out of contention.

Marini will be joined on the front row tomorrow by the two riders who arguably came into this season as the favourites for the race win: Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) in fifth and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in sixth. Whilst both Lowes and Gardner would have perhaps hoped for more, the second row gives them a good position from which they can fight for the top positions.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the top non-Kalex rider as he put his KTM eighth place, between the two Kalex’s of Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) – seventh on his Moto2 return – and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who begins his fifth season in Moto2 from ninth on the grid.

Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) will start tomorrow’s GP from tenth, ahead of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in eleventh. Martin had a crash midway through Q2, which limited his chances. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) completed the fourth row.

Enea Bastianini has looked to have top ten pace all weekend, but could only manage thirteenth on his debut for the Italtrans squad. He will be joined by Tetsuta Nagashima and fellow rookie Nicolo Bulega on row five tomorrow.

After passing through Q1, Iker Lecuona qualified sixteenth, ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) – who like his teammate has shown better than his qualifying result throughout the weekend – and Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP).

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Moto2: Triumph Powers Moto2 into 2019

The Losail International Circuit plays host to the first round of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship this weekend.

After three days of testing for the Moto2 field last weekend, Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) has emerged as the favourite for the win – dominating the three days and ending 0.2 seconds clear of the field.  With two difficult years it seems Lowes is ready to return to the front with the team in which he made his most successful season in Grand Prix racing back in 2016. The Brit has always been competitive in Qatar, even in his Grand Prix debut in 2014. Where he finished inside the top ten with the Speed Up team, and it seems as though this year could be his best opportunity to finally take the win in Qatar – a win which would somewhat fittingly see, a British rider win the first race of the Triumph-powered era of Moto2.

From the test it seems that Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) could be Lowes’ closest challenger for the season opener, the Australian finishing third in the combined times of the test, and showing a good rhythm. Back on a Kalex for 2019, Gardner looks set for what could possibly be his best season in the Moto2 World Championship – a podium to open the year would be a good way to start that for the #87.

Between Lowes and Gardner in the Qatar test on the combined times was Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) who returns to the intermediate class after a year with the Marc VDS team in MotoGP. Interestingly, this will be Luthi’s first season in Moto2 outside of the Interwetten team with whom he enjoyed so much success previously. He has, though, joined a very strong team in the Dynavolt outfit, who has won races in the past with Jonas Folger, and scored many podiums last season with Xavi Vierge and Marcel Schrotter.
Vierge, who has now joined the EG 0,0 Marc VDS squad is certainly a dark horse for the championship after some strong performances last season for Dynavolt. He looked strong in testing too, and goes to Qatar with hopes of a podium, no doubt.

The same could be said for his EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate, Alex Marquez, who ended the three days in Qatar just under a tenth behind Vierge and has looked strong throughout preseason. The critical thing for Marquez this season is to stop crashing. Hitting the deck last year cost him the championship – it cost him points and cost him his confidence. The regulation change for Moto2 this season could provide the mental refreshment necessary for the Spaniard to make an assault for the championship.

Brad Binder, Qatar Moto2 test 2019. Image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool

But, aside from Lowes, the championship favourites are almost universally agreed to be Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Both were over half a second off Lowes’ time in the Qatar test, but have also looked strong since preseason testing resumed after the winter ban.

Interestingly, neither one of the three main championship contenders have achieved a victory in Qatar and, as such, there is a good possibility for the likes of Vierge, Luthi and Marquez to take an early advantage. As well as those three,  Lorenzo Baldassarri and his Flexbox HP40 Pons teammate Augusto Fernandez could be in the battle this weekend, although Baldassarri was not particularly spectacular in testing at the weekend. Fernandez, on the other hand, was fourth fastest at the end of the three days, only three tenths off Lowes.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this weekend, though, as far as the intermediate class is concerned is the beginning of a new era. The powerless, screaming Honda CBR600RR engines will have officially been replaced on Friday by the torquey Triumph 765 three-cylinder motor. As well as change in sound, these engines have also produced changes in riding style. The torque of the new engine means that corner speed is not as vital as before to lap time; now it is possible to square corners off and still make lap times. This should result in better racing, as riders can send more risky passes knowing they aren’t going to be so slow on the straight as a result. On Sunday we will find out if this is the reality.

Featured Image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool

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Moto2 Report: Oliveira Clinched Final Win After Marquez Crashes Out

After rain hampered racing all weekend, there was almost relief evident in the Moto2 riders as they lined up for the final round of  2018. All their setup time had been in the wet, so racing in those conditions was in some ways more straightforward.

That said, after the first two corners, Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) would have been extremely thankful that he had wrapped up the championship two weeks ago in Malaysia. The pole sitter, Bagnaia’s teammate Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46), locked the front tyre and his rider-less Kalex hit Bagnaia. This seemed to cause some substantial damage to the #42 bike, and later in the race (when he was riding in the lower reaches of the points positions), Bagnaia was visibly struggling with the stability of his bike. That first lap contact limited Bagnaia’s final Moto2 race into a 45-minute ride of honour.

Meanwhile, there was some strong battling out front in the early stages. Xavi Vierge, in his final race for Dynavolt Intact GP took the early lead, before Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) switched with him and took the lead.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had come up from tenth on the grid to third on the first lap, and had impressively taken the lead by lap two of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Other notable rides early on included Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) and Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrum – Speed Up) who had come from 21st and the back of the grid respectively to be within the points by the end of the first lap.

 

Marquez, Valencia, Moto2, 2018. Photo courtesy of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

 

After a brilliant start, Pasini started to fall back as the other riders at the front started to pick up the pace. However, as the veteran Italian was dropping back, Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) was steaming forward with some very impressive pace. Lecuona was coming through at the same time, and soon after Marquez passed Oliveira for the lead on lap six, the #27 was pushing the #97 of Vierge up to the back of the Portuguese rider.

Vierge, though, couldn’t maintain his pace and crashed on lap 12, unleashing Lecuona on Oliveira. For a while it looked like the 18-year-old Spaniard would find a way past the Championship runner-up rider and possibly go on to set his sights on Marquez out front. However, Oliveira responded to the pace of Lecuona, and started to pull away, catching up to Marquez simultaneously.

Marquez tried to stabilise the gap before he crashed on the final corner of lap 16 and gifted Oliveira the lead, with a monstrous gap back to Lecuona in second. Such was the pace of the top three before Marquez’ crash, and the attrition rate, that the #73 managed to remount his Kalex in third place, just in front of Pasini, who he then pulled away from.

 

Lecuona, Oliveira, Marquez. Moto2, Valencia, 2018. Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Ajo.

 

Oliveira went on to take the final win of the 2018 World Championship season; his final Moto2 race before he moves to Tech 3 KTM next season in the MotoGP class. It was the perfect way for him to end his time in the class. Oliveira’s win also meant that there has not been a single Spanish victor in the intermediate class this season. Lecuona held onto second place for his first ever podium. The ex-supermoto rider will hope to be able to use this as a springboard for 2019, in which he remains with the SII team (although it is changing its name next season) and will be aiming for even more podiums. Marquez managed to clinch the final podium spot after his crash. 2018 has not been kind to the Spaniard, and the aim for him next year will be to turn things around with the regulation change and the move to Triumph motors.

Pasini took fourth in his final GP, from Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing), Quartararo, Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40), Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) and Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) who completed the top ten. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was 11th, ahead of Tetsuta Nagashima (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), Bagnaia, and Jesko Raffin (SAG Team) who took the final point.

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Moto2 Preview: Unchained in Valencia

The 2018 Moto2 World Championship heads to Valencia this weekend, for the nineteenth and final round of the season, two weeks on from Sky Racing Team VR46’s Francesco Bagnaia wrapping up the title in Sepang.

With the championship decided, the chains are well and truly off for the riders this weekend for the final race, and all of them will be eager to go into the winter with a win.

No one more so than newly-crowned champion Bagnaia who, after seeing teammate Luca Marini claim his first career GP win last time out, will be keen to return to the top step himself having not seen the chequered flag first since Thailand. On top of that, Bagnaia will want to enter his first MotoGP preseason with as much confidence as possible, and a win in his final Moto2 race will assist in that. On the contrary, he will also presumably have one eye on next week’s first 2019 preseason test for the premier class riders, and his first opportunity to get a taste of the Ducati GP18 he will race next year.

In similar positions are Bagnaia’s fellow 2018 Moto2 graduates: Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up) and confirmed 2018 Moto2 runner-up, and season-long rival of Bagnaia’s, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Joan Mir (EG 0,0 MarcVDS) is the only one of the four riders moving up to MotoGP to have not won a race this season. As a rider who is going straight into a factory team (Ecstar Suzuki), so his motivation will be high for the final race of the season, especially as he missed out on the 2017 Moto3 win in Valencia to Jorge Martin. Mir came closest to winning this season back in Australia, where he missed out on the win by just a few milliseconds to Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). He will hope to reverse that deficit this weekend, and having gone well on the anti-clockwise Sachsenring before the summer break (his final podium before Australia, also anti-clockwise), there is a good chance that Mir could be right in the mix this weekend at the (left-handed) Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Furthermore, Mir is currently third in a mathematical four-way scrap for fourth place in the championship with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) leading the way in that fight from Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Mir and Luca Marini.

There could also be a good opportunity for Fabio Quartararo this weekend, as he has excelled so far this season with the Speed Up frame in low-grip conditions. He tends to have strong drive grip, and that could be crucial this weekend on a circuit which is not famed for its stunning grip.

As for Miguel Oliveira, it is difficult to say what he can achieve this weekend. By no means have we seen the maximum from the Portuguese rider over the past few races, perhaps since as far back as Aragon, but now with the pressure of the championship lifted from his shoulders, he should be able to ride more freely, and he will certainly be aiming to end his time in Moto2 with a win before he jumps on the Tech 3 KTM next week.

Almost on the opposite end of the scale is Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). He is without a ride so far for 2019, and despite a morning of strong rumours mid-week in the build up to Valencia which suggested he could be replacing Nicolo Bulega in the Sky VR46 team for next season, those supicions were quashed by Sky Racing Team VR46 team manager, Pablo Nieto, who confirmed that Bulega will be with the Italian outfit next season alongside Marini. Valencia could prove to be Pasini’s final Grand Prix, and should that be the case he will want to go out in style.

All predictions, however, could be thrown out the window should the weather forecast be accurate. It is expected that there will be a lot of rain this weekend, and that could open an opportunity for a rider with little to lose, and a lot to gain, to put in a surprise performance.

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Bagnaia’s Second Chance in Sepang

A difficult weekend in Australia – the most challenging of his 2018 season so far – meant that Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) had to wait to be crowned 2018 Moto2 World Champion. Fortunately for Pecco, he has another shot this weekend, and at the more conventional Sepang International Circuit, with its bipolar characteristics in comparison to Phillip Island, the Italian rider has the 2018 intermediate class title firmly in his sights ahead of this weekend.

As has been the case for a while now, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is the only rider who can stop Bagnaia from clinching the crown this weekend. To do so, the Portuguese must outscore Bagnaia by twelve points to ensure the championship fight goes down to the final round in Valencia. Of course there are many situations which could allow this to happen but the simple way to put this is to say that Oliveira has to win with Bagnaia finishing off the podium for the title to go down to the wire.

But, will Oliveira win? Given his recent form, you would say probably not. After his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Brad Binder’s victory last time out in Australia, Oliveira now has less wins than the South African over the course of the season, and hasn’t won since Brno at the beginning of the second half of the season. If ever there was a time for Miguel to turn around his form, it would be now, but that doesn’t mean it is going to happen.

Of course it was Oliveira who won the Moto2 Malaysian Grand Prix last year, as Franco Morbidelli wrapped up the 2017 title. This victory was the second of his back-to-back-to-back wins to finish off the season, and Brad Binder is coming into this weekend with the possibility to make a repeat of his teammate’s results of last year. Binder is in fantastic form at the moment, and has at least had the matching of Oliveira since his win in Aragon. The race the South African put together in Phillip Island was stunning, and suitable given Kork Ballington’s recognition as a MotoGP Legend on the same weekend. However, should Oliveira’s pace be enough to fight for the top positions, there should be no doubt that Aki Ajo, Pit Beirer and the rest of the top KTM mob will be urging Binder to play the team game.

Another crash for Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) last time out meant that Binder almost has third place in the championship wrapped up, sitting forty-one points ahead of the Italian. Coupled with Joan Mir’s (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) second place in Oz and suddenly there is quite a big fight again for fourth in the championship, with only four points separating Baldassarri in fourth at the moment, and Mir’s Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez in sixth.

It is Mir who has the Sepang form, too, after having taken the Moto3 victory in Malaysia last year. In comparison, both Marquez and Baldassarri crashed out last season. If form is anything to go by then Mir could have that fourth place all but wrapped by the time the chequered flag comes out on Sunday.

Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) had his best weekend as a Grand Prix rider last weekend in Phillip Island. The Spaniard was fast from the get-go in FP1 and missed the podium for all of 0.008 seconds to Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) who also saw a return to form. Remember, also, that this weekend will not be Fernandez’ first time in Sepang, as he rode the Speed Up last season, finishing just half a second behind his then teammate Simone Corsi.

Vierge also had a strong weekend in Malaysia last year, finishing eighth on the Tech 3. Vierge’s teammate, Marcel Schrotter, will be hoping for better luck this weekend, as he showed some stunning pace in the race, but had to use it all to come from last on the grid thanks to mechanical troubles on the line. It wasn’t such a good race for Schrotter last year, though, in Malaysia, as he finished second-last and nearly one minute off the win.

As well as Schrotter, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) will be after a better weekend in Sepang than he experienced last season, when he crashed on the first lap. Not only will Marini want to make a good result for himself this weekend, but he will also want to be at the front to help Bagnaia, his teammate, in his quest for the title. Throughout this season it has been clear that Marini is very aware of his teammate’s situation, and has proved a strong number 2 for Bagnaia – just look at how happy Luca was to have taken four points from Oliveira in the final laps of the Thai Grand Prix a few weeks back.

That sort of assistance could prove vital this weekend, as Francesco Bagnaia looks to bank his second match point.

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Moto2 Report: Binder Takes Third Win As Championship Challengers Suffer in Australia

Brad Binder secured his third win of the season in the intermediate class. (Image courtesy of Ajo Motorsport)

From the qualifying session from the Moto2 Australian Grand Prix, we learned that Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) would not be fighting for the victory on Sunday. In fact, Brad Binder, Oliveira’s teammate was the pre-race favourite, after qualifying on the second row in fifth place.

Contrasting starts for the two championship combatants saw the Bagnaia climb up into the top five in the early laps, whilst Oliveira languished just inside the points. The lead chopped and changed at the front in the early stages, and soon Bagnaia’s lack of pace became evident as he started to fall back through the pack, and towards Oliveira.

At the front it was a big scrap, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing) being joined in a group fight for the lead by Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP), Brad Binder, the two HP40 Pons machines of Lorenzo Baldassarri and Augusto Fernandez, Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors), Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) and Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Both Baldassarri and Marini had shown some impressive pace in the early laps after the start; after getting caught behind Bagnaia in the initial stages they both managed to clear their VR46 Riders Academy colleague and join the fight at the front.

However, by the time they had arrived in the lead battle, Pasini had hit the deck, crashing out at turn four, and continuing his record of having never scored an intermediate class point at Phillip Island.

Soon after, Lecuona went down as he was trying to pass Vierge in the Southern Loop. Lecuona got a decent run through Doohan’s and looked on the inside of Vierge at turn two, but didn’t get far enough alongside his compatriot, who wiped the KTM rider’s nose sending the pair of them wide and Lecuona onto the grass, losing control and falling.

The next rider to drop out of the leading group was Remy Gardner, who crashed at MG (turn ten) on lap thirteen. It was a shame for Gardner, who had enjoyed a good home Grand Prix weekend, and was certainly in the mix for a top result.

That left Baldassarri, Fernandez, Mir, Binder, Vierge and Marini to fight it out for the win – at least until Baldassarri went down at MG with three laps to go.

With Baldassarri down, Binder made his move, climbing from fifth on lap 22 to second a lap later, before taking the lead on the penultimate lap, a lead which he held going into the final tour.

A strong move from Vierge on Fernandez at the Honda Hairpin let the two leaders escape a little, which was enough to ensure that the win was decided in a duel. Marini was unable to take advantage of Vierge and Fernandez running on as he ran on himself in the same corner.

A strong final lap from Binder ensured that he had enough distance to Mir going into MG – the last real overtaking opportunity of the lap – so the Spaniard couldn’t make a move, and had to focus on getting a good run from the final corner to try to slipstream Binder to the line.

Binder should have been far gone, really, but a good run through the final two corners for Mir, and what looked like too much spin for Binder gave the rookie a chance, although the South African’s tow proved insufficient to pull Mir by, and the 2016 Moto3 World Champion took his third win of the season.

Not only did Binder gain from this the satisfaction of taking victory, but he also surpassed his championship-contending teammate’s win total for the season, and heavily strengthened his position in third in the standings, which was also assisted by Baldassarri’s late crash.

Second place for Mir means he has one less race to try to claim his first Moto2 win before he steps up to MotoGP next season with Suzuki. Certainly the Phillip Island circuit saw a return to form for the reigning Moto3 World Champion, and he needs to carry this into Sepang and Valencia if he is to take a win before 2018 is through.

Joining Binder and Mir on the podium was Xavi Vierge, who won out in the all-Spanish fight for the bottom step of the podium. It was Vierge’s second podium of the season, and first since his injury in Austria. Like Mir, he will be aiming to carry this forward into the final two rounds in search of his first Moto2 World Championship victory.

Augusto Fernandez enjoyed yet another impressive performance for HP40 Pons, and built on his encouraging Japanese GP weekend one week ago. He missed the podium by 0.008 seconds to Vierge.

Fifth place for Luca Marini was well deserved. After the race he complained of chatter towards the end, which he offered as an explanation to his final lap mistake at Honda. Another solid result for him means that he looks to be ending the season in a good way, which is positive for him as he looks to 2019 and what should be a championship challenge.

Dominique Aegerter finished sixth in what was his best race of the season, which came at the end of his best weekend of the season. It looks like the team are not going to be on the grid next year, so on the weekend which marked one year since the death of Stefan Kiefer, Aegerter’s result was timely to say the least.

Miguel Oliveira eventually came home in eleventh place, with his championship rival Francesco Bagnaia 1.1 seconds behind in twelfth. Ultimately, Bagnaia did what he had to do, and lost only one point to Oliveira. Bagnaia now has the opportunity to take the championship in Sepang, needing just eleven points to become the 2018 Moto2 World Champion.

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