Category: Moto2

After many years in the Moto3 World Championship, RW Racing GP will take the next step by entering the Moto2 class. It is with proud RW Racing GP can announce the signing of top Spanish rider Axel Pons for the 2017 season.

RW Racing GP and Axel Pons are looking forward to ride the Moto2 bike in 2017. The first tests will take place in Spain next month and testing will be continued in February and March during the 2017 Moto2 preseason tests.

Axel Pons began his Grand Prix career in 2008 in 125cc. With seven top 10 finishes this year, the 25 year old is having his best season in Moto2 so far.

Jarno Janssen (RW Racing GP team manager): We are ready for a new challenge

“We are really excited to start this new project in the Moto2 World Championship. It feels like an enormous boost and we will be ready for this new challenge. At 25 years of age Axel is both an experienced and a very talented rider and we are very happy to join forces with him. I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank our current rider Livio Loi for his fighting spirit over the past two years and we wish him a lot of success in his future.”

Axel Pons: I’m sure next year will be really good!

“I’m really happy to take part of this project in 2017. Thanks to all the RW Racing GP partners for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure next year can be a really good one if we continue the progress we are making at this moment. I would like to thank Arguinano Team and all my partners for their support during this last seasons.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The morning warm up at the Sepang Circuit was held without rain, but with still some water patches on the track due to the night rain and the fact that the new tarmac does not dry as quickly as expected here. The Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team riders could do 9 laps to try and fine-tune their Kalex for the race, that was declared wet, as it started to rain 20 minutes before beginning.

The race finished early for Áxel Pons, as before the end of the second lap his bike threw him out and he was force to retire, luckily with no injuries. Meanwhile, Marcel Schrötter started from 22nd and 4 laps later he was already 17th. The German rider led a group of 5 that had a space of 2 and half seconds in front of them. He lost the position and 7 laps before the end he was 20th. He could not improve. By mid-race the rain stopped and was drying, but not completely.

Our congratulations to the World Champion Johann Zarco, who mathematically secured the title today, but also to his main rivals this season, Álex Rins and Tom Luthi. The three of them made the fans enjoy a lot. And good luck to Rins to secure the runner-up spot in Valencia.

The AGR finished a tour of 3 tough weeks, where we did our best, and now we need to rest a few days. It will not be many, as the World Championship will finish in Cheste next November 13th and we will also finish the Moto2 European Championship a week later in the same venue.

Marcel Schrötter: I can’t ride in the wet

“A huge disaster. I don’t know what to say. I don’t understand what’s happening. We weren’t able to find the way for me to be comfortable on this bike. I can’t ride this bike on wet tarmac, that’s all”.

Áxel Pons: We need a secure result

“I’m disappointed. When I saw that it rained I knew it would be more complicated. I tried to keep the pace of the leaders and I lost the rear. The positive thing is that we were there the whole weekend, but in the race, we need to secure a result. We keep our motivation to do a good race in Valencia”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The skies opened ahead of Moto2™ lining up on the grid in Malaysia, with Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) facing down his first chance at the Championship from a soaked pole position – but the Frenchman played his hand perfectly to take an unbelievable win, in front of more podium finishes for Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and wet weather specialist Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP). With Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) finishing in P6 and Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) outside the top ten, Zarco took the crown in stunning style.

Folger got the holeshot as the spray kicked up off the start line, with Morbidelli then soon taking him back as polesitter Zarco slotted into third. Title rival Tom Luthi moved from P5 to P8 in the opening stages as the Swiss rider remained cautious in the difficult conditions, with third Championship challenger Alex Rins moving up ten places from 23rd on the grid to 13th in an impressive early gain. But Zarco, 22 points clear of Luthi and a few more of Rins, was the one with the advantage.

An early crash saw some drama in the intermediate class follow that of Moto3™, as Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) slid out followed by Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) at the same corner – before front row starter Axel Pons (AGR Team) then also retired in the difficult conditions.

Morbidelli led the field from Zarco after the Frenchman took Folger back, with Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team) in fourth and local rider Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) moving into the top five. Luthi then had a shaky lap as he was passed by both Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team), with the second man in the title standings down in P8 – but the rain then stopping and conditions improving steadily.

As Simeon was reeled in by those on the chase, Rins was on the fight back further back on track – with the Spaniard moving up into the top ten by 13 laps to go but out of title contention. As Luthi struggled in the conditions, the two men in Zarco’s way were then down in P8 and P9 and the title got ever closer for the Ajo Motorsport rider.

The front trio of Morbidelli, Zarco and Folger were locked in a game of chess at the front, as the German kept setting the quickest laps of the three, before Zarco pounced for the lead with 6 laps to go – and disappeared into the distance as he tucked in and pulled away from Morbidelli.

Another win, after another pole, and another intermediate class crown – the first man to defend the Moto2™ title since its introduction in 2010.

Baldassarri came home in a lonely fourth after getting the better of those behind but unable to catch the front trio, with home hero Hafizh Syahrin getting a good pay off for his battles throughout the race as he completed the top five.

Tom Luthi finished the race in P6 after finding some more pace later in the race – but was unable to stop the Frenchman from taking the title. Fellow hopeful Alex Rins, after starting in P23, came home in fourteenth to similarly bow out in Malaysia.

An incredible ride from Alex Marquez saw the 2014 Moto3™ World Champion move up from a difficult qualifying in P21 to fight for P4 and then cross the line in seventh – gaining 14 places in tough conditions a week after sitting out the Australian GP through injury.

Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) made good on his practice showings at Sepang to ride through the field into an impressive top ten position, as the 2015 FIM CEV Repsol Moto2™ championship runner-up came home in P8. Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) split the Tech 3 Racing Team in P9 in tough conditions, with the second Tech 3 of Isaac Viñales completing the top ten as all three took some serious scalps on their way to big points hauls.

Wildcard Ramdan Rosli (Petronas AHM Malaysia) had a stunning ride at his home GP, as he came home in twelfth and ahead of some usual Moto2™ frontrunners.

The curtain came down with a wheelie across the line as Zarco cemented his place in history once again – becoming the first Frenchman to win more than one Championship in Grand Prix Racing, followed by a trackside celebration as both he and a body double did a signature backflip.

Next stop: Valencia, and the Circuit Ricardo Tormo – where Rins, Morbidelli and Luthi will now have their final showdown behind the new World Champion in the table.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Tom Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) has taken his first ever back-to-back victories in the world championship, as he slipstreamed Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli to the line in Australia – overtaking the Italian in a stunning photo finish only a week after his victory at the Twin Ring Motegi. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese completed the podium for his first rostrum in over a year, bouncing back from a tough season marred by injury.

Blue skies, good weather and finally a completely dry track at Phillip Island saw Moto2™ line up a little late after a dramatic Moto3™ race, with Lüthi getting the holeshot from pole and as you were at the front – with a key loser off the line proving Championship leader and reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport). As Lüthi then had a big moment, Morbidelli then struck for the lead – but the Swiss rider hit back and the front row set off at the head of the race.

From a tough starting position of P15 for Championship contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40), the Spaniard was up into P6 with 20 laps to go – with Zarco back in P13 – as he attempted to cut the Frenchman’s 21 point lead ahead of the Australian GP. Then Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was the first big name to crash out – rider ok – as the Brit suffered his fifth fall of the weekend early on, before Rins saw his title chances take another big hit as he ended up in the gravel soon after.

The front group of Lüthi, Morbidelli and Pasini remained clear in the lead, with the three keeping pace with each other – and Lüthi, P3 in the Championship, seeing his “Rins – out” pit board. As the three remained in the 1:34 laptimes, Zarco began to drop back through the field – in P14 by 11 laps to go.

After a strong turn of pace at the start, Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) fell back into the clutches of Misano winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing), with the Italian taking over in P4 and Folger holding on in the top five – until Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Folger’s teammate Sandro Cortese overhauled the Brno winner. Cortese continued his stunning pace and ride through the field to take the podium, with Nakagami fading slightly as he felt the effects of his highside crash in Qualifying – and Pasini falling out of contention at Turn 4.

Baldassarri finished P4, ahead of Nakagami by the flag as Folger held on to P6. Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) had a solid ride to P7, with Axel Pons (AGR Team) taking eighth ahead of an impressive performance from Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing), who came home in ninth. Marcel Schrotter (AGR Team) completed the top ten.

Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team) headed reigning Champion Zarco, as the Frenchman finished the race in P12 – with Jesko Raffin (Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG), Edgar Pons (Paginas Amalrillas HP40) and Ratthapark Wilairot (Idemitsi Honda Team Asia) completing the points positions.

With Lowes and Rins both crashing out, and Zarco down in P12, Lüthi was the big winner in Phillip Island – cutting his deficit in the title fight significantly as the penultimate round of the year at Sepang International Circuit approaches. He took over in P2 in the title, now only 22 points down, and showed the adage can be true – he who dares really can sometimes win.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The weather forecast was right and the day started at Phillip Island without rain and with a little bit of sun, though with an ambient temperature of 12º that caused many crashes in Moto3 and then also in Moto2. The final position of our riders was in some degree due to some crash of the riders in front, but mostly to their honour and competitiveness.

Our riders started from different rows of the grid, 4th for Schrötter and Pons from 7th. And until mid-race it was the German who was ahead of the Spanish rider in the competition between the two Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team riders. But in the second half, things changed and Áxel went ahead. The Catalan rider led a group of 5 that also included Schrötter, Vierge, Simeón and the Champion Zarco, who finished behind our riders.

They fought for the 9th position. They had Corsi 5 seconds ahead and they were not able to catch him in the end, though they did reduce his advantage by 2 seconds. In the end, the 8th and 9th place for the AGR riders was due to Pasini’s crash a couple of laps before the chequered flag.

The team is gathering its things in Phillip Island to go to Sepang, where the title could be decided. Tomorrow, Monday, we will have a day of rest in the island, but in the evening, we will go to Melbourne to take the flight to Malaysia. There we will have the last race of the Asian tour, the penultimate of the year.

Áxel Pons: I think we had more pace

“I’m happy with the result. Yesterday we made a mistake and we paid it today. We recovered positions, but starting so far back it was impossible to get to the leading group, though I think we had pace for more. I’m happy with the weekend, overall, and I want to keep this path for the last two races of the championship”.

Marcel Schrotter: The bike was dangerous under acceleration

“Another difficult day, because we want more, but at least we finished in the top 10. At the start, I lost some position and I couldn’t get the line, so I had to fight and recover. I had some trouble during the race, which sometimes delayed me and sometimes the bike made a dangerous move when accelerating. In fact, it was a difficult weekend, but I was able to stay in this group and overtake another 3 rivals. It’s important to be in the group and feel that you are in a competitive situation”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 rider Sam Lowes converted his excellent pace in practice and qualifying into a race winning performance at today’s Aragon Grand Prix, the 26-year-old Briton scoring his second victory of the season in style.

After a few laps Sam started to open a gap on the other riders and then he crossed the finish line with over three second over Spaniard Alex Marquez, second under the checkered flag. Thanks to this great result, Lowes has now 162 points in the standings, 40 points behind Championship leader Johann Zarco.

Lowes: I was really confident

“We worked really hard all weekend, making long runs in every practice session, so I was really confident for the race. That’s why I tried to get to the front as soon as possible and make a god rhythm. Once I had a bit of a gap I just tried to relax and keep my pace. This makes a change compared to the last few races, we have shown a good level of competitiveness and it’s nice. Now we are 40 points behind the lead in the Championship, so everything can happen and for sure we won’t give up. I feel good on the bike and we will take this confidence to Japan, where we will do our best!”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The 2016 Moto2 World Championship resumes this weekend at Motorland Aragon, in Spain, with Sam Lowes and the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 called to get a good result after the two setbacks suffered at Silverstone and Misano.

Despite the lack of results, in England and on the Adriatic Coast Lowes showed the potential to fight for a podium finish, therefore at Aragon the target is to fight once again for the top position, in order to collect important points for the standings, which now sees the 26-year-old British rider in fourth place with 137 points.

Lowes: The test at Valencia was productive

“We head to Aragon determined to get a good result: I like the track a lot and I can’t wait to be back on track and start working together with the team. After the race at Misano we moved to Valencia for two days of testing that proved very productive: we worked hard, trying many solutions together with Kalex and Ohlins, getting a good feedback and maintaining a good pace. Therefore we look with confidence to this weekend’s Grand Prix!”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Red Bull KTM Ajo will increase their presence at Grand Prix level in 2017 with a new team in Moto2 and a new KTM bike. KTM will thus become the first manufacturer to have a presence in all three classes: Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP. Alongside them as they take this important step, Red Bull KTM Ajo will run riders Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira in the project.

Red Bull, KTM and Ajo Motorsport join forces once again in 2017, building on their success in Moto3 with an expansion to the intermediate class. In their five years of collaboration to date, the team have taken a World Championship (2012), two runner-up spots (2014 and 2015) and a current lead of 106 points in the overall standings in Moto3. Red Bull KTM Ajo will also be the only team using the new KTM Moto2 bike, which debuts in the category. For Ajo Motorsport, this will be their third season in Moto2; last year they achieved the title, while this year they lead the standings with three points in the overall rankings.

The rider lineup will consist of familiar faces, who have come up through the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team. Binder, currently the Moto3 leader with 106 points, stays with the team and accompanies them on their exciting new venture. The South African, who came into the team last year, has a total of five wins and 11 podiums in five full seasons at Grand Prix level.

Miguel Oliveira returns to the structure with which he was proclaimed World Championship runner-up in 2015. The Portuguese, who this year debuted in Moto2, has six wins and seven podiums to his name, all in Moto3.

This new project, which has already enjoyed positive tests over the past year, will begin in earnest from November 16th, when the riders will get onboard the new KTM for the first time.

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsport Director: “We’ve now enjoyed five years of successful collaboration with Aki Ajo in Moto3. We are very happy that he and our main sponsor Red Bull are offering us the perfect structure to move into Moto2 so we can have a presence in all classes of Grand Prix Racing in 2017. We see the intermediate class mainly as a platform for keeping riders in the KTM Family, which begins with the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and will run right through to MotoGP. The WP motorsports department has been fully integrated into KTM, and just as it is in Moto3 and MotoGP, the new Moto2 bike is being developed and built completely in-house. Brad Binder has had a very successful season this year and hopefully he will wrap up the championship. Now we’re happy that he can step up into the new Moto2 team. Also, we’re very pleased to welcome Miguel Oliveira back into the Orange Family after one year in Moto2.”

Aki Ajo, Team Manager: “Firstly, I am very happy to continue the cooperation with Red Bull and KTM and make this move together in Moto2. Now we will all be much closer to each other, working together in two classes and with the whole Red Bull KTM family in all three classes, which is something historic. We are very grateful to be part of this great project with KTM and Red Bull. It is also nice to start out with a pair of riders who we already know well. Brad (Binder) has spent two seasons with us and Miguel (Oliveira) had an incredible season last year in the team. Both have won races with us, so I cannot be more expectant than this. We have two riders who we know, who are young, eager, and with a positive attitude for this project.”

Binder: I learned a lot from Ajo in 2015 and this year

“First of all I want to say I am very grateful for this new opportunity given to me by the team in Moto2. I want to thank Aki Ajo and all the people and partners who have been helping so I could take this step up. After how this year has been, there is nothing that could excite me more than staying at Red Bull KTM Ajo and competing in Moto2. I really like this team; I like the respect between all the members and I know that the decisions they make are always the best to keep the team and riders on top. I know it will be very difficult, but I’m very motivated for this and I am already looking forward to it. It will be nice to start in a new class, with everything new and a lot to learn. My goal is to go out each day and give 110% to learn as quickly as possible. I am very happy to be back sharing a garage with Miguel (Oliveira), I learned a lot from him in 2015 and sure we will push each other; we will have fun. Everyone knows that if Red Bull KTM Ajo make a motorcycle, it will be good.”

Oliveira: I believe in this project

“I’m very happy to be returning to the Red Bull KTM Ajo family, and to a very professional team that brought me a lot of success. In fact, my most successful season to date came with them. I’m very happy and grateful to Aki (Ajo) and KTM for choosing me and for trusting in me to start this ambitious project with the KTM Moto2. I believe a lot in this new project, that I will have a very strong team alongside me, and that we will be able to get the best results possible. I will give my all in this new venture. I will be back sharing a garage with Brad (Binder), a very good person and rider, and I am sure that we will work very well together to gather the best data possible and take the KTM to the top.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko