Category: Crew On Two

The Moto3 World Championship heads to Assen this weekend, for the eighth round of the 2019 season following on from Marcos Ramirez’ (Leopard Racing) debut win two weeks ago in Montmelo.

Ramirez’ win was the fruit of his move back to Leopard Racing, with whom he fought for the 2016 CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, and his first rostrum appearance since round one at Qatar. The result moved him up to eighth in the championship, fifty-four points off the top of the standings.

Somewhat closer to the summit of the World Championship is Ramirez’ Leopard Racing teammate, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who has returned to form in the last three races and was unfortunate to drop out of the Catalan GP his teammate won due to bike problems early on in the race. This weekend, the Tuscan will be after his first rostrum on Dutch soil and to close his twenty-three-point deficit to Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who is atop the standings.

Canet’s first appearance in Holland was astonishing. He was the fastest rider throughout the weekend, then riding the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda, and should have had pole position but for a crash in the first part of qualifying which meant he started at the back. In the race, he charged through the pack and looked, despite the poor starting position, like he could challenge for the win, but a crash in the final chicane ended his chances. Canet seems reformed this season, having finished every race inside the points, and all but one (Argentina, where he was twelfth) inside the top ten. Additionally, Canet has been on the podium in three of the seven races so far, including one win in Texas. Another extension of his championship advantage this weekend would start to set off the alarms for his rivals.

Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) made a last corner, last lap move for the final rostrum spot in Barcelona. It was his third podium in Grands Prix and his second of the season. Like Canet, Vietti has finished outside the top ten only once in 2019, back in Argentina. Vietti’s consistency in his rookie season in the World Championship means he currently sits fourth in the standings, only twelve points behind Dalla Porta in second and thirty-five away from Canet. It will be interesting to see how the Italian fares on his first visit to Assen, known not only for being one of the fastest, most exciting circuits of the year, but also one of the most difficult to learn.

Third in the championship at the moment is Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse), despite his absence from the podium this year barring his win in Jerez. It is Antonelli’s seventh season in Moto3, so he certainly won’t have the problem facing Vietti for this weekend. Instead, Antonelli’s issue this weekend could be the one which has seemed to face him throughout the year, and that is his mid-race pace. The Italian has tended to slip back in the pack in the middle part of the races this year, falling to the fringes of the top ten and outside of it. In Barcelona a mistake forced him down the order, and after recovering to eighth place the #23 ran wide in turn seven, and he finished eleventh. Antonelli has had the pace this year, but seemingly not the race-craft.

Keep an eye out for Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) this weekend. The Spaniard has been quite inconsistent this season, at least since the arrival of the championship in Europe. Whereas race-craft has been one of the weak points for Antonelli this year, for Masia it has been a strong point, with Mugello being a prime example when he came from an almost invisible race to land himself a podium spot with an excellent out-braking manoeuvre and some fantastic bike-placement on the final lap.

Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), too, should be competitive this weekend after Celestino Vietti’s Catalan GP podium came at the expense of the Spaniard’s prospective third place, after he had led for much of the race.

Featured image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Two weeks on from a third consecutive masterclass by Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), the Moto2 World Championship heads to Assen for round eight of the 2019 season.

His Catalan Grand Prix win gave Marquez the World Championship lead, one that he holds by seven points from Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), although Marquez has two more victories than the Swiss. Marquez has only two podiums, though, in Assen, when he won dominantly in 2014 in the Moto3 class, and last year when Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) suffered a puncture in the closing stages of the race which cost him second place. However, his recent form means Marquez goes into this weekend as the favourite.

In fact, Marquez is the only rider racing in the Moto2 class this weekend who was on the podium last year in the intermediate category. Tom Luthi, though, was second in 2017, although his previous Dutch TT podium before that was back in 2010. In all, Luthi has only three podiums across all classes in Assen, the first coming in the 250cc class back in 2008. His form this year has been good, with four podiums from the first seven races, the lowest finish being the sixth place in Le Mans and only one DNF, back in Argentina when he clipped the back wheel of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). However, if Luthi wants to challenge Marquez for the title this year he needs to start beating him on track.

The same could be said for Lorenzo Baldassarri. The Italian was dominant in the first part of the season, unbeatable when he kept his backside off the asphalt. Since Le Mans, however, things have not gone so well for #7, with two crashes in the three races since then (in addition to the one in Texas when he collided with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on the opening lap in turn ten) and a fourth in the other. As previously mentioned, it was a puncture which cost Baldassarri a podium last year, and it could have cost him the win, since he was closing down eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia in the final stages of the race. The Pons rider needs to return to the podium this weekend and, as Luthi, get the better of Marquez if he wants to continue to challenge for the title. Qualifying will be the key to this. When Baldassarri qualifies poorly he tends to crash, perhaps pushing too hard to try to make up for the time lost at the stat when mired in the pack. Start up front, however, and he has a chance.

Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) returned to the podium last time out in Barcelona with third place – his fourth rostrum visit of the season. Perhaps more was expected of the Spaniard and his Italian chassis, as Fabio Quartararo has won on it a year before. Similarly, Quartararo was second in Assen last year, so Navarro should be hopeful of a good weekend in the Netherlands, as should his teammate, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up), who was second in Assen on his first visit back in 2016, although he crashed in 2017 and was only ninth last year. Di Gianntantonio had something of a breakthrough weekend in the Moto2 class last time out in Montmelo, despite his crash in the race, so could be running up at the front again this weekend.

Similarly, Di Giannantonio’s fellow Italian Moto2 rookies, Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) have had good rookie seasons so far, Bastianini exceptionally so with two top fives in the last two races and seven out of seven finishes in the top ten. Bulega, on the other hand, has shows some flashes of speed but has been unable to transform that into a race result as yet.

Featured image courtesy of Gareth Harford /Marc VDS

The 2019 Moto3 World Championship had its seventh race of the season in Barcelona. Despite the race taking place before noon, the track temperature was exceptionally high.

Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) took the early lead with the holeshot from Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Sic58 Squadra Corse), although Suzuki was down at turn ten on the first lap with contact with Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

By the end of the first lap, it was Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) who was able to come to the front, ahead of Canet and Arbolino. By this point, there was already something of a breakaway group of eleven riders.

This was reduced to ten, however, when Dalla Porta’s Honda expired at the end of lap three. Dalla Porta’s bike let go on the exit of turn thirteen, and the pack behind was lucky to avoid the luckless Italian.

There was then a pileup in turn four, involving both Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team riders, Albert Arenas and Raul Fernandez, as well as Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Filip Salac (Redox PruestelGP), Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) and Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0). This didn’t change the leading order too much, but it created some gaps in the field, with the front group now a distinctive thirteen, with Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) and Ryusei Yamanaka (Estrella Galicia 0,0) just off the back.

Tony Arbolino hit the front with eleven laps to go. He then gave up the lead immediately as he ran out wide in turn three. It was a strange moment, as he sat up in the middle of turn three, and cruised round the outside of it. It looked like a bike problem, but he was back in the race moments later, although behind his teammate, Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers). One lap later, though, Arbolino was out.

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) and Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) had looked strong throughout the race, especially Rodrigo who started from pole position. However, they were both out at turn ten on the penultimate lap when they made contact.

Onto the final lap, it was all to play for, but Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) had the advantage. He crashed, though, at turn ten, and almost immediately after John McPhee (Petronas SRT) gave up his chance at the podium as he made an attempt to impersonate Randy Mamola, being high-sided by his Honda, but holding onto it. Toba was out, but McPhee’s incredible effort to stay on the bike earned him three points.

In the remaining four corners, no one was able to challenge Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) who inherited the lead after Toba’s crash. Aron Canet had a go a passing Ramirez into the final corner, but Ramirez’ entry speed was too much for the #44, who remained second. Ramirez’ first win comes at one of his home Grands Prix. Although an Andalusian, to take his first victory in Spain will be a special point in the #42’s career. It has not been a stunning season so far from Ramirez who re-joined the team with whom he fought for the 2016 CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, but this could prove an important moment in his season, as he became the twelfth winner in as many races in the lightweight class.

Whilst Canet was unable to make the move into the final corner, he was able to finish second and extend his championship lead, taking profit from the misfortune of his rivals, Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) who crashed in an incident with Darryn Binder; Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Tony Arbolino, all of whom did not score.

Although the lead did not change in the final corner, Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) was able to pass Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) in turn fourteen. This gave Vietti his second podium of 2019 and the third of his career. Unfortunately for Lopez, it came at the cost of a home race rostrum for the #21. After having his podium in Jerez last season taken away thanks to a post-race penalty, Lopez’ emotional response in the garage after the race to losing third place in the 2019 Catalan GP was understandable. However, it was a strong ride from the Spaniard, who led for much of the race and had some strong pace – arguably the strongest of the field.

Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) was able to recover from thirtieth on the grid to finish fifth which equals his best result of the season of last time out in Mugello.

Ai Ogura made a bad start from the front row of the grid, but was able to recover and finished sixth, which is the best result in the World Championship for the rookie. Romano Fenati took seventh place, his best result of the season, ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas SRT), wildcard Ryusei Yamanaka and Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) who came from twenty-second on the grid to round out the top ten.

Niccolo Antonelli spent much of the final portion of the race contesting the lead, but a mistake at turn one with three laps to go dropped the Italian down the order. He was recovering, and was inside the top ten halfway round the final lap, but at turn seven made a mistake which once again dropped him back. In the end, Antonelli took eleventh place, ahead of the wildcard Carlos Tatay (Fundacion Andreas Perez 77) who took his first GP points in twelfth; the aforementioned John McPhee; Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) who took his first points in the World Championship and Darryn Binder who got back on after his crash with Rodrigo for the final point in fifteenth.

Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) was unlucky, as he clipped the rear wheel of Ramirez in the closing the stages at turn ten. Ramirez had contact with another rider, and Masaki had nowhere to go when the Spaniard backed out of the throttle. Eventually, Masaki came back for sixteenth, ahead of Riccardo Rossi (Kommerling Gresini Moto3), Vicente Perez and Tatsuki Suzuki.

Such a crazy race had a number of retirements, the first being Dalla Porta. He was followed out by the riders involved in the turn four pileup: Arenas, Garcia, Fernandez, Oncu, Migno and Salac, although the latter three all got back on before retiring later on. Arbolino was the next to go, before Masia dropped out. Then it was Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) to fall, before Rodrigo’s incident with Binder took him out, and Toba’s final lap crash.

Featured image courtesy of Hondanews.eu

The sun had been beating down on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for six hours by the time the Moto2 race started. The track temperature was excessive and the grip was low, so tyre management would be crucial.

The holeshot went to Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) from pole sitter Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).

Things were going bad for championship leader Lorenzo Baldssarri (Flexbox HP 40), who was wide in turn four and then clipped Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) who went down as a result.

But at the front at the end of the first lap, Luthi and Fernandez were pulling away from Lowes behind, who was under pressure from Fabio Di Giannantonio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up), Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up).

Soon, Marquez and Di Giannantonio were able to pass Lowes, which was especially important for Marquez who had his sights set on his third consecutive victory.

As soon as Marquez had some clear track for a lap, he was able to be the fastest rider on the track, and he began closing down the leading two.

Meanwhile, Bastianini had been able to pass Lowes. With Di Giannantonio being pulled along by Marquez, it was important for Bastianini to jump onto the back of his compatriot’s Speed Up before Marquez dragged him away.

A small mistake from Tom Luthi in turn ten with eighteen laps to go, allowed Fernandez a chance at the lead. The Spaniard didn’t need asking twice, and he moved ahead. This was a much needed move for Fernandez, with Marquez and the two Italians of Di Giannantonio and Bastianini closing behind.

Fernandez, though, was unable to make a break from Luthi, who re-passed the Spaniard a lap after he hit the front. Marquez was now on the back of the leading pair, with Di Giannantonio not too far away. Bastianini, on the other hand, had been dropped by the front four and had Jorge Navarro for close company.

As the leaders hit fifteen laps to go, Lorenzo Baldassarri crashed at turn ten. He was unable to re-join, and the Italian waved goodbye to the championship lead he had held since Qatar.

Seconds later, Marquez was past Fernandez on the pit straight, as Luthi dropped the hammer. One lap later, Jorge Navarro passed Bastianini for fifth, as his teammate, Di Giannantonio, was pressuring Fernandez for third place.

Di Giannantonio made the move on Fernandez at turn one with thirteen laps to go, which was an important one to make for the Italian, with the Speed Up’s tendency to look after the tyres. However, at turn ten on the next lap it was all over for Di Giannantonio, as he crashed out of what was turning into a strong ride for the rookie.

Out front, though, it was still Luthi leading from Marquez. With Baldassarri out, this was not just the battle for the lead of the race, but also for the lead of the championship. As they entered the final ten laps, Marquez was starting to apply more pressure to the Swiss rider. One lap later, the Spaniard was through, and looked to have more pace.

Simultaneously, Navarro passed Fernandez for third, although it seemed that would be as far as he could get, such was the gap to Luthi in second.
With six laps to go, Marquez started to stretch his advantage. A moment for Luthi in turn ten six laps from the flag was a sign for the Swiss that his front tyre was giving up on him.

For the final five laps, it was plain sailing for Marquez, who had a comfortable run to the flag to claim his third win of the season, and to move into the front of the championship. Three dominant wins in a row will have Marquez’ rivals worried, and this championship could soon start getting out of reach of the others should Marquez continue this form.

Behind Marquez, though, things were heating up in the final three laps, as Navarro was closing in on Luthi for second place. The Spaniard was not fast enough, though, and Luthi maintained second ahead of Navarro. It was not a bad race for the Swiss, but he will know that to take the fight to Marquez he needs to make a step, because the gap Marquez has in race pace is too much.

Navarro made a welcome return to the podium in his home race after missing it in Mugello. With third place – Navarro’s fourth rostrum in five races – the Spaniard moves ahead of Baldassarri in the standings and into third.

Fourth place went to the pole sitter, Augusto Fernandez, who dropped back after a strong start, whilst the top five was rounded out by Bastianini, who once more took the top rookie spot and equalled his best 2019 result of fifth place.

A tough battle behind Bastianini went on in the final stages of the race, one which Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) came out on top of for sixth place, ahead of Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Sam Lowes took ninth spot, whilst Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) completed the top ten.

Eleventh place went to Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who was the top KTM, twenty seconds off the lead. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) was twelfth, ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who completed the points.

Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) finished sixteenth, ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP), Jonas Folger (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Joe Roberts (American Racing) who completed the top twenty.

Dimas Ekky (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) was twenty-first, ahead of Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing) and Xavi Cardelus (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) who was the twenty-fifth and last finisher.

The aforementioned Remy Gardner was the first rider to retire, on lap one after the incident with Baldassarri. Iker Lecuona (American Racing) was the next rider to drop out, as he retired down pit lane with twenty laps to go. Baldassarri then crashed out four laps later, before Di Giannantonio crashed. Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Idealavoro) crashed out with six to go, before Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) fell on the final lap.

Featured Image courtesy of David Goldman/Marc VDS