Tag: Moto2

The rookie sensation does it again to head Lowes and Navarro as rain threatens Moto2 Q2

Mugello, 29 May 2021: After taking his maiden pole at Le Mans, Moto2™ rookie Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again and with a new lap record at Mugello, despite rain threatening for the intermediate class. A few drops fell here and there but Fernandez nevertheless bettered the previous best, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in second and Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), just like on Friday, the closest challenger to the two title contenders.

Q1
The star of Q1 was most definitely Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and not just because he was fastest, but because it’s his first weekend on a Triumph-powered Moto2™ machine, his first race weekend at Mugello and his first World Championship appearance. The 16-year-old moved through to Q2 on first asking, and was joined by Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).

Q2
Despite drops of rain coming down at parts of the track, the stage remained set, somehow, for Fernandez to shine. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) was the first fastest rider out there, but it only lasted seconds as Fernandez hit back. From there Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had brief stints fastest, but Lowes was the man able to depose and hold onto provisional pole the longest.

Not until the end of the session, however. Fernandez was on a roll and the rookie then slammed in his new lap record, looking to go even faster after that. But the raindrops saw some laps slip away, and it’s his 1:50.723 that becomes the fastest ever Moto2™ lap of Mugello. Lowes takes second as he and the Spaniard continue their duel this weekend, with Navarro, once again, the closest on the chase.

The Grid
Fernandez and Lowes launch from P1 and P2 respectively, with Navarro locking out the front row in a near mirror of the Friday timesheets. Gardner heads Row 2 ahead of home hero Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), with Tony Arbolino’s (Liqui Moly Intact GP) form going nowhere as the rookie takes sixth.

Marco Bezzecchi will want more from Sunday as he heads up the third row of the grid in P7, ahead of Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Joe Roberts will be another who expected more from Saturday as he’ll start 10th.

Roberts’ teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta takes an impressive step forward to 11th, ahead of Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Ramirez and Aldeguer, who starts his first ever Moto2™ World Championship race from 15th.

That’s it from Saturday, can Fernandez take the points lead on Sunday as his roll of form continues? Find out at 12:20 (GMT +2).

Moto2 Front Row:

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 1:50.723
2 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +0.267
3 Jorge Navarro – MB Conveyors Speed Up – Bocoscuro – +0.374

A Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2, Bezzecchi in third and a dramatic crash out for Lowes sees Le Mans mix up the standings

Le Mans, 16 May 2021: Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just continues to impress in the intermediate class, with the Spanish rookie taking a second Moto2 win in by-now signature style at the front. Teammate Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) kept him honest in the latter stages for another consistent top finish, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the podium to continue his rostrum run. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crashed out in an early DNF.

Raul Fernandez: “It was a really difficult race, especially the second sector was wet, the front tyre was too cool at the start and I waited four or five laps behind Marco. When I thought the tyre was warmer I pushed a bit more, overtook Marco and pushed like in FP2, and it was really good. In the end I could do a good race and I’m really happy. It’s amazing to win again and in difficult conditions. I like this track a lot I remember I got second in the Junior World Championship here in 2018. Incredible, I want to thank my team as they keep me calm in difficult moments and that’s the most important.”

With no rain falling since Moto2 Warm Up, the circuit had a clear dry line after the Moto3 race. That meant everyone was starting on slicks, and it was Bezzecchi who pounced into the lead from the start as Raul Fernandez managed to cement P2, the field safely negotiating Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 1. There was contact between Gardner and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), but disaster was avoided. Not for Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) though, who was making early progress before the Spaniard went down hard at Turn 9 on the opening lap, rider ok.

Lap 2 saw Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crash out of the top three as Raul Fernandez bridged the early gap that Bezzecchi had pulled on the field. World Championship leader Gardner and then-nearest challenger Lowes were P9 and P8 respectively, with the top three – Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) – enjoying a second lead over the gaggle of riders from P4 to P11.

Lap 4 then witnessed three riders all go off the road at Turn 8 – including Lowes. Up the inside of Vierge, Lowes tucked the front as both went down, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) running wide just ahead of the duo. Unable to get going again, Lowes’ French GP was over. Then, running P2, Roberts was down at Turn 9 after running in too hot on the brakes and clipping Bezzecchi. meanwhile, Raul Fernandez picked up the baton and took over at the front after a dramatic opening handful of laps in the Moto2™ race.

Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) was occupying P3 with Gardner now up to 4th, but he had hard-charging rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) on his tail. More drama hit just behind too, as Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) crashed out from P6 at Turn 11 with a little helping hand from Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), the Italian handed a Long Lap penalty. Which he took quickly but overcooked so had to do a second.

At the front though, Raul Fernandez was edging his lead up to a second over Bezzecchi, the latter slowly falling into the grasps of the Bendsneyder, Gardner and Arbolino squabble. The leading quintet were six seconds ahead of sixth place Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), the German entangled in a fight with rookies Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and his teammate Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), up from well down on the grid.

Raul Fernandez was keeping his advantage around the one second mark, with Bezzecchi pulling nearly a second clear of the trio behind him. On Lap 14, the race leader set a 1:36.993 to stretch his lead to 1.2s over Bezzecchi. However, a lap later it was back down to below a second as Fernandez’s teammate Gardner poached third off Bendsneyder at Turn 11 – the Aussie then 2.2s behind the race leader. A lap later, Arbolino then slipped past Bendsneyder too.

Now in clean air, the Gardner charge was on. A fastest lap of the race came in from the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider but it was only narrowly quicker than Bezzecchi ahead of him, the gap separating the top three set at 1.7s with seven to go. Bezzecchi then made a mistake at Turn 8, running wide onto the green, allowing Gardner to stroll through into P2. With the bit between his teeth, Gardner started to reel in teammate Fernandez by four tenths on Lap 20 of 25, setting up a very intriguing final five laps between two title contenders.

Undeterred though, Raul Fernandez was holding his nerve. As he clocked another lap and headed onto Lap 23, the Spaniard set his fastest lap of the race and his lead was now 1.8s. And with one lap remaining in France, it went up another tenth. No mistakes were made from the rookie sensation on the final lap, and Fernandez crossed the line to win his second race of 2021. Gardner made it a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as a single point splits Gardner and Raul Fernandez in the overall standings, and Bezzecchi pockets his second podium in a row with a solid P3 ride.

Arbolino landed his best Moto2™ result with a fantastic P4 at Le Mans, just ahead of an impressive ride from Bendsneyder as the Dutch rider earns his best result of the season, the same can be said for sixth place Schrötter. Ogura cements another top 10 in P7 as three rookies finish inside the top 10, Di Giannantonio took P8 after his two Long Laps, a solid salvage job.

Veteran Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) produced his best ride of the season to finish P9, with Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) completing the top 10. Somkiat Chantra, Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), reigning Moto3™ World Champion Albert Arenas (Inde Aspar Team) and Hafizh Syahrin (NTW RW Racing GP) are the remaining point scorers.

Beaubier crashed out of sixth place at Turn 3 in the latter stages, Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) was another rider to crash out of the points.

And so it’s another day that belongs to Red Bull KTM Ajo, as Gardner and Raul Fernandez now sit P1 and P2 in the World Championship. Lowes loses crucial ground as Bezzecchi keeps tabs on his title rivals, with the latter’s home race at Mugello now next up. Tune in for more in a fortnight.

Moto2 podium:

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 40:46.101
2 Remy Gardner– Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +1.490
3 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – +4.599

Last year he dominated in Moto3™ on the Algarve. This year, the rookie took to the top step in Moto2™ for the very first time – as Lowes crashes out

Portimao, 18 April 2021: Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just loves the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. After dominating at the track last season to sign off from Moto3™ with a win, the Spaniard returned in Moto2™ with a podium already under his belt and it seemed somewhat like fate. Fighting his way through a few big rivals, the Spaniard crossed the line a second and a half clear for his first intermediate class win, underlining his impressive form so far and moving up to second in the Championship. Aron Canet (Solunion Aspar Team) took his first Moto2™ podium in second after an impressive ride, with Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) charging past Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) late on to complete the podium. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crashed out at Turn 1, leaving his key rivals with an open goal…

Lowes was the first big headline, that sending shockwaves through the race. Late on the brakes into Turn 1 after a tough start, the Brit was careering straight towards Gardner’s rear wheel and was forced to pick it up and run wide, the rear end then kicking him off. Rider ok, but some big drama to start the Moto2™ race.

At the front, Gardner led on Lap 1 but Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) was the man on the move in the opening exchanges and blasted past on the home straight. Roberts had made a good start from P8 to battle Gardner for P2 as the latter got out of shape coming out of Turn 1. Bezzecchi was able to pull out a healthy one second lead at the front but Canet was making moves and soon, the lead was cut to nothing as Gardner and the five other chasers reeled in the Italian.

Yet more drama unfolded just behind as we saw a huge crash involving Yari Montella (Lightech Speed Up) and Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40) at the final corner, both bikes catching fire in the gravel trap. Montella, who highsided, was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and later declared fit. And more: at Turn 5, the two Idemitsu Honda Team Asia riders were down as Ai Ogura made contact with American Racing’s Cameron Beaubier. Ogura got out of shape and couldn’t help but crash into Somkiat Chantra, an unfortunate racing incident between the two teammates.

Lap 11 saw Canet take the lead, but Roberts then pounced at Turn 1 as Canet and Bezzecchi went wide. Bezzecchi slipped to P4 as Gardner also passed the Italian, but one of the pre-race favourites then made a couple of mistakes in the soaring Portuguese heat. That saw the Aussie lose valuable ground as Canet and Roberts made a breakaway, but the Spaniard and American scrapped it out for a few laps and Canet also got a track limits warning. Enter Raul Fernandez. The rookie was lapping far superior to his rivals and he soon picked off both Roberts and Canet to take the lead with four to go, late race pace searing him through.

The rookie pulled 0.7s clear in three laps, setting another fastest lap of the race on Lap 21 of 23, a 1:42.86, and his teammate Gardner was finding some late pace too in P4, the Australian reeling in Roberts and Canet. Three personal best laps from Gardner was mega stuff but nothing was going to stop Raul Fernandez, on the final lap his lead was up to 1.2 seconds and it seemed the job was done as attentions turned to the three-way scrap for P2 and P3.

Roberts lunged up the inside of Canet at Turn 11, but Canet then dived back at Turn 13,  but both ran slightly wide to give Gardner an invitation. Roberts switched to the inside for Turn 14 but the narrow line he took saw him open a small gap for the Aussie to squeeze into, an that he did – making some contact but getting through, Roberts staying on but watching th podium fade away.

Up the road though, Raul Fernandez had rounded the final corner to win his first Moto2™ race, with Canet cementing his first intermediate class podium with a hard-earned P2, escaping the discussion on whether rubbing is racing raging just behind him. Gardner’s third, however, sees him head to Jerez as Championship leader for the first time.

Roberts was unlucky to lose out on a podium in Portimão but it was nevertheless a great ride from the American. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) backs up his Doha P6 with P5 as the Spaniard continues to find form in 2021, and Bezzecchi was eventually forced to settle for P6 having led in the early laps. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was a second behind Bezzecchi in a solid P7, with Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) earning his first points of the season in P8. Beaubier is a top 10 Moto2™ finisher after a brilliant ride to P9 on his first visit to the Algarve International Circuit, and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completed the top 10.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team), Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) were the remaining point scorers.

Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed at Turn 8 unhurt, with Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) taking out compatriot Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) at Turn 1.

As we leave the Algarve, the Moto2™ Championship is shaken up after another stunner. Heading to Jerez, three points split Gardner, Raul Fernandez and Lowes – so it’s game on in the Moto2™ title race!

Moto2 Podium:

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 39:47.377
2 Aron Canet – Solunion Aspar Team – Boscoscuro – +1.600
3 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +1.968

Raul Fernandez: “Unbelievable. I want to say thanks to my team, they brought me the best bike of the weekend for the race. Yesterday I had bad luck in qualifying with the yellow flag, but this morning in warm up I said ‘eh, I have an incredible bike for the end of the race’. I had this problem in Qatar at the end of the race, I didn’t have too much tyre. It was incredible with my team and my family, it’s incredible. I don’t have words, I want to say thanks. We will see in the next race, this is one of my best tracks and we will see in Jerez.”