FIM Moto2 World Championship Losail International Circuit Doha, Qatar March 20, 2011 Race Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 20 laps, 40:38.549 2. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), -4.330 seconds 3. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), -5.137 4. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), -5.925 5. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), -6.621 6. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), -14.217 7. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), -14.257 8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), -14.501 9. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), -18.910 10. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), -19.174 11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), -19.442 12. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), -20.830 13. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -20.837 14. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), -20.855 15. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), -26.803 16. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), -27.295 17. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (MORIWAKI), -28.080 18. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), -28.212 19. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), -34.939 20. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), -34.962 21. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), -37.982 22. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), -43.491 23. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), -43.659 24. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), -47.476 25. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), -47.755 26. Javier FORES, Spain (SUTER), -50.355 27. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), -50.544 28. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (SUTER), -64.879 29. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), -69.672 30. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (MORIWAKI), -69.781 31. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), -83.743, crash 32. Nasser Hasan AL MALKI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), -99.105 33. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), -10 laps, DNF, crash 34. Kev COGHLAN, Great Britain (FTR), -14 laps, DNF, crash 35. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), -16 laps, DNF, crash 36. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), -16 laps, DNF, crash 37. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), -16 laps, DNF, crash 38. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), -17 laps, DNF, crash 39. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), -20 laps, DNF, crash More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Qatar race report: 4th place for Alex De Angelis An engaging race lit up the Qatar night for the first GP of the 2011 season. The final result was that the German Stefan Bradl dominated the race, winning by more than four seconds from the second place man Andrea Iannone. Our very own Alex De Angelis jumped from the third row riding a conservative race at the beginning in order to find the right feeling with his MotoBI. Then he put in a series of fast laps, which also netted him the race record lap of 2’01.003 and this brought him close to the pack that was fighting for the podium. Eventually at the end he could pass the Japanese Yuki Takahashi, gaining an excellent 4th place at the line. This was a good performance that repays the continuous improvements registered during the whole weekend that let Alex gain his first points in the Championship these will prove very important considering the long championship that we have in front of us. Gianluca Montiron After many changes to the set-up during practice Alex started to find the confidence with his MotoBI and in the race he made up ground, luckily avoiding Maquez’s crash which happened just in front of him. The engine at the end of the straight had some trouble in reaching its usual top speed so now we need to investigate this problem, but we can be satisfied considering that this is the first race and when you remember how the weekend began. The Championship will be long and hard fought. Alex DeAngelis I’m happy for the result because at the Jerez tests and during practice here we were not completely confident on the result. Both the team’s technicians and I made our experience felt to reach this fourth place, a position that is very important for the championship. We also recorded the fastest lap in the race with the circuit record and therefore we’re satisfied. We just need to investigate a little trouble regarding the engine that today was not pulling as hard as usual but probably it’s a matter of the warmer outside temperature. At the beginning of the race I tried to keep contact with the fastest group, but it took many laps to pass Corsi and Pirro, then I managed to reach the pack battling for the podium but I couldn’t push as hard as I would have liked. Anyway I kept myself very close to them and as soon as Takahasi left the door open I plunged in and took some valuable extra points. The weekend has been very important also because it showed that our improvements are consistent, we improved our performances also in warm-up and race this means we still have more performance to be exploited. We also gathered important data to be analyzed to in time for the next GP in Jerez. More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Racing: Smith claims stunning debut top 10 in Moto2 Bradley Smith started his Moto2 World Championship campaign in superb fashion in the season opening Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar tonight. The 20-year-old, starting from the front of the third row for his Moto2 debut, made a fantastic start and after a typically frantic first few corners, Smith found himself on the tail of the leading group in fifth. Showing the undoubted potential of the Tech 3 Racing Mistral 610 machine, Smith settled into a consistent rhythm, comfortably reeling off a series of laps in the low 2.02 bracket to keep a determined Michele Pirro at bay in ninth. Smith was overtaken by Pirro on lap nine, but the British rider displayed tremendous fighting spirit, refusi ng to let the Italian open up a gap as the 20-lap race unfolded. Far from settling for tenth position, Smith superbly chased down Julian Simon, closing down a 2.2s deficit on the 2010 Moto2 runner-up to pass him with four laps remaining. Smith kept his cool under enormous pressure from Simon and fellow Spaniard Aleix Espargaro on the final lap to finish in a thoroughly deserved ninth, much to the delight of his Tech 3 Racing crew. Mike di Meglio also made a terrific start under the Losail International Circuit floodlights, the Frenchman producing an aggressive opening lap to move six places up the order into 13th. He finished in 19th but gained a wealth of information on the Mistral 610 machine to focus on improving when the European phase of the World Championship gets underway in Jerez on April 3. Bradley Smith 9th 7-points “It feels awesome to have got a top ten in my Moto2 debut. I’d always set my heart on a top 15, so this is a real bonus. I feel like I earned it though because I am really tired now and the race was quite tough. Moto2 is obviously a lot more physical than 125s, so I might need to spend even more time in the gym! I learned so much in the race it was unbelievable. Those guys at the front certainly don’t hang around and while I’m obviously happy with my result, we’ve got work to match that pace. I’d say I’m a second a lap behind them at the moment, but I also learned a lot about the bike and what we need to do to take another step. But to pass and hold off a rider as good as Julian is a great feeling too. I guess I owed him one from our time together in 125s. The Tech 3 Racing Team never stop working so I know we will have some improvements for the next race in Jerez. Tonight was as much of a test as it was a race, so we can only g et stronger.” Mike di Meglio 19th “We can’t deny it was a hard weekend, but I think we collected a lot of information that is going to help make us stronger in the next few races and make big improvements with the bike. I was involved in a good fight for some of the race but I would have liked to be closer to the points. I gained a lot of experience with the bike and understood more clearly that I can improve with my own riding technique, so I’m looking forward to Jerez and working on improving the set-up I found at the recent test to get closer to the top 15.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “Bradley did a wonderful job when you consider this was his first race in Moto2 and I have to pass on big congratulations to him and his Tech 3 Racing Team. He was able to pass Jul ian Simon, who was a hot favourite a few weeks ago for the title after he finished runner-up in 2010. And he was always fighting with some of the best riders in the world, so this is a fantastic early boost for his confidence. He was consistent all the way through the race and the experience he gained will only make him stronger for the rest of the season. Mike had a few difficulties this weekend and I think he still lacks a bit of confidence. He was fighting all through the race and never gave up and I’m pleased he was able to hold off Kallio at the end. I am positive Mike is moving in the right direction and we haven’t seen anything like what he is capable of.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: TOUGH START FOR MARC VDS RACING TEAM The 2011 Moto2 World Championship campaign kicked off in disappointing fashion for the Marc VDS Racing Team in Qatar tonight. Mika Kallio’s debut in the ultra-competitive Moto2 class was a hard fought affair, the Finnish rider ending the Losail International Circuit encounter in 20th position. Highly fancied Scott Redding’s challenge ended prematurely when he crashed on the second lap while fighting to break into the top ten. He remounted to finish 31st. Having worked throughout practice and qualifying to gain more confidence with the front-end of his Suter MMXI machine, Kallio was engaged in an exciting five-rider fight for 17th that included World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu and ex-125cc World Champion Mike di Meglio. But pushing too hard to improve his position in the second half of the race, the Finnish rider started to encounter a small front-end vibration and was just unable to overhaul di Meglio on the final lap to claim a place in the top 20. Redding was optimistic of mounting a podium challenge going into the 20-lap race but starting from 10th on the grid, he lost four places in a typically frenetic first lap. Seeking to swiftly move back into the top ten and hunt down the leading pack, Redding crashed out on the second lap, the 18-year-old losing the front-end at the second corner. Determined to atone for his small early mistake, Redding remounted his Suter MMXI machine, and despite losing his left footpeg in the spill, he completed the full race distance to gain vital data and information to help him bounce back when the season resumes in Jerez, Spain on April 3. Mika Kallio #36: Race Position 20th “I was hoping to be much closer to the points because the feeling with the bike was better for the race. It wasn’t a huge step we found in the warm-up last night but we ran a harder front suspension setting and we gained some feeling on corner entry. The problem is, I haven’t found a really good feeling with either of the two tyre options that were available here and it was the same at the last test in Jerez. Maybe that is one reason why I’ve not been faster here. In the first eight laps I was catching some guys in front and it was a good battle. But as soon as I caught the group I started having some chatter from the front and, unfortunately, I couldn’t keep in contact for the pack fighting for 15th position. The gap to the front group is too big and we have to be much closer at the next race in Jerez. I had a good test there so we will work to improve the setting in practice and have a much stronger race.” Scott Redding #45: Race Position 31st “I’m really disappointed and this wasn’t the way I expected to start the season at all. The new chassis we’re running this year has improved the rear traction a lot but I haven’t found a good feeling with the front yet. The front is a bit too unpredictable at the moment, so I never really know when I’m going to have a problem. I was pushing into the second corner and without any warning I lost the front. I tried to pick it up on my elbow but it was too late and I was down. The left footpeg broke off and the left handlebar was all bent but I carried on because my guys in the Marc VDS Racing Team have worked really hard all weekend. It is always good to start the season with some good results to build up confidence and I am convinced we will bounce back in Jerez. I was fast at the test recently and, hopefully, I’ll be able to show much more of what I’m capable of.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “We came here aiming for the top ten with Scott and the top 15 with Mika, so for both of them to be outside the points is disappointing. It is unusual to see Scott make a mistake so early in the race and we need to identify the causes of the crash ahead of the next race in Jerez, where we know he is competitive. Scott did well to finish the race with no left footpeg, and despite this problem he was lapping quicker than some of the riders in front of him. Mika was involved in a good battle and we thought he might be able to fight for the points. But like in practice he was unable to keep his fast rhythm after seven or eight laps and we must look to make him more comfortable for longer into the race in Jerez.” More, from a press release issued by Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Kenny Noyes Makes Big Step Forward In Race At Qatar A suspension change between the warm up on Saturday night and the race on Sunday evening saw Kenny Noyes make a huge improvement during the race. The American had been suffering a vibration problem during qualifying, which unfortunately left Kenny on the 12th row of the grid. But tireless work by his Avintia-STX team with outstanding support and advice from FTR saw Noyes running consistently under his qualifying time throughout the race. Noyes spent much of the race battling with Xavier Simeon and Javier Fores, beating the Belgian and the Spaniard to the line to finish 24th, 10 places ahead of the spot he started from on the grid. In the end, he was defeated by a lack of strength in his shoulder, which prevented him from chasing the next group and going after a top 20 spot. With the valuable lessons learned from this race, Kenny is confident going into the next round at Jerez. With data from the test there at the beginning of March, and knowing the track from having raced there in the Spanish CEV championship, Noyes is sure he can put his Avintia-STX FTR well into the points. Kenny Noyes, 24th, Fastest Lap: 2’03.226 Kenny said, “This been like a second preseason test for us. We were making so many changes to the bike, even between the warmup and the race, just to try to get comfortable. The bike was so much better during the race, even during the warmup lap I could tell that the vibration was pretty much solved.” “I was running a faster pace than I had been all weekend, and that’s kind of a big step. But this was the first time I’ve done more than 10 laps in a row on my shoulder, and it’s definitely still weak. The pain’s not so bad, but the lack of strength means I can’t make the bike change direction like I want to.” “With the last modification we made, the bike was capable of going faster than I could make it go. We’re not happy about the position we finished, but we’re real happy about the way the team worked and the way the guys from FTR are behind the effort. I feel like it’s going to be a whole different ball game once we get to Jerez.”