FIM Moto2 World Championship Catalunya, Spain July 4, 2010 Race Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (TECH 3), 23 laps, 41:42.451 2. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (MORIWAKI), -5.037 seconds 3. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), -5.200 4. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (FTR), -6.706 5. Toni ELIAS, Spain (MORIWAKI), -7.369 6. Simone CORSI, Italy (MOTOBI), -7.414 7. Kenny NOYES, USA (PROMOHARRIS), -17.010 8. Fonsi NIETO, Spain (MORIWAKI), -20.555 9. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), -21.001 10. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (FORCE GP210), -21.369 11. Gabor TALMACSI, Hungary (SPEED UP), -22.213 12. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (BQR-MOTO2), -23.024 13. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SPEED UP), -25.297, ride-through penalty 14. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), -26.674 15. Yusuke TESHIMA, Japan (MOTOBI), -26.796 16. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (TECH 3), -27.441 17. Arne TODE, Germany (SUTER), -27.674 18. Vladimir IVANOV, Ukraine (MORIWAKI), -35.193 19. Jordi TORRES, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), -37.424 20. Valentin DEBISE, France (ADV), -41.504 21. Joan OLIVE, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), -41.710 22. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), -41.966 23. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (SUTER), -49.224 24. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (MORIWAKI), -63.470, crash 25. Sergio GADEA, Spain (PONS KALEX), -72.814, crash 26. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (BQR-MOTO2), -82.796 27. Carmelo MORALES, Spain (PONS KALEX), -1 lap, DNF, crash 28. Bernat MARTINEZ, Spain (BIMOTA), -3 laps, DNF, retired 29. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (I.C.P.), -4 laps, DNF, crash 30. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), -11 laps, DNF, retired 31. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (BIMOTA), -14 laps, DNF, crash 32. Dani RIVAS, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), -19 laps, DNF, crash 33. Shoya TOMIZAWA, Japan (SUTER), -19 laps, DNF, crash 34. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (FORCE GP210), -20 laps, DNF, crash 35. Lukas PESEK, Czech Republic (MORIWAKI), -20 laps, DNF, retired 36. Vladimir LEONOV, Russia (SUTER), -22 laps, DNF, crash 37. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -22 laps, DNF, crash 38. Hector FAUBEL, Spain (SUTER), -22 laps, DNF, crash 39. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), -23 laps, DNF, crash 40. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), -23 laps, DNF, crash 41. Alex DEBON, Spain (FTR), -23 laps, DNF, crash 42. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SUTER), -23 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 17 races): 1. Elias, 111 points 2. Luthi, 94 3. Simon, 77 4. Tomizawa, 76 5. Iannone, 70 6. Corsi, 65 7. Cluzel, 57 8. Takahashi, 52 9. Gadea, 47 10. Talmacsi, 42 11. Debon, 37 12. TIE, Wilairot/Nieto, 25 14. Redding, 23 15. Abraham, 22 16. Rolfo, 21 17. Noyes, 18 18. Di Meglio, 17 19. TIE, Aegerter/Hernandez, 15 More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Tech 3 Racing jubilant after maiden Moto2 victory The Tech 3 Racing Team celebrated a famous milestone in its long history today when Yuki Takahashi stormed to a fantastic maiden Moto2 victory at a sun-drenched Catalunya circuit in Spain. A fast start from the front row of the grid helped Takahashi avoid a multi-rider pile-up at the first corner of the 23-lap race and he was fourth at the end of lap one. He quickly passed world championship leader Toni Elias on lap four and then cleverly hunted down Thomas Luthi and Julian Simon in the leading group to begin his victory challenge. Gaining confidence with the improved turning performance from a new chassis only finishe d on Friday night by his dedicated Tech 3 Racing crew, Takahashi claimed third from Luthi on lap five. And he wasted no time in claiming second from Simon a lap later to try and prevent Andrea Iannone from scorching to another runaway victory. Takahashi produced a determined and concerted effort to close in on Iannone, but the key moment of the race came when it emerged the Italian had overtaken the Japanese rider under a yellow flag following the major incident at the first corner. Iannone eventually was penalised with a ride through penalty having failed to give up the position gained, leaving Takahashi with a comfortable lead of close to three seconds on lap 16. Takahashi then produced a masterclass of riding at maximum concentration despite the gruelling temperatures that peaked at 32 degrees to claim his first win since the G erman 250cc Grand Prix in 2006. The historic win for Tech 3 Racing moved Takahashi into eighth place in the overall rankings. Raffaele de Rosa came close to scoring his first top 15 finish of the season after a hugely encouraging ride in an exciting mid-pack contest. He was unable to overhaul Yusuke Teshima for 15th despite a valiant effort on the last lap to break his points duck in 2010. Yuki Takahashi 1st 52-points “I am a little bit speechless right now because I expected to be on the podium but this win is like a dream for me. Luckily I got on the front row in qualifying yesterday and that meant I wasn’t involved in the big crash at the first corner. I didn’t have a very good pace in the early laps while I gained some confidence with the front tyre, but once in my rhythm I could easily catch Luthi and Simon. My bike was working fantastic out of the last corner and it meant I could pass them both on the brakes at the first corner. I tried to follow Iannone but it was very difficult. He was riding very fast and I didn’t realise he was penalised for passing me under a yellow flag. My board said P1 even though I was second and for a while it was a little confusing. But when I saw him pull into the pitlane I understood the situation because I’d seen the penalty board and his number but I wasn’t sure what was happening. Then it became incredibly hard to maintain concentration because Iannone was a good reference. I settled down though and could win and it was an amazing feeling. I can’t thank my team at Tech 3 Racing enough. This team is like a family and everybody works incredibly hard. They have unbelievable passion for racing and for me, and this win feels a lot more special than before because it is with a bike we’ve all developed.& #8221; Raffaele de Rosa 16th 0-points “Unfortunately today we missed a chance to score points for the first time but I did my best and it wasn’t quite enough. It was an important race though because I feel we have made a step forward with the bike and my confidence. The bike still has too much wheelpsin under acceleration but I’m gradually getting closer to the group fighting for points. The bike obviously has potential because Yuki has done a fantastic job and I want to congratulate him today. Tech 3 Racing has worked very hard and this is a perfect reward for all that effort. The new chassis is a step in the right direction and I’m thinking positive for the future and determined to move to the next level and score points at the next race in Germany.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “What an incredible day and right now it is hard to explain the jubilation the team is feeling. We started this project from scratch and to see Yuki and our bike win a race in a world championship makes me immensely proud of the crew at Tech 3 Racing. We’ve won before in the 250 class but this has an extra special taste because we have achieved this win with our own project. A lot of people have spent a lot of time working on that bike and I’m really proud of them today. Moto2 has been a big challenge for us but all the problems we’ve been through, we’ve stuck together as a team and today is an unforgettable reward for all our effort. The bike we built ourselves was today the best in the world and that is a great feeling. I have to say a special thanks to Guy Coulon. He left Assen last weekend and went back to our workshop to modify the chassis and he seems to have done a really good job! I’m delighted for Yuki because he has worked hard to get the bike closer to th e front. He kept his concentration in difficult conditions and he showed what a talent he is and I’m sure this will give his confidence and self-belief a massive lift. Raffaele also came close to scoring his first points and I think he made a big step forward this weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing him build on this performance in the next few races. But this is a historic day for Tech 3 Racing and we will cherish it for a very long time.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: FIRST CORNER CRASH ENDS MARC VDS HOPES AT CATALUNYA Scott Redding and Hector Faubel were both left disappointed today, as a first corner crash forced them both out of the Moto2 race at the Grand Prix of Catalunya. As the 41 rider field negotiated turn one on the opening lap a move up the inside of the corner by Alex Debon set off a chain reaction that caused four riders to crash and forced almost half the field to take avoiding action. Faubel was one of the four riders who crashed, after being hit by both Debon and Di Meglio’s bikes on their way to the gravel trap. The 26-year-old Spaniard, who was uninjured in the crash, managed to rejoin the race but the bike was too damaged to continue. Redding, slightly further back and on the outside of the turn, had to take avoiding action and run out wide onto the kerb, where he was hit from behind by another rider who’d also been forced wide by the incident. The 17-year-old Briton rejoined the race in the bottom half of the field, but struggled to make up places in the early laps due to the collision damage on his Suter MMX machine. With the problem worsening with each lap, and his lap times increasing significantly, Redding opted to retire from the race on lap 12, rather than risk causing a crash as the rest of the field came past him later in the race. Both riders were bitterly disappointed to be sidelined by someone else’s mistake, but will now focus their attentions on the next round in the Moto2 World Championship, which takes place in just two weeks time at the Sachsenring in Germany. Scott Redding #45: DNF “I came into the first turn on the outside of the pack, so I wasn’t involved in the crash itself, but I did have to run out wide to avoid the bikes and riders sliding towards the gravel trap. Just as I straightened the bike up I got a good whack from behind off another rider. After the collision the bike just didn’t feel right and the handling got worse with every lap. I couldn’t see anything obviously wrong with it, but after just a few more laps it had worsened to the point where the bike was almost impossible to ride. I was a bit worried that it might be something serious so, rather than cause a crash I decided to retire. I’m disappointed both for myself and for the team, because we put a lot of work in this weekend and we had a good chance of a strong result here.” Hector Faubel #55: DNF “I am so disappointed. We made a big step forward with the bike this weekend and I was looking forward to a good race in front of my home crowd. I got a good start and had moved up a whole grid row at the first turn, but then Alex Debon and Mike Di Meglio’s bikes appeared from nowhere, crashed right into me and down I went. I got the bike going again, but I could only cruise back to the pits because there was a lot of damage to the front brake. It’s frustrating, but I will try and put this behind me now and look forward to the next round in Germany, where I hope I’ll have better luck.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager “Both riders were the victims today of someone else’s crash. Hector got knocked off at the first turn and, although he managed to get going again, there was no way he could continue with no front brakes. Scott wasn’t directly involved but got hit from behind as he took to the outside of the track to avoid the crash. There is clearly damage to the bike, which we need to assess fully, but he decided to play it safe and retire when the handling deteriorated after the collision. It’s a disappointing end to what was a promising weekend, but now we need to bounce back and score two solid results next time out at the Sachsenring.” More, from a press release issued by Blusens-STX: YONNY HERNÁNDEZ MARKS POINTS AGAIN IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WHEN FINISHING 12TH IN THE GRAN PREMIO DE CATALUNYA. MASHEL AL NAIMI GETS HIS BEST RESULT OF THE SEASON BY BEING 26TH. TITO RABAT CRASHES IN THE FIRST LAP AND IS NO LONGER FIFTH OF THE GENERAL RANK Montmeló, 4th July 2010. Yonny Hernández has marked points for the second Grand Prix successively. It is also the fourth time that the Blusens-STX rider makes it to the top 15. After performing a magnificent start and avoiding a massive crash at Turn 1, Yonny has battled against Corsi, Abraham and Talmacsi (later, with West and Noyes too) in a beautiful and tough fight for the top ten during the first half of the race. The Colombian rider has made a mistake two laps before the end (of the 23 laps this GP has) and could not stay in the top ten. However, the four points he has added up in the circuit of Catalunya put him 20th in the world standing, together with Aegener (19th) who also has 15 points in total. Mashel Al Naimi has started nicely as well. He has been really fast for the first minutes, but after that his rhythm has been irregular. Despite of that, the Qatari has been able to match his goal of finishing the race with his best result this season: 26th. The racer from Doha has finished every race he has taken part in (he could not participate in Mugello and Silverstone due to the compartment syndrome in the forearms he had). The team Blusens-STX is now 10th in the Teams’ World Championship standing with 15 points, three behind Promoharris, which is 9th. In 125cc everything has fallen apart for Tito Rabat, who, after starting well, has crashed before completing the first lap out of 22 the Gran Premio de Catalunya had. Racer from Blusens-STX team was sixth after the red light went off but in the turn called “Estadi” he has pressed the breaks way too hard and the direction has blocked, causing the crash that has put him out of the competition today. With this accident, Tito has crashed twice in a row and loses the fifth position in the general rank. He is now ninth with the same 50 points he had before the Gran Premio de Catalunya. 68 YONNY HERNÁNDEZ (12º. 42’07.475, +23.024): “I got a fantastic start, being benefited by the multiple crashes at Turn number one. I was next to Debón, who has entered the curve breaking too hard when I was trying to overtake him and has done a strike that I have been able to avoid. The race has been tough, but I think we did well. It is a pity that two laps before the end I lost a few positions in a straight line. After the first lap I was eight; I have battled for a while with Corsi, Abraham and Talmacsi for the eighth and ninth positions. I have noticed I was really fast in these first laps, but later I lost speed. I think we have lost grip in the rear and this has penalized us at the end, because I could not hold on to Noyes, West, De Angelis and Talmacsi. In my opinion, the general balance of the weekend is positive, because we thought everything was going to be too complicated after me crashing on Saturday and a broken engine in the qualifyings. I am very happy and I want to thank David, my mechanic Santiago and the whole team. Now it is time to keep practicing for the next race. It has been awfully warm here, but I have not felt it as much as other riders because in my country it is always like this, so I have been favoured by this circumstance. The race has been fun and pretty, I have really enjoyed the constant battle with my rivals and the feeling of defending the top ten positions.” 95 MASHEL AL NAIMI (26º. 43′.05.247, +1’22.796): “I am very satisfied with the weekend, the outcome is really good I think. The race has been nice; in the third lap I was 1’49.7, my best time of the practices, but afterwards I have lost speed. The best of these Gran Premio is that I have worked intensively and the motorbike has given me great results; I understand it better and I can be faster. Once I have solved my problem in the forearms, it is time to focus in improving my physical condition: I need to be in shape, because the races are really hard at this level and I can not be left behind.” 12 TITO RABAT (Crash): “It has been a shame, because I thought that after the good start we would pass Efrén, but I hit the breaks too late and with the hard tyre in the front and all I was too aggressive so that the first group would not leave me behind and I ended at the floor. My rhythm was slower than theirs, so I had to risk from the very beginning; it was my only option. I want to apologise to the team, because n spite of the problems of the weekend they never stopped working really hard. I am very happy with their work and it feels bad not paying them back. I believe I could have spent the race with the second group and finish in a good place, but it is useless to regret and complain. I prefer to focus in the next race in Germany. After these accidents in Assen and here, I will stop thinking about the world standing and just focus in every race independently. I want to keep learning and growing as a rider and give always the 100%.” More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: FTR IN THICK OF CATALUNYA MOTO 2 ACTION FTR MOTO machines were heavily involved in Sunday’s incident-packed Catalunya Grand Prix with three of the four machines finishing the 23-lap race and Czech Republic rider Karel Abraham scooping a career-best finish of fourth place on his Cardion AB Motoracing Team FTR M210. Alex Debon riding injured from his Assen crash the previous week was involved in a first corner, multi-rider crash and the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team rider was unable to continue. Although he escaped injury Debon left the circuit immediately and went to hospital for further checks. Andrea Iannone qualified his FIMMCO Speed Up FTR machine on pole position for the third time and was making his way through the field but was deemed to have moved ahead of another rider at the start of the second lap while yellow flags were waving. Despite holding a 4.0s lead Iannone was penalised with a “ride-through” penalty, he rejoined and eventually finished 13th. Abraham continued to impress in only his fifth outing since taking delivery of his FTR M210 before the Le Mans third round six weeks ago. The Czech Republic rider followed up his ninth place at Assen last week with fourth place and moved up seven places in the World Championship standings to 15th. Iannone’s FIMMCO Speed Up team-mate Gabor Talmacsi fought through from 32nd place on the grid to take 11th place, the hard-riding Hungarian rider sits 10th in the Championship, one place ahead of Debon and five places behind Iannone. “What a day,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “Andrea Iannone was on course for a repeat of Mugello and Assen and I’m sure the arguments will go on long into the night as to whether or not he actually saw the yellow flags, whether or not he’d already passed the rider and so on. At least he proved the performance of the M210 at another circuit and we move on to Germany now with increased optimism. “Karel Abraham’s fourth place is simply amazing. Since we started working with the Cardion team Karel has shown an impressive consistency and he continues to progress, today’s result is reward for the effort everyone has put in. We always knew it would be a tough day for Alex Debon and unfortunately it was over pretty quickly. And we should recognise the fight of Gabor Talmacsi on the FIMMCO FTR, it probably won’t be too long before he is starting to emulate the results of his team-mate.” More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki: Spanish Catalunya Grand Prix Moto2 class MORIWAKI MD600 race result LUTHI IS ON PODIUM AGAIN AND MORIWAKI STAYS ON THE TOP OF CONSTRUCTOR’S CHAMPIONSHIP This round started superbly for MD600, having Toni Elias the fastest and Thomas Luthi on second at the free practice 1 on Friday. Thomas Luthi had dislocated his left collar bone at his off-track training and broke it during the free practice 2 at the last round in Assen when he tried to avoid a slide. But he rode strongly in Assen and took 3rd in podium. He had an operation on that fractured collar bone right after the race finished and came to Catalunya without fully recovered and yet he showcased the great ride. At the qualifying practice, Thomas Luthi marked 1’47″973 at lap 4, it was then the fastest. He was passed by two riders later in the session and finished in 3rd, followed by local Toni Elias on 4th. 2 MD600s got the front row start at the hot and dry qualifying practice. The race started on Sunday under the clear sky, atmosphere was 32C and track temp was 46C. Both 2 front row MD600s started the race good and Luthi took the hole shot and Elias was second to go through the turn 1. There were a crash at the turn1 behind them and quite number of riders were out. Fortunately all MD600 riders avoided the crash and Luthi and Elias completed the lap1 in 1st and 2nd. A few riders past them as the race progresses. Luthi was in a battle for 2nd and Elias was for 5th. A ride-through penalty was given to the leader and the rider dropped off at lap7. Luthi and Elias battled all the way through and Luthi finished in 2nd, consecutive podium finish. Elias finished in 5th, kept his championship lead, and now Luthi came to the 2nd position on the ranking. As a constructor, MORIWAKI is keeping the top position on the championship, too. Official race report will be issued later. MD600 race results: — 2nd: No.12 Thomas Luthi, Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 GAP / +5.037 — 5th: No.24 Toni Elias, Gresini Racing Moto2 GAP / +7.369 — 8th: No.10 Fonsi Nieto, Holiday Gym G22位 GAP / +20.555 –18th: No.61 Vladimir Ivanov, Gresini Racing Moto2 GAP / +35.193 –24th: No.19 Xavier Simeon, Holiday Gym G22 GAP / +1’03.470 Not Classifide –No.52 Lukas Pesek, Matteoni CP Racing GAP / 20laps World Championship Classification – CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIP: MORIWAKI MD600 1st – RIDER POINT RANKING 1st / No.24 Toni Elias / 111point 2nd / No.12 Thomas Luthi / 94point 13th / No.10 Fonsi Nieto / 25point 25th / No.19　Xavier Simeon / 8point 28th / No.52 Lukas Pesek / 4point More, from a press release issued by Noyes Racing: Kenny Noyes matched his previous best Grand Prix finish by taking seventh place in the Grand Prix of Catalunya on his Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas Promoharris, but to do so he had to come back from the back of the pack after being run off the track in the lap-one, turn-one mayhem when four bikes went down and another and another six had to run wide onto the paved apron. By the end of the first lap Kenny was 28th and 8 seconds back and with a field of swarming Moto2 bikes between the American and the leaders and with 22 laps to go. Lapping in mid and high 1´48s, he was in the top 20 by lap four and into the points (fifteenth) on lap nine. After that he began picking off “name” riders (all G.P. winners) like Jules Cluzel, Álex de Angeles, Anthony West, and Fonsi Nieto, plus former World Champion Gabor Talmacsi. While team owner and actor Antonio Banderas watched from the pits, Noyes battled back to eighth, still two seconds back from long-time rival from the Spanish 1000cc Extreme Championship, Carmelo Morales (riding as replacement for injured Axel Pons on the Pons-Kalex). Still lapping in low 49s, the pace of the leaders at this point, Noyes pulled back 1.9 of the 2 seconds and started the last lap in Morales’s slipstream. Noyes passed Morales at the end of the home straight, but was re-passed going up the hill to turn three. Noyes was back in front at the hairpin, but ran wide and Morales came by again. Once more Noyes passed on the brakes for the last left-hander, but the Spanish champion slipped back past one more time, leaving Kenny only on last chance on the final curve, the downhill right-hander onto the straight”¦the curve where passing never really took place until Rossi passed Casey Stoner in 2007 and, for the win on the last lap, Jorge Lorenzo in 2009. Kenny made the pass and was within 100 feet of the start-finish line when he felt a thump. Morales made a desperate attempt to come out of the slipstream, but touched Kenny’s rear wheel and crashed at high speed, the bike cart-wheeling over the fallen rider and bouncing high off the fence in front of the home grandstand. Fortunately Morales got away with a bruising and Kenny came home seventh and with a race-pace that would have given him a shot at the podium if he had not been a victim of the turn-one chaos. Former MotoGP rider, Yuki Takahashi, won from former 125 World Champions Thomas Luthi and Julian Simon. Andrea Iannone seemed headed for victory but was given a ride-though penalty after failing to give back the place he took by passing under yellow flags on lap 2. Kenny Noyes 7th “When I was so far back I had to just put by head down and remember how it is to ride endurance”¦the way to advance is pushing hard every lap and taking back a few tenths at a time and not giving up. When I got into past Nieto, West and De Angelis I looked up the road and saw Morales. It looked impossible but I decided to push a hard for a lap and see what I could do. With two laps to go I realized I had a chance and I started the last lap right on his rear wheel. The last lap was crazy, just like I knew it would be because I knew he’d fight back. We swapped the lead three times and that left me with only the final corner where I saw Rossi make that pass on Lorenzo last year”¦so I threw it in there on the inside”¦pushed the front but hung on and once I was on the straight I was sure he couldn’t get back by. I felt something and when I looked back after I crossed the line I didn’t understand what had happened. As soon as I found out I went to the clinic and Carmelo and I ended up laughing about it.” “We didn’t have enough today to run with Iannone or Takahashi, but today I think we had a podium bike, although it would have been tough. We are sitting out the Motorland tests next weeks because we are waiting for some new chassis parts from Harris that we need for Germany. We were a bit lost in Mugello and Silverstone, but the team has made a big step with the bike. Sachsenring will be another new track, but it looks like it will be fun.