Josh Herrin made an exceptional start on his debut Moto2 race launching from P27 on the grid to P14 within the first few turns but unfortunately the extent of damage to his bike after the lap one incident made it impossible for the American to continue the race and show his full potential.

Teammate Johann Zarco gallantly remounted his damaged #5 Caterham Suter and re-joined the Moto2 field. Battling on, the Frenchman continuously lapped at the same speed as the leaders showing that the results could have been very different without the lap one misfortune.

Johann Zarco: “The start was not so bad but in the first two corners it was impossible to go inside and overtake riders. I lost too many places and ended up in a big group. On corner six there was already so much confusion then going into turn seven I was on the outside when two riders crashed and put me out.

“I was able to restart and I wanted to at least finish the race and feel if the bike was better or not. After the work we did on setup over the weekend it was much better than before and I did good lap times and beat my own best time, and this is the positive we must take. There was also some damage to the bike but I was faster, so we are leaving not happy but confident for the next race.”

Josh Herrin: “We got a really good start and were up to 17th in turn one, then going into turn two I was able to pass some guys on the outside and the same in six. Going into turn seven I had a lot of confidence and was riding on the outside of De Angelis, then I just saw Zarco and a couple of guys fall down in front of him and it was just a chain reaction that collected us.

“It’s disappointing but at least now I have a lot of confidence going into Austin because the bike felt really good and I was able to pass a lot of the riders I hadn’t been able to pass in practice. This means that, going into Austin which is my home race, we should be able to do a really good job.”

Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager: “The first race of the season is not really a good one for us and we’re not very happy about it. Having two riders go down on the first lap is not really common and is just so disappointing to be honest as we have been working so hard, but what can we do, this one is now over and we have to look ahead to Austin.

“Josh made a fantastic start and he was up to 14th place. There were a lot of riders moving around in the first few turns, as there always is in this class, and going into corner six Johann was tangled up with some riders then going into turn seven, I’m not exactly sure what happened but someone from the back fell and just collected them both. They couldn’t do anything about it. It’s just incredible, so unlucky.

“Johann was able to pick up his bike. Finishing the race the way he did, doing a 2:00.545 lap time with a bike that came in with no screen, no seat unit, a broken throttle, with a front brake that was not where it should be; for me it’s just unbelievable how you can finish a race like that with 20 laps left. It makes it even harder for me to take in; if he had had a bike that was OK, riding at that pace, he would have been up there with the top guys I’m sure.

“The whole team has worked incredibly hard and in the end both bikes were working well and these are the positives that we must take away with us to Austin.”

More, from another press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Rabat wins and Kallio makes it a double podium for Marc VDS in Qatar

Losail, Qatar – 23 March 2014: Tito Rabat and Mika Kallio got the Marc VDS Racing Team’s 2014 Moto2 World Championship campaign off to a flying start, with the 24-year-old Spaniard winning the opening race of the season in Qatar and his teammate joining him on the podium in third place.

Rabat made a good start from pole, but got pushed out wide in turn one and dropped back to fifth. The Marc VDS rider then battled his way back towards the front, eventually passing his teammate and then pushing past Takaaki Nakagami on lap 13 to take the lead, which he held to the chequered flag.

Kallio pushed hard on the final laps to try and pass Nakagami for second, but lacked the necessary grip from the right side of the rear tyre to make the challenge and was forced to settle for third at the line.

Livio Loi missed out on points in tonight’s Moto3 race, which he finished in 17th place after starting from 20th position on the grid. The 16-year-old Belgian was happy with this pace in the race, but disappointed to finish outside the points.

Tito Rabat // 1st

“I’m happy to have come here to Qatar and taken the first win of the season on my debut for the Marc VDS team. I got a good start, but then Taka Nakagami braked really late into turn one and I made a mistake and ran wide. It took me a good few laps to work my way back to the front, but I was pushed all the way by Taka and Mika. In the end I managed to defend the lead to take the win, but I need to think about the early laps and also how to manage better the end of the race. It was a great way to start the season and now we need to look ahead to the next race in Austin.”

Mika Kallio // 3rd

“I got a good start, making up places off the line and managed to slot into second behind Taka, who’d already pulled a gap at the front. It took me two laps to catch him, and I had the pace to pass, but I decided to sit in behind, stay as smooth as possible and save my tyres for the last few laps. The lap times were quick, but I felt comfortable, until Taka upped the pace again with about eight laps to go. Then Tito came past me and I started to struggle for grip in the right hand turns. I was making up ground in the left corners only to lose it again in the right corners. I lost contact with them on the final lap and decided to settle for third and the points. Although we could have won tonight, I’m happy to finish on the podium after such a big crash yesterday. Thanks to my crew, who put in long hours to rebuild the bike last night. Thanks also to Petronas Raceline Malaysia for the loan of a frame.”

Livio Loi // 17th

“We knew it was going to be hard tonight, starting from so far back on the grid, and that’s exactly how it turned out. I got a reasonable start but, by the time I’d worked my way through the group I was in, the leading group had gone. I was on my own for the remainder of the race, so just focussed on being as consistent as I could. I’m not happy to miss out on points, but we know how important qualifying is to the result, and this is something we need to address next time out in Austin.”

Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal

“Firstly I want to say a massive thank you to Petronas Raceline Malaysia for loaning us a frame, without which Mika would not have been able to race after his qualifying crash yesterday. Tito did a fantastic job today. He could have panicked after getting pushed out in turn one, but he kept his head and brought it home for the win. Mika also rode a great race, bouncing back from his big qualifying crash yesterday and putting what was effectively a brand new bike on the podium. It was a great effort by the riders and the team this weekend and a great way to start the season. I know Livio is disappointed, but his result wasn’t unexpected given his qualifying position. His race pace was good, but qualifying is something we need to work on with him in Austin.”

More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:

Good start for Corsi in Qatar

It was a positive debut for the NGM Forward Racing riders on board of their Forward KLX under the Losail floodlights.

Starting from the fourth row, Simone Corsi made a great start, recovering important positions. He maintained the 4th place almost till the end of the race, when at three laps to go, he lost 2 positions, closing 6th.

It was an unlucky race for Pasini, who made a mistake, going wide, when he was 5th. He lost 8 positions. At the end of the race, he struggled a lot with the rear tyre for a blistering issue. He made another mistake and finished 18th.

Simone Corsi

“I’m quite satisfied, all in all it was a good race but it’s a pity that on the first lap we touched with Aegerter, losing the contact with the front group. From that moment I struggled to cover the gap, but I’m confident because I know that the final result doesn’t reflect our potential. This is just the first round and we have gained some important points. I’m happy with my team and my bike, we still have a lot of work to do but we have the potential to fight for the podium.”

Mattia Pasini

“We were fast and competitive in the beginning and I could stay close to Simone in 5th position. I wanted to close the gap with the front group but I made a mistake and went wide, finishing 13th. At the end of the race, I had chattering on the rear and I went wide again. All in all I am satisfied, I am fast and I know that I can be competitive. I’m confident that we can get good result so I look forward to the next race.”

More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:

QMMF Racing Team celebrates Anthony West’s hard-fought tenth place – Ramos 20th

With an impressive battle to tenth place in the Moto2 class, Anthony West turned a difficult weekend around and gave his QMMF Racing Team a reason to cheer at their home Grand Prix in Qatar. The 32-year-old Australian had only qualified in 26th position, but had a good start and found himself almost immediately within the point rankings. Eleventh after one lap, he worked his way up to ninth and even eighth place towards the end of the race, before losing two positions again in a hectic final against German Sandro Cortese and Spaniard Jordi Torres. Tenth at the chequered flag, West moved up one position to ninth when Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami, who had been in second place initially, was disqualified due to technical reasons. West’s Spanish team-mate Roman Ramos, who had enjoyed an exciting battle for 20th place in the race, moved up to 19th. Wild card entry Mashel Al-Naimi pulled out because of clutch problems.

Anthony West – 9th place

“I think it is a good way to start the season and I am happy with the race. The top ten are where we should be, so I am happy. But I am disappointed with the weekend in general because of my qualifying. I ruined a lot of races last year with not qualifying so well and I think this is another one where I could have been a lot better. But the result is still quite strong. Last year, we crashed here and didn’t score any points, now, we scored points and had a good race. We now need to continue to work on the bik. I had a lot of problems with the traction and it was hard to hold off the group behind me. I sort of got caught up with Cortese and that let Torres pass as well, so I lost two positions in the last lap, which I am disappointed about. I need to work harder and change my mental approach to qualifying, which is something I thought I fixed, but I haven’t. I hope we can improve from here and I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t. I just need to relax a bit more instead of stressing myself, but still work hard. This is my goal for the next race!”

Roman Ramos – 19th place

“It was a tough and long race for me. I am not used to this kind of racing, but I had a lot of fun. On the first lap, I ran off the track and lost a lot of time, but I was able to find back to my rhythm and catch up with the others, doing much better lap times than in practice. That was a great feeling. I am happy with our achievements here and I can’t wait for the next race at Austin!”

Mashel Al Naimi – did not finish

“During the warm-up this evening, I felt there was a problem with the clutch, so I told my mechanics, who changed it for the race. At the start, the new clutch worked better, but I still had some problems and strange vibrations when releasing the clutch lever, which made me run off the track on the second lap of the race. I tried to continue after that, but the vibrations became worse and I had to stop. It was a pity because I decent result would have been possible. I want to thank my mechanics for all their work and the entire team for giving me the chance to race here at my home Grand Prix. I hope I will be able to do another wild card ride somewhere in Europe during this season. It is a fantastic experience to ride in the Moto2 class and I hope I will be better prepared next time!“