FIM Moto2 World Championship
Silverstone Circuit, England
August 31, 2014
Race Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires):
1. Esteve “Tito” RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 18 laps, 38:29.795
2. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), -0.063 second
3. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (KALEX), -0.203
4. Johann ZARCO, France (CATERHAM SUTER), -2.774 seconds
5. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), -8.029
6. Franco MORBIDELLI, Italy (KALEX), -10.529
7. Sam LOWES, UK (SPEED UP), -10.564
8. Hafizh SYAHRIN, Malaysia (KALEX), -17.713
9. Mattia PASINI, Italy (KALEX), -17.802
10. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), -18.035
11. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), -18.098
12. Julian SIMON, Spain (KALEX), -18.290
13. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (SUTER), -18.820
14. Marcel SCHROTTER, Germany (TECH 3), -19.551
15. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), -20.870
16. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (TECH 3), -21.320
17. Louis ROSSI, France (KALEX), -22.697
18. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (KALEX), -29.842
19. Luis SALOM, Spain (KALEX), -33.487
20. Gino REA, UK (SUTER), -33.792
21. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -47.561, crash
22. Anthony WEST, Australia (SPEED UP), -47.660
23. Riccardo RUSSO, Italy (SUTER), -47.866
24. Josh HERRIN, USA (CATERHAM SUTER), -47.982
25. Azlan SHAH, Malaysia (KALEX), -48.207
26. Roman RAMOS, Spain (SPEED UP), -48.515
27. Robin MULHAUSER, Switzerland (SUTER), -49.699
28. Thitipong WAROKORN, Thailand (KALEX), -67.489
29. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, UK (TAYLOR MADE), -1 lap
30. Dakota MAMOLA, Belgium (SUTER), -3 laps, crash
31. Lorenzo BALDASSARRI, Italy (SUTER), -4 laps, DNF, crash
32. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (KALEX), -6 laps, DNF, crash
33. Simone CORSI, Italy (KALEX), -6 laps, DNF, crash
34. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (SUTER), -9 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 18 races):
1. Rabat, 233 points
2. Kallio, 216
3. Vinales, 166
4. Aegerter, 123
5. Corsi, 100
6. Luthi, 92
7. Zarco, 72
8. West, 65
9. Salom, 62
10. Cortese, 58
More, from a press release issued by AirAsia Caterham Moto2 Team:
Silverstone Grand Prix Race Report
Circuit: Silverstone
Circuit Length: 3.666 miles
Race Length: 18 laps
Weather
Race: Dry; (air temp) 16°, (track temp) 26°
Starting from pole position, AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing rider Johann Zarco made an impressive start leading the way on lap one. Soon locked into a five rider battle, the Frenchman fought hard to stay at the front. Frequently swapping places within the leading pack, Zarco showed sheer determination and strength throughout the gripping Moto2 race, before concluding his British Grand Prix in fourth place.
Lining up on the grid on row ten, Josh Herrin made a strong start off the line but was forced wide going into turn one, losing him both valuable time and positions. Determined to improve on his qualifying place, the Moto2 rookie pushed to make it into the top twenty but was unable to catch the riders in front, crossing the line in P24.
#5 Johann Zarco: P4
“It has been a happy Sunday starting from pole position. I was initially worried about the start but in the end, it was the best start that I have done all year and I was able to keep the lead from the first corner on lap one.
“I was a little disappointed at the end because I was not able to fight for the podium. I did a little mistake and then it was impossible to catch the leaders again, but I really enjoyed the race.
“I was fighting for the first position, then between second and third position with the two Spanish riders, but I think they had some advantage on me so that’s why I can’t be disappointed. Also I have this motivation now to take many points for the Championship and with this result I really did it and was able to gain two places.
“I hope for Misano I will have this feeling on the bike and be comfortable to do fast lap times like I did today, but I think it’s going to be hard as it’s not like this track where I have always been fast.
“I’m happy and I enjoyed the race, which is the main thing. Podiums or victory will come for sure but we still need to grow.”
#2 Josh Herrin: P24
“I’m disappointed with the result of my race at Silverstone but I felt good riding behind Luis Salom at the beginning of the race. I think I could have kept the same pace as him and have finished in the top twenty, but I had a problem going into turn one and it cost me a lot of valuable time.
“I would like to congratulate Johann and the team for their result and a good weekend and I hope that in Misano I can do better for everyone.”
Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager: “We’ve had a pretty good race here today. It was very tough; a hard battle with a big group but Johann managed to stay with them very well. He made a strong start and led the first lap, so we are very pleased with that. We are pleased with the whole weekend actually. We were perhaps expecting a podium but it was very close and he missed out a bit on the final three laps when he was pushed out a little by Vinales, which lost him the contact with the three front guys.
“I’m sure we are close to another podium and I’m confident that we will be there again soon. It’s just to build on this we must continue to work like we have here. The team around Johann and the team overall have worked very well this weekend and I’m very pleased with that, so let’s take this on and move forward. We have climbed a couple of positions in the Championship which is good and we’re going to set the target for around the top five this year, which I think is achievable. It’s very good for Johann overall at the moment and I’m very pleased that we have come back strong.
“Josh also made a good start but he got pushed out going into the first corner and he struggled to come back. He was going in a group with Salom and battling with some other riders which was good, but again it’s too far behind and the position of course is not what we are aiming for. It should have been better so we need to keep working on this. I also want to thank the guys on that side working with Josh because they are doing a very good job and people can’t really see how hard they are working; so thanks to everyone.”
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Rabat takes the win from Kallio after epic Silverstone battle
Silverstone, Great Britain – 31 August 2014: Tito Rabat got the better of a titanic battle with his Marc VDS teammate, Mika Kallio, to take his sixth victory of the season in the British Moto2 Grand Prix today.
It is the third time in 2014 that the Marc VDS duo has occupied the top two steps of the podium and today’s victory means that Rabat has now won half of the 12 races run so far, giving him a 17 point lead over Kallio at the top of the Championship standings.
After struggling with both the conditions and set up at Silverstone all weekend, it was a welcome win for Rabat, who was visibly relieved as he pulled up to occupy the number one slot in parc ferme post race.
For Kallio there was only disappointment, after losing out to his teammate in a race he’d pretty much dominated until the very closing stages. Despite putting up an aggressive defence on the final lap, the 31-year-old Finn had no answer for his equally aggressive Marc VDS teammate.
Jorge Navarro finished today’s British Moto3 Grand Prix in 27th position, after what has been a difficult weekend at Silverstone. The 18-year-old Spaniard struggled to find a good feeling with his Kalex-KTM ahead of today’s race, but looked set to finish in the top 20 until a last lap collision dropped him to 27th at the chequered flag.
Tito Rabat // Race Winner
“The start was normal; the first laps were neither good nor bad, but once the fuel load started to reduce then I was able to push more and more. It put me into a good fight with Folger, Vinales, Zarco and, eventually, Mika who I managed to get the better of on the last lap. I’m happy because here I wasn’t the fastest on track, because the other riders had better settings than us today. The team and me put in everything, we took all the risk and it paid off. It makes today’s win even more special.”
Mika Kallio // 2nd
“The race was a little bit how we expected today. I pushed hard from the start to try and pull away at the front, even though it’s not easy to do here at Silverstone. I managed to build up a lead of around 1.5s by the halfway point, which wasn’t too bad, but I knew that Tito would be fast at the end, like always. He dropped his lap time and started to close, so I started to push again, but I wasn’t able to improve my time. At this track, once you are close enough for the slipstream, it gives you around 0.5s and you can close a gap very quickly. I knew it was going to be a tough fight, and it was, but obviously I’m not happy with second. There’s a long way to go in the championship yet, so I’m not overly concerned about the points gap, but after today I know I maybe need to be more aggressive with Tito in the future, especially when it comes down to the two of us at the end of a race.”
Jorge Navarro // 27th
“I’m disappointed, because I came here looking for a good result, but it didn’t happen. Friday was not bad, but we didn’t really go in the right direction with the set up and I didn’t have a good feeling in qualifying or the race. My start today was good and I managed to overtake some riders to join the fight for 17th position, but I could do no more with the bike. My objective was to finish in this position and collect as much information as possible, but on the final lap another rider hit me and we crashed. I remounted to finish 27th so at least we have the data from a full race. We have to make a reset, as we have lost a little bit our direction this weekend, but we have a test at Aragon and the CEV race at Navarra during which I can rebuild my confidence on the bike ahead of Misano.”
Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal
“This is the third time Tito and Mika have finished one-two, but the first time they’ve gone head-to-head on track over the final lap. I’m sure it was exciting for the fans but, as you can probably imagine, it was a little more nerve wracking for us on the pit wall. It was a good battle and Tito did well to get the upper hand after a difficult weekend, but I’m sure Mika will now be keen to repay the favour next time out at Misano, a track he likes and has gone well at in the past. A great job by both crews this weekend and we’ve pulled even further ahead now in the Championship standings, which is also very important. It’s been a difficult weekend for Jorge but he continued to work hard with his crew to find solutions to the problems he encountered and he has learnt a lot as a result. He will test now at Aragon before returning to the CEV at Navarra and I’m confident he’ll be back on form at Misano.”
More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Racing:
Determined Schrotter clinches points at Silverstone
Marcel Schrotter rode a daring race to claim a hard fought point scoring finish at round 12, having expertly overtaken 8 riders from 22nd on the grid to complete the race in 14th place. After having experienced a tricky qualifying campaign, the German rider launched into full speed as soon as the lights went out and found himself in 17th by the close of opening lap, having brilliantly overhauled 5 rivals. During the next lap, Schrotter progressed up a further place as he neared the final point scoring position. Following this he battled for the whole race with a pack of nearly ten riders who were all competing for 13th position in the highly competitive intermediate class. With four laps remaining, the German rider had clinched 15th after undertaking some resolute overtaking manoeuvres. As the penultimate lap began, he set his fastest time of the race before moving up a further place and then sailing across the line in 14th position, completing a toughly fought race as well as sealing a positive close to the Hertz British Grand Prix.
On the other side of the garage, Ricky Cardus fought back from 20th position on the grid to finish in 17th having undertaken a gruelling and fiercely challenged race at Silverstone. The Spanish rider undertook a solid start and held his grid position place as the first lap was completed. From here he stuck into a solid race rhythm, progressively overtaking every lap and beating five riders to find himself in 14th on the 11th lap. After exchanging some daring moves, Cardus was shuffled back to 17th following a collision with another rider but remained determined and moved up to 16th on the 15th lap where he eventually finished the 18 lap Moto2 race at Silverstone.
Marcel Schrotter – Race : 14th – Championship : 12 – Points : 46
“I can’t be too disappointed to finish 14th after having started the race from row 8, but of course it’s far from my expectations, especially after having set the 5th fastest time on the Saturday morning. My initial start was strong as I managed to overtake 5 riders during the opening lap which gave me a boost of confidence, and I’m sure I could have finished higher up the time sheets, but I started to focus too much on the other riders. I was riding too defensively and without keeping my own rhythm, just adapting to who I had in front of me and these are mistakes which I have to work on during the next races to get back into the top ten. The fact that I set my fastest lap close to the end illustrates that the Mistral worked well and my physical condition is strong, so I just need to work on my race strategies. Fortunately there is not long to wait until I can return to the track and show what I can do in Misano in ten days.“
Ricky Cardus – Race : 17th – Championship : 21 – Points : 28
“Today was a hard and intense challenge for me as there was not a moment to take a breath during the entire 18 laps. It was tricky to climb up the standings and to make things worse I got touched twice by Louis Rossi plus, I was definitely lucky to stay on during one of these moments of contact. In fact, he broke the exhaust of my bike a bit and then Cortese went into the gravel which disrupted my flow as I was clipped. Of course I can’t be satisfied with this position but what annoys me the most is finishing just outside of the points which is where I need to be every race. I am sorry to the team who made a great effort over the whole weekend and I never gave up fighting, but sometimes these things happen in Moto2. Now I look on towards Misano where I believe we can achieve a really strong result.”
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager :
“It has been a difficult weekend for us. FP3 was really strong with Marcel being fifth and we were really confident and hopeful that a strong qualifying was possible. Unfortunately for reasons that we still do not understand, things didn’t go according to plan and the qualifying was a bit of a disaster for our guys, which didn’t make things easier for today as they had to face the race from the middle of the starting grid. However, both had a strong start off the line and kept fighting for the whole 18 laps, undertaking some interesting lap times, especially during the second half of the race which would have seem them around 10th position. Yet, unluckily in this sport you can’t catch up the time that you lose at the beginning, unless you are Marc Marquez. To be honest I think we are quite lucky to get two points with Marcel and it’s a pity that Ricky just missed the top 15 by finishing in 16th position. Nevertheless we are still 12th in the Championship, which is positive but our performances need to be more consistent and we have one week now to work in this direction before the action gets back on track at Misano on September 12th.”