FIM Moto2 World Championship Silverstone, Great Britain June 12 Race Results (wet conditions, all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 18 laps, 44:10.236 2. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), -7.601 seconds 3. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), -12.241 4. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), -17.271 5. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), -23.531 6. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), -28.661 7. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), -32.391 8. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), -34.662, crash 9. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), -37.181 10. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), -38.981 11. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), -39.657 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), -51.622 13. Kev COGHLAN, Great Britain (FTR), -54.810 14. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (SUTER), -56.242 15. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), -60.769 16. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), -66.198 17. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), -79.530 18. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), -87.092 19. Javier FORES, Spain (SUTER), -89.849 20. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -90.338 21. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (FTR), -117.792, crash 22. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), -131.104 23. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), -149.168 24. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), -1 lap 25. Nasser Hasan AL MALKI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), -1 lap 26. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), -2 laps, DNF, crash 27. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), -4 laps, DNF, retired 28. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), -4 laps, DNF, retired 29. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), -5 laps, DNF, retired 30. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), -7 laps, DNF, crash 31. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), -8 laps, DNF, crash 32. Carmelo MORALES, Spain (MORIWAKI), -10 laps, DNF, crash 33. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), -10 laps, DNF, retired 34. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), -11 laps, DNF, crash 35. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), -12 laps, DNF, crash 36. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), -12 laps, DNF, crash 37. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), -15 laps, DNF, crash 38. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), -18 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 17 races): 1. Bradl, 127 points 2. Corsi, 65 3. Takahashi, 56 4. TIE, Iannone/Simon, 49 6. Luthi, 48 7. Smith, 47 8. Marquez, 45 9. De Angelis, 42 10. Pirro, 37 More, from a press release issued JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Great Britain: JiR’s Alex De Angelis retires The rain at Silverstone played havoc with Alex De Angelis’ Sunday, terminating his race with a fall and a subsequent return to the pits. After the positive results in practice the JiR Team was looking forward to a good race despite the rain, given the experience of the rider. Starting from 10th position, De Angelis ended up back in 23rd at the end of the first lap and tried one of his celebrated comebacks, but struggled to find the right rhythm. In an attempt to recover, he suffered a crash that damaged the windshield and the controls of his MotoBI. De Angelis re-joined the Silverstone track in an attempt to get some points, but the damage had compromised the controls of the bike, and seven laps from the end of the race Alex had to quit the race and retire while in 27th position. Alex DeAngelis Unfortunately it was a race to forget. At the start I was going into the first corner and I had a moment that led me to lose both the racing line and lose some positions. I tried to push to recover despite the lack of visibility at the back of the pack and I was very affected by this lack of visibility, then at the end of an overtake I found myself off-line, hitting a pool of water that made me crash. I saw that my MotoBI was not too damaged and able to get back on-track in an attempt to recover the race. However, I was riding in very difficult conditions because the clutch and brake levers were bent and the fairing did not give me shelter from the water and my visor was scratched from the crash, so I had practically no visibility. I soon realized that the positions to gain points were too far away and given these problems I decided to give up. Difficult days like these are part of racing, so we do not lose heart and we now get ready for our next opportunity at Assen. More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Rain master Smith storms to stunning second Bradley Smith produced one of the performances of his career in front of his crowd at Silverstone today, the British rider storming from 28th on the grid to claim a stunning second place in a rain-lashed Moto2 race. Smith was straight into attack mode and with a typically aggressive display he was able to gain 15 places on the opening lap. The 20-year-old needed only three laps to break into the top ten and by the end of the fourth lap he was into the top six as his incredible charge continued in atrocious conditions. By the end of the fifth lap he had moved by 2010 Silverstone winner Jules Cluzel to claim fifth and on lap eight he passed compatriot Scott Redding to move into the top three. Smith’s blistering pace continued and he quickly pulled away from Redding, though he was nearly seven seconds adrift of leader Stefan Bradl at the halfway stage. He tried to put the German rider under pressure with a series of fast and consistent laps, but unable to close the gap, he ensured he rode smoothly in the final stages to claim his first Moto2 podium. Today’s result moved Smith into seventh in the World Championship standings after six races and he’s only 18-points behind second. Mike di Meglio had a difficult race, the Frenchman not able to lap as comfortable on his Mistral 610 machine as did in dry conditions earlier in the weekend. Having started from a season best ninth place, he was unable to find a confident feeling in the cold and wet conditions and he finished outside of the points in 17th. Bradley Smith 2nd 47 points: “It hasn’t sunk in yet to be honest. The rain definitely helped me out today and I doubt I’d have finished second if it was a dry race, so for once I’m not going to complain about the British weather. Starting from 28th I knew I had to make a good start and Rabat went in really hot into the first corner and sat a lot of people up and I was nearly off the track. But going into Turn 3 I went right around the outside of about five people and just kept making moves. In the pack the spray was really bad and I couldn’t see anything, so I just got my head down and went for it. I had a really good pace but I had nothing for Stefan. I tried to keep a fast pace and put some pressure on him but he was cool and never really made a mistake that gave me a chance. But to finish second after all the chaos and drama of yesterday, it is something that I never expected when I wo ke up this morning. To finish on the podium in my home race two years in a row is an amazing feeling. I love Silverstone, so I can’t wait to come back here next year already. Looking at the Championship I’m only 18-points behind second position, which is unbelievable considering we’ve had some bad luck at the start of the year. I want to say thanks to my Tech 3 Racing Team because they have done an awesome job and this gives us a lot of confidence for the next few races.” Mike di Meglio: 17th 7 points: “I am really sad and disappointed because in Barcelona I had such a good feeling with the bike and found my confidence again. But here in the wet conditions I lost the feeling with the bike and my confidence dropped again. I was expecting so much from this race with my good qualifying result yesterday, but this was not really what I expected. We found quite a few solutions t his weekend and need to continue working in this way, so apart from the race, it was quite a positive weekend.” Hervé Poncharal: Team Manager: “This was an absolutely fantastic day for the Tech3 Racing Team and big congratulations to Bradley for an unbelievable performance. We had a disaster yesterday with the technical problem that did not help Bradley do more than two laps at the end in qualifying, which meant he had to start from 28th on the grid. Nevertheless he was very confident when I spoke to him, especially in the wet. But it is so difficult to see anything from the back of the field and I don’t know how he did it. For me he produced the performance of the weekend and he’s just shown what an incredible talent he is. We know we have been fast all season but we a lot of bad luck that meant we never got the results we deserved. This will give Bradley so much more confidence and I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see him on the podium in 2011. The race was a disappointment for Mike. He looked good in qualifying yesterday to finish ninth. We know he likes the rain, but he never had the right feeling on the bike and was too cautious. Once again though all credit to Bradley because I think he put on an amazing show for the British fans.” More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Disappointing British race for Xavier Siméon Xavier Siméon started the Airasia British Grand Prix very confident after scoring the fastest lap during the 20 minutes of Warm up this morning. Siméon started off strong and was able to make h is way through the group in front of him to be in 10th position already after the first lap. Boosted by his progress he pushed a little bit too hard being in 8th position, when he noticed that he was being catched by some riders behind him. This little mistake was followed by a crash and the Youngster had a disappointing end to his promising race at the Silverstone circuit. Siméon will not take any points home from the sixth round of the Moto2 world championship 2011, but is looking forward to continue in his ever so far progressing direction in Assen in two weeks time. Xavier Siméon, DNF: “žAgain I had a good start, I was 10th after the first lap. But I could not see anything, so I was very careful, maybe a little bit too careful. I did not want to crash as the conditions were very difficult today. Then some riders passed me. I could not see the braking point so I could not brake as hard as I wanted. Then I was in 8th position and I started to push a little bit as I could see other riders coming from behind. I pushed too much at the end and lost the rear tyre the result was that I crashed. I am so disappointed because this morning I was fastest in Warm up and that gave me so much confidence I could finish in the Top 10 today. I knew I could have been faster than the riders in front of me. Unfortunately it was not meant to be today, but with all my improvements in the last races I am confident enough to try it again next race. I am sorry for my team as they work very hard every minute to improve the bike for me. We can show our progress, but the final result was not as we wanted it or deserved it.” Hervé Poncharal, Team Manager: “Although the weekend did not finish the way we would have liked it, as Xavier had a good possibility of scoring some points, we have to see the positive side and all through the weekend, in the dry and in the wet, Xavier was fast. He was the fastest in today’s Warm up. This made him and us very confident, but under these conditions it is really easy to make a mistake and it is difficult to blame him for that. Race after race he is getting better and better. Hopefully we can continue in Assen like we did here. I hope we can get some more points. Xavier is improving a lot and I am very happy about that. I am sorry for the result of today, but I don’t think he was the only one crashed out there.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: REDDING FIGHTS FOR HOME PODIUM AT SILVERSTONE Marc VDS Racing rider Scott Redding conquered appalling conditions at the Silverstone circuit today to mount a superb fight for a podium during a rain-lashed British Moto2 Grand Prix. On a cold and soaking wet track, Redding made a brilliant start from second on the grid and wasted no time in passing World Championship leader Stefan Bradl to seize the lead on the opening lap. Redding and Bradl quickly mastered the treacherous conditions to move over two seconds clear of a group battling for third position. Redding’s performance delighted a large home crowd and he led for the opening four laps before he encountered a small issue with his visor steaming up and a loss of rear edge grip prevented him from maintaining his impressive early pace. Redding continued to give his maximum effort but a big moment exiting the final chicane with five laps to go effectively ended his rostrum hunt as he lost touch with Michele Pirro, though he was able to claim a hard fought fifth place to secure his best result of the 2011 campaign. Mika Kallio’s rousing effort in the early laps unfortunately went unrewarded when he crashed out of 13th place on lap seven. The Finnish rider had produced a fantastic display of aggressive riding to climb to the brink of the top ten from his lowly 26th place on the grid. But he collided with Simone Corsi and a damaged steering damper prevented him from finishing the race, which took place in front over 70,000 fans. Scott Redding: 5th Position “It would have been great to score a podium in my home race but I’m not too disappointed because we need to be collecting points after the difficult start to the season. I made a great start and felt really comfortable, so quickly passed Stefan. Conditions were really tricky and at about half distance I started having a problem with my visor steaming up, and then I lost edge grip on the rear tyre. Once I was behind somebody else it was quite difficult to see. The spray was bad enough but the visor made it a little bit tricky. I adapted quickly but I was pushing to keep myself in the fight for a podium and I had a couple of moments, so decided it was best not to throw away a top five. It is easily my best result of the season and fighting for the podium like today is where we need to be now for the rest of the season.” Mika Kallio: DNF “I’m quite disappointed because the bike felt much better in the wet conditions. Yesterday we were a bit down because it had been tough to find a good set-up with the bike. I was just pacing myself in the early laps and not doing anything crazy because I knew it was going to be a long race. I was right behind Marquez and Corsi and confident I could pass them when I crashed out. Corsi ran wide and I went for the gap but we touched and I couldn’t stay on. The steering damper was damaged and I couldn’t carry on and that’s a pity because I think I could have easily been fighting with Takahashi for seventh.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “I’m really happy with Scott’s performance today because the conditions were very difficult. He was super aggressive at the start and we were quickly thinking he could fight for a home podium, which would have been a fantastic result. But in those conditions it is easy to make a mistake, and it is important for the Championship for us to claw back some important points, so fifth is still a very positive result. He’s been fast all weekend in the wet and dry, he led the race, and finished with his best result of the season, so this gives us a lot of confidence for the next few races. It is a pity that Mika crashed out because he was having a really good race. Coming from so far down the grid is very difficult but he was fast and aggressive from the start. The crash was a shame because he could have easily finished inside the top ten, which he deserved after recovering well from a difficult practice and qualifying.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Al Naimi and Al Malki play it safe in the rain QMMF Racing Team riders Mashel al Naimi and Nasser Hasan Al Malki played it safe at the rain-soaked British Grand Prix and took their Moriwaki prototypes to 24th and 25th place. In cold and dangerous conditions, both Qatari riders settled into their own rhythm and stayed away from taking silly risks. Whereas eleven other riders crashed, both Al Naimi and Al Malki completed the 18-lap race distance and gained valuable experience on a wet tarmac. “It’s a great result for Nasser. It was difficult for everybody out there today and even more so for riders like him who don’t have enough experience in this class and with this kind of weather. Of course his lap times were not very good, but he finished and he did more kilometres on the bike. His last lap was his fastest so he still improved during the race”, said team manager Luis Solano. “Mashel on the other hand needs to work hard. It was not the first time for him to ride in the rain and even though we understand that cold conditions are not good for him, he needs to keep working and looking for ways to improve!” Mashel Al Naimi 24th “At the beginning of the race, I saw nothing not the corners, not the other riders, simply nothing. It felt like having something in my eyes because I couldn’t even see lap times and gear display. I went slow for a while, and when my vision improved, it was time to follow the group in front of me, but even though I tried to push, they pulled away. It was very slippery out there and I didn’t have enough confidence, so I preferred to stay relaxed and safe rather than risking another crash. I don’t need to feel worse in the rain than I already do!” Nasser Hasan Al Malki – 25th “I don’t have experience with the rain because today was only my second time in rainy weather and even the first time for me to start in a wet race. At the beginning, there was so much spray and fog in the air that I couldn’t see a thing, so I slowed down a bit and waited for the others to take their lines and to settle into their rhythm. I also wasn’t entirely happy with the bike on the opening laps, so I kept dropping back. By lap ten or 12, when more riders came from behind, I said to myself: You are really slow, you have to ride harder! But all in all I am happy because I didn’t make a mistake and I didn’t crash. It was a really hard race and I was freezing on the bike. With the experience of today, I hope to be able to fight with the last or even the middle group in my next wet race!”