FIM Moto2 World Championship Sepang, Malaysia October 10, 2010 Race Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 19 laps, 41:09.412 2. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), -0.040 second 3. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (FTR), -5.915 seconds 4. Toni ELIAS, Spain (MORIWAKI), -6.322 5. Alex DEBON, Spain (FTR), -11.912 6. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (FTR), -12.458 7. Stefan BRADL, Germany (SUTER), -12.519 8. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -12.589 9. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), -15.010 10. Simone CORSI, Italy (MOTOBI), -16.707 11. Hector FAUBEL, Spain (SUTER), -20.179 12. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (I.C.P.), -20.462 13. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (BQR-MOTO2), -21.638 14. Michael RANSEDER, Austria (SUTER), -22.388 15. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), -24.512 16. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (BIMOTA), -26.366 17. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), -30.730 18. Kenny NOYES, USA (PROMOHARRIS), -31.080 19. Fonsi NIETO, Spain (MORIWAKI), -32.239 20. Valentin DEBISE, France (ADV), -33.804 21. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), -39.448, crash 22. Mohamad ZAMRI BABA, Malaysia (MORIWAKI), -46.031 23. Joan OLIVE, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), -47.257 24. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), -50.058 25. Kazuki WATANABE, Japan (SUTER), -50.830 26. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SUTER), -51.971, crash 27. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), -59.155 28. Hiromichi KUNIKAWA, Japan (BIMOTA), -76.759 29. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (BQR-MOTO2), -103.949 30. Gabor TALMACSI, Hungary (FTR), -6 laps, DNF, crash 31. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), -6 laps, DNF, retired 32. Sergio GADEA, Spain (PONS KALEX), -6 laps, DNF, retired 33. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (TECH 3), -9 laps, DNF, crash 34. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (TECH 3), -11 laps, DNF, crash 35. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (MORIWAKI), -12 laps, DNF, crash 36. Vladimir IVANOV, Ukraine (MORIWAKI), -13 laps, DNF, crash 37. Javier FORES, Spain (BIMOTA), -13 laps, DNF, retired 38. Ferruccio LAMBORGHINI, Italy (MORIWAKI), -13 laps, DNF, retired 39. Yannick GUERRA, Spain (MORIWAKI), -18 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 17 races): 1. Elias, 262 points, clinches World Championship 2. Simon, 168 3. Iannone, 163 4. Luthi, 138 5. Corsi, 119 6. Cluzel, 101 7. Talmacsi, 95 8. Takahashi, 86 9. Shoya Tomizawa, 82 10. Rolfo, 75 11. Debon, 63 12. Bradl, 61 13. TIE, Gadea/Abraham, 59 15. Redding, 58 16. Aegerter, 57 17. De Angelis, 44 18. Nieto, 41 19. TIE, Wilairot/Hernandez, 30 21. Di Meglio, 24 22. Corti, 19 23. TIE, Noyes/Baldolini, 18 30. Jason DiSalvo, 7 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Toni Elías – 2010 Moto2 World Champion Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix – Sunday 10 October Growing up in the family bike shop in Manresa as the son of a ten-times Spanish motocross champion, Toni Elias was destined for a career on two wheels. His early forays into the sport came in pocket-bike and scooter racing, before he began his pro career in the Spanish 125cc Championship in 1998. After finishing third in the national series the following year he won a ride on a Honda for his first full Grand Prix season in 2000. It was in 2001, however, when the teenager became the revelation of the year after signing up to ride with the junior project run by Alberto Puig, battling for the lower cylinder category title until the end of the season. He won two races and finished an impressive third, up to this year his equal-best championship finish. Elias’ natural talent and fearless aggression saw him make the successful step up to the 250cc class in 2002, challenging Manuel Poggiali for the title in 2003 until a last-lap crash at Rio cost him victory and the chance of the championship. Elias struggled to reproduce his best form after switching from Aprilia to Honda for 2004, but flashes of brilliance convinced Fortuna Yamaha to draft him into the MotoGP class in 2005. The learning process under the Yamaha banner, forming a team with Rubén Xaus, was curtailed by an injury in France, but in the final third of the season Elias was able to demonstrate his evolution in the category. The Spaniard then rode for two years with Fausto Gresini’s satellite Honda outfit, during which time he continued to show why he is regarded as one of the most exciting riders in MotoGP. His debut victory came at Portugal in 2006, in one of the greatest races of all time against Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts Jr., and although injury at his bogey track of Assen severely affected his 2007 season, he still impressed enough for Luis d’Antin to keep him in the category with his Ducati satellite team. The Ducati venture proved to be a brief sojourn as, one season of mixed results and a pair of podiums after joining the Alice team, Elias was welcomed back to San Carlo Honda Gresini to spearhead their 2009 project. His first season with top-end machinery, riding a semi-factory Honda RC212V, saw the Catalan rider make 12 top-10 finishes, with a third place podium at Brno. Despite this Elias was unable to secure a MotoGP ride for 2010 and instead continue his partnership with Gresini Racing in Moto2, riding a Moriwaki MD600 He started the year as one of the title favourites in the Moto2 class, and throughout the season his wealth of experience and race-craft has shone through as he claimed seven wins, including four in a row over the summer period. His characteristic “hang-on” riding style and charming personality has won him millions of fans across the globe, and the Spaniard becomes the first ever Moto2 World Champion at the age of 27. More, from a press release issued by Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 Team: Lüthi crashes out of second position in Sepang Tom Lüthi had a super successful weekend at the Sepang International Circuit until today’s race. The result got continuously, starting with the 6th position in Free Practice 1, then 5th position in Free Practice 2, then he qualified 3rd on the grid and this race’s result could have been his first win in the Moto2 class, but unfortunately the 24 year ols Swiss lost the front of his bike and crashed. He stayed uninjured, but could not finish the race. Lüthi is leaving the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Malaysia without any points, but he will be back to attack in Australia again. Tom Lüthi, DNF: “The race itself went really well. Until this crash I was able to fight in the leading group and was leading the race at some points. The whole weekend was successful and I am confident that we can be back in front in Australia.” Terrell Thien, Team Manager: “Well this is racing, crashes happen sometimes. Tom rode a great race and the crash was not predictable. In general this weekend was very successful and I am looking forward to Phillip Island now, where I hope we will be fighting at the top again.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: On the day that Spaniard Toni Elias won the Moto2 World Championship, our own Alex De Angelis scores a good second place in the Sepang GP. An outstanding result that has been building up during the whole weekend with leading times, and a smartly managed race that ended in a strong duel with Roberto Rolfo. This result shows the team’s work and the rider’s tenacity, determined to grab a good result. A solid performance also for Simone Corsi, who after starting from the last position on the grid following his unlucky qualifying he managed to recover position after position until he took 10th place at the flag. Alex De Angelis, 2nd place “I’m very satisfied for the race and this result is oxygen for us after all the work we’ve done. It has been a good weekend, I stayed always with the fastest riders and I was in a good shape in the race. My objective was the podium, therefore in first instance I tried to keep in touch with the leading pack, we were all very competitive. Lap after lap my colleagues started to lose a little bit, while I felt to have some margin yet and kept concentration to stay ahead of Rolfo. In the end I tried to overtake him, but I couldn’t succeed. It’s an amazing result, both from a sportive and personal point of view.” Simone Corsi, 10th place “Of course the crash I had in qualifying compromised the race, to start from the last position in such a circuit is very hard and I had to give all my best to recover as much as possible. At the beginning my MotoBI had some sliding problems due to the choice we made to start with hard tyres, but after a few laps I gained confidence back, so I recovered many positions until seeing the battle for 5th place at the end of the race. This 10th place means points for the Championship, but these are not the positions we deserve, let’s hope for better results in the last three races.” More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Tough day for Tech 3 Racing in Sepang The Tech 3 Racing Team had a difficult and disappointing afternoon at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, Yuki Takahashi and Raffaele de Rosa both failing to finish the 19-lap Moto2 race. Confidence was high after an impressive warm-up session, Takahashi using overnight set-up tweaks to the front-end of his machine to clock the fifth quickest time. The Japanese rider though was unable to replicate his pace in the race as temperatures soared to a gruelling 33 degrees. Takahashi had just passed Hector Faubel to move to the brink of the top 15 when he crashed out on lap nine. Italian de Rosa clicked into att ack mode from the start and he moved up from 20th on the grid to 16th on the opening lap. He quickly passed Anthony West to move into the points on lap two and was confident he could capitalise on his early aggression and sustain a challenge for his first Moto2 top ten finish. But a small mistake saw him crash at turn four on the third lap. He remounted despite losing 30 seconds but retired on lap 11 after damage sustained in the crash worsened. Spanish rider Toni Elias wrapped up the inaugural Moto2 world title this afternoon and the Tech 3 Racing Team wishes to pass on its congratulations to him and the Gresini Racing Team. Yuki Takahashi DNF 86 points “It has been a very disappointing experience in Sepang and I’m glad we are racing again in Phillip Island next weekend to try and put things right. I had a good warm-up session this morning and felt more confident with the front-end, but the race was well below expectations. I didn’t get a great start but I was in a decent rhythm and was confident I could fight my way through the group in front. But I lost the front and the bike was too badly damaged to continue. We have to put this race behind us and try and ensure we have a strong finish to the season.” Raffaele de Rosa DNF 5 points “I was feeling quite confident on the bike and I’d been aggressive in the first two laps and made up a lot of places. We’d improved the rear grip in each session and it felt better again after some more modifications from the warm-up this morning. Unfortunately I made a small mistake on the brakes at turn four and lost the front. It is a real pity because I am sure I could have been in the top ten. Unfortunately it was an other missed opportunity, but we’ll try again for a positive result at Phillip Island.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “Today was a big disappointment because we were hopeful of a good result after Yuki was fifth in the warm-up. He found a good setting and more feeling with the front so he was confident going into the race. I think we could have expected Yuki and Raffaele to fight for the top ten but we couldn’t do that. We’ll now move to Australia hoping we can achieve a much better result. I’d like to congratulate Toni because he deserved to be the first Moto2 world champion. All season he has been incredibly fast and consistent and he has used his talent and experience to be the outstanding rider in the class.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: POINTS FOR FAUBEL AS CONDITIONS TAKE THEIR TOLL ON REDDING Hector Faubel took a hard fought 11th place in today’s Malaysian Grand Prix, after battling his way through the field from 17th position on the grid. Scott Redding was forced to retire from the race due to heat exhaustion, brought on by the extreme conditions at the Sepang circuit. A bad start saw Faubel slip down to 22nd place by the end of the opening lap, but the 27-year-old Spaniard got his head down and was quickly matching the lap times of the leading group of riders. The Marc VDS rider fought his way through the field, picking off riders on every lap, eventually moving into tenth position on lap 13. A hard charging Simone Corsi managed to squeeze his way past Faubel with just four laps left to run. With front-end problems slowing his progress, the former Grand Prix winner was unable to react to Corsi’s challenge and was forced to settle for 11th place at the line. Scott Redding got a flying start from eighth on the grid, putting in some hard passes early on to move up into third place. The 17-year-old Briton was running comfortably in the top four up until the halfway point, when the extremely hot conditions began to take their toll. Redding initially dropped back, but was eventually forced to retire from the race as controlling his Suter MMX machine became an issue in his weakened state. The Marc VDS Racing Team will leave Malaysia tomorrow, heading into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time this season, for next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at the iconic Phillip Island circuit. Hector Faubel #55: 11th “The final result might not show it, but today was a pretty good race for me. I got a really bad start, but then I found a good rhythm and started working my way through the field, overtaking riders on every lap. I managed to get as high as tenth position, but Simone Corsi came past me right at the end and I just didn’t have the pace to respond. The bike was pretty good, although I did have a problem with the front trying to close when I released the brakes; the same problem we had on Friday. Now I’m looking forward to going to Phillip Island with more confidence and, I hope, where conditions won’t be quite as tough as they were this weekend.” Scott Redding #45: DNF “I’m really disappointed with today. I got a good start and was battling away at the front for the first half of the race, but then I started to struggle on the bike, as I got more and more dehydrated. I thought I’d prepared enough for the race, but I think the increased humidity caught me out and, by lap 12, I was having real problems just staying on the bike. In the end I didn’t have any option but to pull in, because it would have been dangerous to continue, not just for me but also for the guys I was racing with. We had the pace here, and that gives me confidence going into the next race in Australia, but I need to think more about how I prepare for races in extreme conditions in the future. Congratulations to Toni Elias on clinching the first ever Moto2 World Championship title today, he’s a worthy champion.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager “Hector rode a good race, quickly finding his rhythm and setting consistent laps throughout. He was handicapped by his grid position today otherwise he’d have been well inside the top ten. With Scott we all learned something here. Sometimes we just assume he knows what to do, while forgetting he’s only 17-years-old with limited experience of conditions such as we experienced today. It’s an error we won’t make again. It was disappointing that he had to pull in when he was battling at the front of the race, but you only had to see him trying to get off the bike to know he made the right decision. He’ll bounce back in Australia, where I expect both riders to put in strong performances.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: ELIAS MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPION Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) made history at Sepang today when he was crowned the first-ever Moto2 World Champion. The hugely experienced Spaniard finished fourth in a typically thrilling race to secure the title with three rounds remaining. Although Elias has been a front-running Grand Prix rider for a decade, this is his first world crown. The 27-year-old has ridden a spectacular season, winning seven of the 14 races so far. Such consistency would be impressive in any race series, but in the new Honda-powered Moto2 category it is nothing short of remarkable. Moto2 is the first motorcycling World Championship to feature a control engine Honda supplies identical tuned CBR600 engines to all riders in order to keep costs down and to give all riders an equal chance of success. The series also features control tyres, ECU and slipper clutch. The result of this equality of machinery is dramatically close racing, which requires inch-perfect performances from riders if they are to run up front consistently. Although Elias has managed that feat with an impressive run of eight podium appearances, the racing in Moto2 is so topsy-turvy that even he has had some tough weekends this year, like the British GP, where he finished tenth, and the Italian and Catalan GPs where he finished fifth. Elias joined Moto2 from MotoGP, which he contested for five years from 2005, winning one race (at Estoril, aboard a Fortuna Honda RC211V) in 2006 and scoring a further five podiums. He took the traditional route to the premier class, commencing his full-time GP career in 1999 in the 125 class, then graduating to 250s in 2002. He won two 125 GPs (in 2001) and seven 250 GPs (between 2002 and 2004). A popular member of the paddock, as much liked for his cheerful character as for his radical hang-off riding style, Elias comes from a racing family. His father a top Spanish motocross rider and owner of a motorcycle shop in the family’s home town of Manresa. Elias won his first minimoto title aged nine and then won success in local and national scooter racing classes before moving onto 125 race bikes in 1998. Amazingly, he scored his first world points that same year, as a wild card entry at the Valencia Grand Prix. Elias’ race wins in Moto2 give him membership of a very select club. He is one of only seven riders in more than six decades of the motorcycling World Championships to have achieved victories in four different classes, Elias having won in 125s, 250s, Moto2 and MotoGP. The other riders in this elite band are Mike Hailwood (125/250/350/500), Jim Redman (125/250/350/500), Phil Read (125/250/350/500), Chaz Mortimer (125/250/350/500), Loris Capirossi (125/250/500/MotoGP) and Valentino Rossi (125/250/500/MotoGP). Elias: “When I crossed the line the first thing I did was cry a lot, but then after that it seemed like my emotions were blocked, I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t feel anything; I don’t know why. Now, minute by minute, I feel better, because I know it’s all true. But maybe I will start crying again in a few minutes! Finally we reached our target. To win this championship we had to lose two a 125 (in 2001) and a 250 (in 2003). All that experience made me stronger and gave me what I needed to win this championship. It has been many years of fighting and then this year a lot of work with my team and with Moriwaki. This title is for my parents, my sister, all my friends and everyone who has worked with me during my career. It is also for the people who are not here, like my uncle, who died four years ago, and for [Shoya] Tomizawa [Elias’ Moto2 rival who died following an accident during last month’s Misano Moto2 race]. My dream has come true, now we will continue fighting for another championship, maybe here or maybe in MotoGP. I have learned many things in Moto2, so whatever I do next I will be stronger. I feel like a weight has come off my shoulders. When I came to Moto2 I thought it would be an easy class, but that all changed at the first corner of the first race in Qatar, when I quickly understood it would be very difficult. We have worked so hard, also in qualifying, and we have fought with many different rivals. It has been closer than we expected. The most important race for me was Germany, where we made a big change to the chassis set-up. In one go we made two big steps forward, and from then on I knew we could be competitive and consistent. But we also won the championship with some difficult races, like Silverstone where I qualified 18th but still managed to finish in the top ten.” Shuhei Nakamoto, Honda Racing Corporation vice-president; “Elias has done a very good job, so everyone at Honda would like to congratulate him on becoming the first Moto2 World Champion. Moto2 has been a great success the racing is really competitive and fantastic to watch so Honda is very to help this new kind of Grand Prix category by supplying CBR600 engines. The engines have proved strong and very reliable, which is a good point for us. It is very tough for riders to be up front all the time in Moto2, which proves that Elias has stayed very concentrated and is always thinking about how to win.” More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: FTR MOTO2 RIDERS IN TOP SIX IN MALAYSIA FTR MOTO continued its run of podium finishes and point-scoring successes in the Moto2 World Championship as all of the FTR M210 finishers did so in top six places in Sunday’s 14th round at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Three times a race winner this year, Andrea Iannone took his sixth podium finish of the year as the FIMMCO Speed Up Team rider took third place after leading for eight of the 19 laps and twice setting a new lap record around the 3.44-mile circuit. Iannone’s points haul has left him just five points adrift of second place in the Championship. Alex Debon, on the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210, bounced back from a crash in qualifying to celebrate his 150th Grand Prix race start. Debon came from 10th place on the 39-strong grid to take fifth and equal his second best finish of the year. The result moves the Spaniard into 11th place in the Championship. Following on from a sensational podium finish in Japan last week, Czech Republic rider Karel Abraham was again in impressive form at Sepang as the Cardion AB Motoracing Team rider battled through the field to take sixth place on his M210, moving him into 13th place in the Championship. Iannone’s FIMMCO Speed Up team-mate Gabor Talmacsi was in 11th place and heading for a top 10 finish when he slid off without injury with five laps remaining, recording only his second non-finish of the year. Talmacsi sits in seventh place in the Championship with three races remaining in Australia, Portugal and Spain. “We made a big step forward with the M210 in Malaysia,” revealed FTR’s Steve Bones. “The results were very good but there was very little circuit data available and in the heat and humidity I’m pleased that the FTR chassis preserved the Dunlop tyres and gave the riders the feeling they needed.” Bones continued: “It’s really good to see the three FTR M210s in the top six and I’m sure Gabor Talmacsi could have been at least in the top 10 but for his small mistake. The chassis has certainly proven to be adaptable and user-friendly and with Speed Up and FTR points combined we’re only about 40 points off the lead of the Constructors’ Championship. “I’d also like to congratulate Toni Elias and the Gresini Team for their 2010 success in clinching the inaugural Moto2 World Championship.” More, from a press release issued by Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas: Fun Race Brings Kenny Noyes Closer To The Points On the second stage of his Asian Adventure, Kenny Noyes braved the sweltering Malaysian heat to score his best result since early July. The trip to Sepang meant another new track to learn for the Jack&Jones by Antonio Banderas rider, a process Kenny is getting used to doing pretty quickly, as he’s been doing it all year. Noyes’ result did not come easy: The American got bumped wide in the tight first section, crossing the line in 29th at the end of the first lap. But a strong race full of entertaining battles saw Kenny work his way through the field, running lap times that would have easily put him well inside the top 15. Kenny’s progress was finally halted by Axel Pons, who robbed the American of 17th place in the final corner. Kenny’s improved fortunes come as a result of the hard work he and his Jack&Jones by Antonio Banderas have put into the new suspension setup they’ve been using since Aragon. Now comfortable on the bike, Kenny is free to ride more naturally, and can push harder to be with the front group. Kenny leaves for Phillip Island feeling much more confident of being able to fight for World Championship points once again. Kenny Noyes 18th, fastest lap 2’10.324 Kenny said: “I actually had a real fun race! I caught up with Gadea, then we got to a group with Fonsi Nieto and battled with them. I got by Fonsi, and went and caught Axel Pons, then went back and forth with him. He passed me in the last corner, I left the door open and basically gave him the position.” “We’re still lacking a little bit of rear grip, but I think everybody was struggling with that. But in general, the bike is definitely getting more rideable. Since we started using the new setup at Aragon, I’ve been feeling a lot more comfortable.” “I think the pace was pretty good. Most of the race I was in the 2’10s, I think I would have been up there if I’d have gotten a better start. What’s great is I felt like I gave it 100% out there today, and it was a fun race, I had some good battles.”