Moto2 LeMans: Results, Quotes, Points

Moto2 Results

Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) won an incident-packed Moto2 race to move into the lead of the new Honda-powered World Championship.

Two weeks after winning a battle royal at Jerez, the Spaniard had a mostly untroubled run to victory at Le Mans, chased all the way by reigning 125 World Champion Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter) who never quite got close enough to mount an attack on his compatriot.

Elias crossed the finish line 1.336 seconds ahead of Simon, who was having his first race aboard a Suter-framed bike. Simone Corsi (Jir Moto2, Motobi) won a race-long duel for third place with Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up).

Iannone’s team-mate and former 125 World Champion Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up) held onto fifth place, with three riders right behind him in the final laps: Sergio Gadea (Pons Racing, Kalex), Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT Singa SAG, Bimota) and Fonsi Nieto (Holiday Gym G22, Moriwaki).

Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing, Suter) won a similarly hectic five-man contest for ninth place. Front-row qualifier Alex Debon (Aeroport de Castello-Ajo, FTR) led the early stages but received a ride-through penalty for jumping the start and could only finish 16th, one place outside the points.

There were plenty of incidents during the 26 laps, with 13 riders falling. Local hero Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing, Suter) crashed at the high-speed first turn just moments after snatching the lead from Elias on lap six.

Other significant non-finishers were Qatar winner and former points leader Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP, Suter), Le Mans pole-sitter Kenny Noyes (Jack & Jones by A.Banderas, PromoHarris) and second fastest qualifier Yuki Takahashi (Tech 3 Racing, Tech 3).

MOTO2 RIDER QUOTES

Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki: 1st says): "This is the first weekend that I’ve felt more or less okay with the injuries I sustained during preseason testing. I’m still not 100 per cent, but on the bike I could ride 100 per cent, so the injuries weren’t a problem in the race. The problem was my crash during yesterday’s qualifying session, so I have to say a big thank you to my team for fixing the bike very quickly so I could get back on track for the last 15 minutes."

"I was able to qualify seventh and that was okay, good enough for the start. The beginning was very difficult, but as the fuel load dropped a little I could improve my rhythm. The only other guy going really fast was Julian. He made me suffer a bit but I was able to ride 100 per cent the last few laps and finally it was an easy win."

Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter: 2nd) says: "There was nothing I could about Toni today – his rhythm was too fast for me to be able to attack him. But I am happy because this is my first podium in Moto2, so it’s a great day for me. I was able to be very aggressive in the early stages, which got me into a good position. Overall, it’s been a complicated weekend with a lot of work to do in practice because this was our first race with the Suter chassis. We had some trouble, so this morning we made some new settings for warm-up, and the bike felt a lot better. I would like to thank my team and sponsors for allowing us to change chassis and do it well."

Simone Corsi (Jir Moto2 Motobi: 3rd) says: "It’s good to score my first podium in Moto2. The beginning of the race wasn’t easy for us, but as the race went on, I felt stronger and stronger on the bike, which allowed me to beat Iannone. Now we are growing with every race, and that’s the most important thing."

Pole position : 1m39.234s (151.822Km/h) Kenny Noyes, Jack&Jones 2010
Fastest lap : Lap 3 – 1m39.169s (151.169Km/h) Jules Cluzel, Forward Racing
Circuit record lap : 1m39.169s (151.169Km/h) Jules Cluzel, Forward Racing
Circuit Best Lap : 1m39.234s (151.822Km/h) Kenny Noyes, Jack&Jones 2010

1	Toni Elias	63 pts	SPA	HONDA	Gresini Racing Moto2
2	Shoya Tomizawa	45 pts	JPN	HONDA	Technomag-CIP
3	Simone Corsi	35 pts	ITA	HONDA	JiR Moto2
4	Julian Simon	28 pts	SPA	HONDA	Mapfre Aspar Team
5	Sergio Gadea	26 pts	SPA	HONDA	Tenerife 40 Pons
6	Thomas Luthi	25 pts	SWI	HONDA	Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2
7	Gabor Talmacsi	25 pts	HUN	HONDA	Fimmco Speed Up
8	Roberto Rolfo	21 pts	ITA	HONDA	Italtrans S.T.R.
9	Jules Cluzel	21 pts	FRA	HONDA	Forward Racing
10	Alex Debon	20 pts	SPA	HONDA	Aeroport de Castello – Ajo
11	Yuki Takahashi	13 pts	JAP	HONDA	Tech 3 Racing
12	Andrea Iannone	13 pts	ITA	HONDA	Fimmco Speed Up
13	Fonsi Nieto	11 pts	SPA	HONDA	G22 Holiday Gym
14	Yonny Hernandez	10 pts	COL	HONDA	Blusens-STX
15	Mattia Pasini	10 pts	ITA	HONDA	JiR Moto2
16	Stefan Bradl	9 pts	GER	HONDA	Viessman Kiefer Racing
17	Ratthapark Wilairot	9 pts	THA	HONDA	Thai Honda PTT SAG
18	Kenny Noyes	9 pts	USA	HONDA	Jack & Jones by A.Banderas
19	Dominique Aegerter	8 pts	SWI	HONDA	Technomag-CIP
20	Alex Baldolini	6 pts	ITA	HONDA	Caretta Technology Race Dept
21	Scott Redding	5 pts	GBR	HONDA	Marc VDS Racing Team
22	Lukas Pesek	4 pts	CZE	HONDA	Matteoni C.P. Racing
23	Karel Abraham	2 pts	CZE	HONDA	Cardion AB Motoracing
24	Claudio Corti	1 pts	ITA	HONDA	Forward Racing
25	Anthony West	1 pts	AUS	HONDA	MZ Racing
26	Yannick Guerra	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	G22 Holiday Gym
27	Vladimir Leonov	0 pts	RUS	HONDA	Vector Kiefer Racing
28	Vladimir Ivanov	0 pts	RUS	HONDA	Gresini Racing Moto2
29	Valentin Debise	0 pts	FRA	HONDA	WTR San Marino Team
30	Robertino Pietri	0 pts	VEN	HONDA	Italtrans S.T.R.
31	Raffaele De Rosa	0 pts	ITA	HONDA	Tech 3 Racing
32	Niccolo Canepa	0 pts	ITA	HONDA	RSM Team Scot
33	Mike De Meglio	0 pts	FRA	HONDA	Mapfre Aspar Team
34	Mashel Al Naimi	0 pts	QAT	HONDA	Blusens-STX
35	Joan Olive	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Jack & Jones by A.Banderas
36	Ivan Moreno	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Andalucia Cajasol
37	Hector Faubel	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Marc VDS Racing Team
38	Bernat Martinez	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Maquinza-SAG Team
39	Axel Pons	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Tenerife 40 Pons
40	Arne Tode	0 pts	GER	HONDA	Racing Team Germany
41	Anthony Delhalle	0 pts	FRA	HONDA	Qatar Endurance Racing Team
42	Amadeo Llados	0 pts	SPA	HONDA	Llados Racing Team
43	Alex De Angelis	0 pts	SMR	HONDA	RSM Team Scott