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