2014 Austin Moto2 Results from Circuit of the Americas

2014 Circuit of the Americas Moto2 Results

The Moto2 race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas opened with a first-lap crash that involved many riders, including Caterham Moto Racing’s Josh Herrin, the only American racing in the series.

Herin would rejoin the COTA race, but tucked the front on his Suter machine on lap 14, suffering a DNF.

“Going into turn one I made a dumb mistake; I didn’t really think about my position on the track and was way too far on the inside. It’s something that shouldn’t happen and I’m just sorry to the guys that I hit,” Josh Herrin says.

“I managed to remount and tried as hard as I could to get back up towards the front as much as I could. I started to get into a rhythm and managed to get up to P21 but I was just pushing too much and ended up tucking the front.”

“I’m really disappointed as I felt like in the race I could have made something happen. I need to try and get a better grid position. This time it’s nobody’s fault but mine and I’m so sorry for my team who all worked incredibly hard.”

The luck was much different for Pons HP 40’s Maverick Vinales, the reigning Moto2 Champion. In just his second appearance in Moto2, Vinales took the win ahead of Marc VDS Racing Team’s Esteve Rabat – the pole sitter – and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) third

Viñales rode brilliantly from sixth on the grid, holding his nerve in an incident-packed “dry race,” which was slightly delayed by rain in Texas, the Spaniard eventually crossing the line four seconds ahead of Rabat.

Aegerter took the final podium spot a further three seconds back with Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) crashing out of the rostrum hunt at the end of the penultimate lap having earlier led the race.

There was chaos at the first corner when the race got underway as a crash hindered the race of many riders, with Herrin, Mattia Pasini (NGM Forward Racing), Axel Pons (AGR Team), Nico Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2), Sam Lowes (Speed Up) and Luis Salom (Pons HP 40) all involved. Of that group, Herrin Terol and Salom were unable to finish the race and all riders were ok.

Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) crashed out on lap two taking Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team) with him, though the latter remounted to finish 23rd. There were crashes too for Louis Rossi (SAG Team), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Gresini Moto2) and Jonas Folger (AGR Team), though they too escaped injury.

Behind the front three Mika Kallio Marc (VDS Racing Team) missed the podium by just over a second, whilst Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) also made the top five.

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2), Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team), Alex De Angelis (Tasca Racing Moto2) and Tech 3 pair Marcel Schrotter and Ricard Cardus completed the top 10.

The series now breaks for a week before heading to Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo April 25-27.

2014 Austin Moto2 Results from Circuit of the Americas:

2014 Moto2 Point Standings: