#ItalianGP Moto2 Race: Incredible Pasini like in Simoncelli’s time!

From the various practice sessions for this Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, a four-corner plus a joker emerged…

Indeed, it seems a priori difficult to see victory slipping away from members of the quartet Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) to which we will obviously add Thomas Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten).

This morning, it is a much cloudier sky than that of the previous days which welcomes the Moto2 riders for their Sunday race. Temperatures are dropping sharply, with 23° in the air and 33° on the ground, but we saw during the warm up that this does not really change the hierarchy, especially since there is no risk of rain.

Here are the references available before the race:

#ItalianGP Mugello Moto2	2016	2017
FP1	1'53.592 Johann Zarco	1'52.568 Franco Morbidelli
FP2	1'52.944 Johann Zarco	1'52.229 Alex Marquez
FP3	1'52.382 Sam Lowes	1'51.963 Mattia Pasini
Qualification	1'51.965 Sam Lowes	1'51.679 Franco Morbidelli
Warm up	1'52.458 Takaaki Nakagami	1'52.115 Alex Marquez
Race 1	Lowes, Luthi, Nakagami
Race 2	Zarco, Baldassarri, Lowes (see here)
All time lap record	1'51.514 Sam Lowes 2015

 

When the red lights go out, Franco Morbidelli is extracted most quickly from a first line also composed of Alex Marquez et Mattia Pasini. Quickly, the latter took command while Lorenzo Baldassarri, who had made a very good start to the race, lost control of his motorcycle and caused it to fall Takaaki Nakagami at turn #15.

As is often the case in Moto2, and unlike the Moto3 race that we have just witnessed, the peloton stretches quickly and a small train Pasini-Márquez-Morbidelli-Luthi breaks away from a group led by Miguel Oliveira et Lucas Marini.

A few drops of rain, as scattered as they were unexpected, crashed into the straight but this did not slow down the race pace.

After five laps, Alex Márquez got the better of Mattia Pasini but it was Tom Luthi who was the fastest on the track at that moment. Pasini quickly regains his possession while Tom Luthi passes Franco Morbidelli. The four men are grouped in less than a second and things therefore remain open with 16 laps still to go.

The pace is fast and Tom Luthi even achieves a 1'52.084, new record for the fastest lap on the track. The four drivers, whose positions seem stabilized, have a lead of almost three seconds over Miguel Oliveira approaching the halfway mark.

Stefano manzi et Danny Kent fell at approximately the same time at different places on the circuit while, gradually, Franco Morbidelli was let down by a now extremely compact trio.

The first explanation took place seven laps from the checkered flag when Márquez and Luthi, each on their own, overtook Mattia Pasini at the end of the straight. But these maneuvers are optimistic and it is the Italian driver who retains the advantage at the exit of the bend.

One turn later, Alex Marquez repeats the same operation, this time with more success, before Pasini, in a state of grace, only regains command a few turns later. let's remember that the Italian rider despite 195 Grand Prix starts, eight victories in 125 cc and two in 250 cc, has never been on the podium in Moto2.

New attack on the next passage, this time carried out jointly by Luthi et Márquez. The latter managed to maintain command for half a turn before Pasini, unleashed as ever, reminds us of his best battles with the late Marco Simoncelli...

Three laps from the checkered flag, Alex Marquez tries the same maneuver again, still at the end of the straight line, but, once again, it widens.

Pasini maintains the advantage and takes the lead at the start of the last lap. Tom Luthi attempts the attack. Everyone gets in their way and the Swiss driver comes out on top at San Donato ahead of Márquez. But Pasini passes Márquez then Luthi in the process. We don't know how he does it, but he does it!

It's truly incredible and the crowd goes wild at what is truly a feat for someone who brakes with their left hand, following a handicap in their right hand! Without doubt the most beautiful Moto2 race of the season and a magnificent spectacle which gave us splendid emotions! Well done and thank you, Mattia!

Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net:

1. Mattia Pasini ITA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 39m 30.974s
2. Thomas luthi SWI CarXpert Interwetten (Kalex) 39m 31.026s
3. Alex Marquez SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS (Kalex) 39m 31.110s
4. Franco Morbidelli ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS (Kalex) 39m 34.617s
5. Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 39m 36.098s
6. Luca marini ITA Forward Racing Team (Kalex) 39m 44.240s
7. Dominique Aegerter SWI Kiefer Racing (Suter) 39m 44.273s
8. Simone Courses ITA Speed ​​Up Racing (Speed ​​Up) 39m 44.677s
9. Jorge Navarro SPA Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 39m 46.459s
10. Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 39m 47.010s
11. Marcel schrotter GER Dynavolt Intact GP (Suter) 39m 47.013s
12. Hafiz Syahrin MAL Petronas Raceline Malaysia (Kalex) 39m 47.284s
13. Isaac Viñales SPA BE-A-VIP SAG Team (Kalex) 39m 48.676s
14. Remy gardner AUS Tech 3 Racing (Tech 3) 39m 52.309s
15. Xavier Simeon BEL Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 (Kalex) 39m 53.714s
16. Andrea Locatelli ITA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 39m 53.755s
17. Yonny Hernandez COL AGR Team (Kalex) 39m 53.778s
18. fabio quartararo FRA Pons HP40 (Kalex) 39m 54.679s
19. Sandra Cortese GER Dynavolt Intact GP (Suter) 39m 56.310s
20. Edgar Pons SPA Pons HP40 (Kalex) 39m 59.508s
21. Axel Pons SPA RW Racing GP (Kalex) 40m 0.486s
22. Francis Bagnaia ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (Kalex) 40m 11.310s
23. Jesko Raffin SWI Garage Plus Interwetten (Kalex) 40m 11.325s
24. Tetsuta nagashima JPN Teluru SAG Team (Kalex) 40m 11.460s
25. Augusto Fernandez SPA Speed ​​Up Racing (Speed ​​Up) 40m 16.356s
26. Khairul Idham Pawi MAL IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 40m 16.359s
27. Tarran Mackenzie GBR Kiefer Racing (Suter) 40m 38.707s
28. Frederick Fuligni ITA Forward Junior Team (Kalex) 40m 38.716s
Danny Kent GBR Garage Plus Interwetten (Kalex) DNF
Stefano manzi ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (Kalex) DNF
Takaaki Nakagami JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) DNF
Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA Forward Racing Team (Kalex) DNF

Photo credit : MotoGP.com