Second in the World Championship last year, Lüthi looks set to be one of the big favorites this year. After an honorable start to the 2016 season, he finished strongly with victories at Silverstone, Motegi and Phillip Island.
125 World Champion in 2005, the Swiss then spent ten seasons in the intermediate category (250, then Moto2), winning 9 Grands Prix after finishing first 5 times in 125. He has 47 podiums, 11 pole positions and 14 best times race. He knows that obtaining the title will not be easy in this hotly contested category that is Moto2: “ There are many fast drivers who can win races, like Morbidelli, Nakagami and others » he believes.
“Morbidelli still wants to win his first Grand Prix, he will be very strong. In the second half of the 2016 season he has already shown that he can be consistent and often finish on the podium. He will be fast, but you will also have to reckon with Nakagami. Lorenzo Baldassarri can also be competitive. It will be interesting to see what the young riders who come from Moto3 can give. What will be the levels of the KTM and the Suter? It will be very open.
“There were sometimes some tough fights last year with Morbidelli. There were times when I wasn't very happy. After the race I spoke to him and he also explained to me how he saw things. In a duel, I just have to go faster than my opponent and defend myself.
“I too can be very strong in duels. An example was the Phillip Island race. The fight wasn't bad, just tough. Morbidelli simply passes through each interval. If the space is too small, however, then there is contact. But that’s normal in the Moto2 category”
The Moto2 and Moto3 competitors will meet again in Jerez next Monday and Tuesday for private tests. Then the official IRTA tests will take place, still in Jerez, from March 8 to 10, but this time with real Moto2 engines and Dunlop 2017 tires.
Photos © Derendinger-Interwetten
Source: Sharleena Savoy for speedweek
