Moto2 Motegi: Great comeback for Marquez who achieves his eighth victory of 2012

Marc Marquez gave a great show of strength today at Motegi, going on to win his eighth race of the year, his fifteenth in Moto2. The world championship leader had had a problem at the start, in fact he hadn't engaged in first gear and was practically stuck! Luckily no one hit it and from there came a crazy comeback culminating in yet another victory. The poleman Pol Espargarò tried in every way to steal the victory from him, but in the end he had to surrender to the world championship leader. Also on the podium was a positive Esteve “Tito” Rabat, with the second Kalex of Team Pons.

The best of the Italian drivers was Simone Corsi, sixth, while Andrea Iannone only finished in eighteenth position. With this victory, Marquez's lead over Espargarò rises to 53 points.

Race report

The Moto2 class riders are ready to compete in the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan, the fourteenth round of the 2012 intermediate class motorcycle championship which will be held on the Twin Ring circuit in Motegi. Pole position (the fifth of the year) for “Polyccio” Espargarò, rider of Team Pons 40. In the front row with him Marc Marquez (world championship leader) riding the Suter of Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol and his team-mate Esteve “Tito ” Rabat, also on Team Pons' Kalex. First of the Italian drivers is the Roman of Ioda Racing Simone Corsi, twelfth, while Alex de Angelis and Andrea Iannone are further back, in seventeenth and eighteenth position respectively. Alessandro Andreozzi with the second Speed ​​Up is twenty-sixth. All ready, twenty-two degrees in the air, twenty-three on the asphalt. Twenty-three laps to go, the traffic lights go out, a problem for Marquez who remains "planted", big scare but fortunately the Spanish rider is not "hit" by anyone.

Up front, Scott Redding takes the lead, ahead of poleman Pol Espargarò, who however immediately takes the lead. Followed by Rabat, Smith, Luthi and Toni Elias, who from this race replaces our Claudio Corti riding the Kalex of Team Italtrans. Great recovery for Marquez meanwhile, who started last and is already ninth.

The first lap ends, Redding is in the lead ahead of Espargarò, Rabat, Smith, Elias, Luthi, Nakagami and Marquez. Espargarò makes a mistake, now Rabat is 2nd and Elias also passes his compatriot from Team Pons. Back Iannone and de Angelis, in nineteenth and twentieth position respectively. Elias had a good race, now third. The Team Pons poleman regains second position, while Marquez is already third, after overtaking Elias.

Esteve “Tito” Rabat is now in command, followed by team-mate Polyccio Espargarò and Marquez. Jolly of the #40 of Team Pons, great tackle, Marquez manages to dodge it and is now second. The comeback of the Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol rider is incredible, as he now has first position in his sights. The next Honda MotoGP rider (Team Repsol) manages to pass Rabat after trying a couple of times. His comeback is now crowned, while behind Espargarò, after the mistake he made, he moved up and is closer to the leading two.

Behind, fighting for fourth position are Scott Redding, Toni Elias and Thomas Luthi, while the best of the Italian drivers is Simone Corsi, seventh with the Ioda Racing FTR. Difficult race for Iannone, now seventeenth and ahead of Simeon, Takahashi, Kallio (who lost a lot of time after a straight) and Alex de Angelis, driver of the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team.

With ten laps to go Espargarò tries to mend the "rip" created by Marquez, who now has just over a second ahead. The Team Pons rider is going strong, if he still wants to have a chance at the world championship he must finish ahead of his compatriot from Suter. The two continue the duel at a distance, the clock, even if it is slightly in favor of Espargarò who is doing everything he can to definitively catch Marquez. Meanwhile, Rabat has given up behind and is over four seconds behind the leading duo, but with a margin of almost two seconds over Scott Redding, Toni Elias and Thomas Luthi.

Espargarò turns strong, but is unable (at least for now) to definitively catch Marquez. Meanwhile, Toni Elias, who was fighting for fourth position, falls. Corsi therefore becomes sixth, but very far from Thomas Luthi's fifth position while Andrea Iannone's very difficult race continues, still seventeenth.

Final laps of the race, Espargarò makes a mistake in braking and loses precious ground. It will now be more difficult to catch up with the world championship leader, who could achieve his eighth victory of 2012, his fifteenth in Moto2. Last corners, Marquez wins, on the podium the two Team Pons kalexes of Espargarò and Rabat, author of a good race.