Moto2 Motegi: Luthi wins, Zarco and Morbidelli on the podium, Rins crash could cost the title

GP Japan Moto2 Race – The assignment of the Moto2 class title may have been decided at Motegi, or at least we can say that it will not be easy for Alex Rins to recover 21 points from Johann Zarco.

In a Grand Prix that saw Thomas Luthi return to success (third victory of the season), the Frenchman came second, while the Spaniard, who started from the rear, crashed ready-to-go, taking home a heavy "zero", this despite having returned to the saddle to collect a few points.

Returning to the top, Franco Morbidelli beat home idol Takaaki Nakagami to battle for the third step of the podium. Simone Corsi (sixth), Mattia Pasini (seventh) and Luca Marini, tenth, also finished in points. A fall instead took Lorenzo Baldassarri out of the "game".

Race report

The riders of the Moto2 class are ready to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix, the fifteenth stage of the 2016 world championship. The leader of the world championship standings and reigning champion Johann Zarco will start from pole position, who will be joined by the Swiss Thomas Luthi and our Franco Morbidelli.

Second row for Sam Lowes, Sandro Cortese and Axel Pons. Third row for Takaaki Nakagami, Alex Marquez and Jonas Folger. Mattia Pasini will start from the fourth row, Simone Corsi and Lorenzo Baldassarri from the fifth and Luca Marini from the ninth.

It is worth highlighting the difficulties of Alex Rins, Zarco's rival in the title fight (he is only one point behind the Frenchman), who will start from the eighth row. All ready, 23 laps to go for 110.423 km. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is Luthi, followed by Zarco, Morbidelli, Cortese and Nakagami. Rins Fall! Bad "tile" for the Spaniard, who is second in the world rankings, 1 point behind Zarco, but who sees everything in vain with this slip. The Team Pons rider gets back on the saddle, but the leaders are very far away. Meanwhile Morbidelli attacks and passes Zarco and the first lap ends with Luthi ahead of Morbidelli, Zarco, Lowes, Nakagami, Pons, Cortese, Folger, Syahrin, Schrotter, Marquez, Pasini. Baldassarri is thirteenth, Corsi fifteenth and Marini sixteenth.

Sam Lowes attacks Zarco, but the Frenchman also responds to a second attempt by the Briton, maintaining third position. The #22 of Team Gresini crashes shortly after, while the second lap also sees Luthi in the lead ahead of Morbidelli, Nakagami, Zarco, Pons, Cortese, Schrotter, Marquez, Pasini, Folger, Baldassarri, Vierge, Corsi.

Luthi tries to pull ahead of Morbidelli, but the Team Estrella Galicia 0,' rider doesn't give up, while Takaaki Nakagami is also on the virtual podium, keeping Zarco at bay. Mattia Pasini's race was good, as was that of Lorenzo Baldassarri and Simone Corsi, in the points as well as Luca Marini.

Jonas Folger crashed and a few laps later it was also Alex Marquez's turn; fortunately neither of them suffered any physical consequences. The fight for victory is still open, the first four, in order Luthi Morbidelli, Nakagami and Zarco are enclosed in 1.938s. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Baldassarri's race ends, as he is unable to hold the front end of his Kalex, rider ok.

We have reached the halfway point of the race, Zarco moves into third position after an error by Nakagami, while Luthi seems to have significantly pulled ahead. Zarco also attacks Morbidelli, taking second position, while Axel Pons finishes the race, having fallen, rider ok. Simone Corsi and Mattia Pasini have had a good race so far, occupying sixth and seventh position respectively, while Luca Marini is thirteenth.

Zarco's record lap, 1:51.051, seven tenths better than the one set by Luthi, the Frenchman seeks his sixth victory of the year. Rins is still far from the points zone, the world championship is increasingly moving towards Zarco.

Three laps to go, two couples are fighting for victory and third place on the podium; these are Luthi and Zarco and Morbidelli and Nakagami, with the Japanese increasingly closer to the Italian. The last lap begins, Luthi resists with a few corners to go, while Nakagami passes Morbidelli, but the Italian responds. Luthi wins, with his third victory of the season, Zarco and Morbidelli on the podium.