Results, notes & quotes from MotoGP Rnd 12 at Misano

The Fiat Yamaha Team gained their first double podium since Laguna Seca today, when Jorge Lorenzo finished second and Valentino Rossi third behind Dani Pedrosa at Misano. The day was overshadowed however by the tragic news that Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa had passed away following an accident in the Moto2 race. Yamaha would like to express its deepest condolences to his family, friends and team.

Lorenzo lost one place at the start and dropped to third but before the first lap was over he had got back past Casey Stoner to retake second position. Despite pushing hard in the early stages, it was soon clear that the championship leader was not able to run the same pace as Pedrosa today and he was forced to settle for an uneventful ride to second, importantly taking another 20 points for his title challenge and continuing his flawless record of a podium in every race this season.

Italian hero Rossi was hopeful of a return to the podium and he made a good start, keeping his fourth position and holding on to the leaders over the first few laps. He gradually began to close down Casey Stoner and made the pass stick on his second try, on lap eleven of 28. In the latter part of the race he came under pressure from fellow countryman Andrea Dovizioso but he was able to hold him off, putting in his fastest lap of the race three laps from the end and coming home just over a second behind his team-mate.

Lorenzo leads the championship by 63 points after today’s race and Rossi has moved to fourth in the standings; on identical points to Stoner but ahead on race wins. The next round comes at the new track of Motorland Aragon in two week’s time.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 2nd Time: +1.900
“I don’t have many words for the race on such a sad say. I made a good start but I couldn’t keep close to Pedrosa. Second is good, we weren’t fast enough but for the championship it’s another very important result and that is our target. The podium is our goal in all races, although we hope we can still improve our M1 a bit more. As for Shoya, it’s a huge pity because he was a good guy and a strong rider. I am so sad and I just want to say how sorry I am for his family and his friends. When this happens nothing else matters.”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rd Time: +3.183
“This was a great result for us, more than just for the podium but for the way that the result arrived. I was very fast at the end of the race and this shows how much we’re improving because I was able to keep pushing right to the end. I think we did a good job this weekend. But when something so sad like this happens everything else goes to zero and the result doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry for Shoya because he was a strong rider but above all he was very ‘sympatico.’ He was very funny, always smiling and he always had nice things to say to everyone. He was also very young with a great career ahead of him so we are all very sad.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“Today was frustrating for Jorge because he is a winner but he knows he can’t afford to take risks, thinking about the championship. Pedrosa was very strong and we couldn’t catch him, so we will be working hard to try to find a way to get back to fighting with him at the next race. As usual Jorge kept his head and rode a sensible race to get as many points as he could and we are still on target for our goal. We would like to say how sorry we are about Tomizawa, he was clearly a huge talent who was destined to be here in MotoGP one day. This is the nature of our sport but today has reminded us all what can happen.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It’s a very sad day for our sport, our thoughts go out to Tomi and to his friends, his family and his team. He was a very good guy. The race was very positive because Valentino was able to increase the pace and he was very fast and very consistent at the end of the race. The bike was working well, we did a good job and Valentino was happy which gives us good confidence for the next races. His pace was very close to the top and his physical condition seems to have improved. We’re looking forward to him being back to his very best. This was an important step for the bike and for the rider on our way to being back in contention for victories.

Spies and Edwards finish strong at sombre Misano

Ben Spies continued his excellent form in the MotoGP world championship in Misano this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider ending with a richly deserved sixth position.

The 26-year-old recovered superbly having lost four places in a frantic jostle for track position at the tight second corner on the opening lap.

Dropped down to 10th place, the Texan showcased his overtaking prowess once again, passing both Marco Melandri and Randy de Puniet on lap six to take seventh place

. That put Spies firmly on the trail of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards, who had made a blistering start to end the first lap fifth.

Spies quickly closed down on Edwards and made his attack on lap 12 and then expertly moved clear of his fellow Texan to finish top non-factory rider again.

Today’s result was the eighth time in 12 races that Spies has finished inside the top six and he remains firmly in contention for third place in the overall rankings with six races on the calendar left.

Edwards rode another strong race to finish in seventh position for the third time in the last four outings. The 36-year-old is confident he could have given Spies more of a challenge for sixth had he not encountered some small front-end issues.

Edwards though moved into the top ten in the standings with his latest positive result and is just one-point behind Marco Melandri heading to round 13 at the new Motorland Aragon track in Spain.

Today’s race was overshadowed by the passing of Japanese Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa following a tragic accident earlier in the afternoon. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 would like to express its deepest condolences to family, friends and team.

Ben Spies – Position: 6thTime: +28.385
“It was a tough race after I got shuffled back at the second corner. I struggled a little bit with front-end feeling but I had a good pace and by the time I got through everybody into sixth everybody else was ten seconds ahead. There was no sense in doing anything stupid but looking at the lap times I’m sure I had the pace to fight closer with Casey. My goal was top six and that’s what I achieved so I can’t be too disappointed. I had top five pace and that’s better than being in the top six but not fast enough to be any higher. I want to express my sadness at the passing of Shoya Tomizawa. My thoughts are with his family and friends. It’s another sad loss for our sport.”

Colin Edwards – Position: 7th Time: +34.934
“It was a good race and another seventh has put me back in the top ten in the championship. I made a good start and managed to avoid any trouble at the first corner and I had a good early battle with Simoncelli. But I had the same problem I had all weekend and I was losing the front a bit on the brakes. I was trying to ride aggressively and I was happy with my lap times but honestly, I thought the outcome was going to be a little better than seventh. When Ben came by he was able to just pull away from a little bit every lap. I tried my hardest to stay with him but once he’d gone I just settled for seventh. The race doesn’t count for much though when you hear the news about Tomizawa. My thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“Firstly, on behalf of everyone at Tech 3 Yamaha, I’d like to send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Shoya Tomizawa. He was a great talent and a really good guy who will be missed by all of us in the racing community. Looking at the race, what happened to Ben early on the first lap was crucial. Unfortunately he lost some places but once again he showed fantastic determination to recover even though this track is difficult to pass on. He got back to sixth but unfortunately he had no chance to catch Casey and that it is shame because without what happened on the first lap, I think Ben could have had a good race with him. But he scored another top six and again he was the best non-factory by a long way. I’m also really happy with Colin because he has been making a lot of progress recently and riding back to his best.”

—  Ducati Report

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden endured a difficult race at Misano today, the Australian again struggling with front-end problems and the American crashing out at the second corner after making contact with Loris Capirossi.

Their disappointment at the race was nothing, however, compared to their sadness and that of the whole paddock at the news that Shoya Tomizawa had passed away following an incident in the Moto2 race.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 5th
“I am very, very disappointed with our performance today considering the feeling we found yesterday after a few modifications. The feeling today was completely different from warm-up this morning. I tried to stay with Jorge in the race but I started to make mistakes because the front kept closing. It became a challenge just to make it to the end of the race and hold my position. This is not important today though considering what has happened. I am deeply saddened for Tomizawa, his family and everybody who worked with him. It is something truly terrible and it left me breathless, like a week ago. It was a pleasure to watch him ride and I was looking forward to see him have a great career.”

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) DNF
“This hasn’t been a great track for me over the last couple of years. I got quite a good start and made up some positions but on the exit of turn two when I got on the gas and opened up for the next turn I touched with Loris, who was closing his line a little. I’m sorry but it was a racing incident that can happen at any time and when you start so far back you tend to cross lines. The shifter was damaged and I had to come back in. All this is irrelevant though compared with what happened to Tomizawa. I am really sad, we have lost two riders in two weekends. My thoughts are with his family and his team but I think the whole paddock has been hit hard by this tragedy. At the end of the day we are all brothers here. We have lost a talented kid with a great personality. I loved his style, his determination and the smile he always wore.”

VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team manager
“This was a very difficult weekend for a lot of different reasons. Firstly we are all feeling the pain and sadness from the loss of Shoya Tomizawa and on behalf of the whole team I would like to pass our condolences to his family and to his team. The race result obviously wasn’t good for us but it is secondary on a day like this. Casey started well but after a couple of laps he had to contend with a bike that did not allow him to run at the front because of a problem that has dogged him all year – front end feel. There’s not much to say about Nicky, he got a good start but unfortunately collided with Loris and his race was over in the second corner.”

—  HRC Report

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) achieved victory in today’s San Marino MotoGP race but the event was dominated by the tragic death of Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP, Suter), who passed away after an accident during the Moto2 race.

Tomizawa crashed on the 12th lap of the 26 lap race. The 19-year-old Japanese rider was immediately treated at trackside, then at the circuit medical centre and then at Riccione hospital. Numerous attempts were made to resuscitate him but at 14.20hrs, during the MotoGP race, he succumbed to cranial, thoracic and abdominal trauma. Both Honda Motor Co. Ltd and Honda Racing Corporation would like to extend their deepest condolences to Tomizawa’s family and friends.

Tomizawa’s death cast a great shadow over proceedings. All MotoGP riders reacted with shock and sadness when they were told of Tomizawa’s passing after they had finished their race.

Pedrosa led from start to finish, steadily increasing his advantage until he was more than five second ahead of his nearest pursuer and fellow Spaniard, Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha). In the late stages, Pedrosa eased his pace, finally finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Lorenzo. The victory gave the former 125 and 250 World Champion his first back-to-back success in the premier class, following his win at Indianapolis last Sunday. It also strengthened his second place in the points chase – with five races remaining he is now 63 points behind series leader Lorenzo. However, Pedrosa was informed of Tomizawa’s fate as soon as he returned to pit lane, so he took no joy from his success.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) tried his best to score a podium finish at his home race, but the man from Forli couldn’t quite get the better of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), another local rider and winner of the last two Misano MotoGP races. Nonetheless Dovizioso showed great determination in coming through from a third-row start.

This was also the home race for Fausto Gresini’s Honda squad, but riders Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) ended the day in tenth and 14th positions. Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) completed the race in 12th and 13th positions.

Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) won the Moto2 race, resisting pressure from runner-up Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter). Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki) finished third after coming through from 15th on the starting grid.

Elias’s fourth consecutive win puts him 83 points ahead of Simon whose second-place finish him moved into second overall past Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up) who had a luckless day. The Italian was given a ride-through penalty for jumping the start which put him at the back of the pack. He had worked himself into the points when his bike stopped with three laps to go.

Luthi’s ride took him from 14th on lap one to third, a position he claimed from Simone Corsi (JIR Moto2, Motobi) with three laps to go. During the closing stages Corsi came under pressure from the next group, led by Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing, Suter), the German only just ahead of Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing, Suter) and Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up).

The accident that claimed Tomizawa also involved British rider Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team, Suter) and San Marino rider Alex De Angelis (JIR Moto2, Motobi). Redding was badly bruised and grazed; receiving ten stitches to a laceration in his back. De Angelis was able to walk away from the incident.

SHOYA TOMIZAWA
Tomizawa, from Chiba, was a very popular rider in the MotoGP paddock, known for his sunny smile and determination on the racetrack. He made his Grand Prix debut at Motegi in the 125 class in 2006. In 2008 he took the runner-up spot in the 250 All-Japan Championship. He became a full-time GP rider last season, taking 17th place in the 250 World Championship. This year he moved into the new Moto2 series and made history by winning the opening round in Qatar.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): race winner “There are no words to say how it feels after this victory – it feels like nothing. I arrived at parc fermé very happy with the win and I immediately felt that the atmosphere among my mechanics was really strange, everybody was serious. Still with my helmet on they told me about Tomizawa and I couldn’t react. It was a big shock, a big contrast for me. I asked three times if it was true because I couldn’t believe it. It’s so sad, terrible, and these things should never happen. As a person I can only say that he was a very funny boy, always happy and making jokes, and as a rider he earned respect from everybody in a very short time, he was fast and brave. To lose two riders in a week is terrible [American Peter Lenz died at Indianapolis last weekend]. I believe everybody in the World Championship is feeling the same now and I want to send my condolences to the family. When you are born, life gives you the chance to choose what you want to do. Tomi chose to be a rider and in fact he was doing great. I just want to think that he’s been happy making his dream come true. Concerning the race, I want to say thank you again to my team for doing a great job. The whole weekend has been perfect: good practices, a very high pace during the race, and the second win in a row and the fourth of the season. I want to keep my feet on the ground though and just concentrate on one race at a time. The feeling on the bike is very good now and my goal is to continue in this way. But to be honest I’m not really thinking about that at this moment.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V): 4th “My thoughts are with Shoya Tomizawa. I was informed after the race and the news is like a slap in the face. Two tragic accidents in two races is so terrible and it reminds us how dangerous our job is. The safety commission has improved safety levels so much that we often forget this aspect. I’m so sorry for Tomizawa’s family. Having become a father I can understand that this is the worst thing that can happen for a family. Unfortunately we couldn’t do anything: these were two casualties, two accidents with a similar dynamic where the track-side barriers were not touched. This can happen and this is why our job is so risky. Concerning the race, we did the maximum. The race weekend was so complicated but we succeeded in turning the bad results from qualifying into a good race. I’m not happy with the fourth position though because our target was the podium. Today the bike was working better and I also improved my riding – I rode differently from qualifying. We could race with a high pace and this is the important point. I was pushing so hard and, especially in the middle of the race, me and Valentino were putting in really fast lap times. I tried to catch Rossi but in the end I couldn’t make it. We will start for the next race from here: we were fast and now we need concrete results.”

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V): 10th “There is nothing I have to say about today’s race. It is a tragic day.”

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V): 12th “All I can say is I’m very sad. Tomizawa was a great friend.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V): 13th “I do not want to speak about me and my race. This weekend ended in the most horrible way. My thoughts go to Shoya and his family.”

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V): 14th “Today is a very sad and tough day, when racing doesn’t feel like it should. I know just how hard it is to lose a rider in these circumstances and I know the pain that his family and all the guys on the team who worked with him are feeling right now. There is little more to say. This is an extremely sad day. We knew immediately that the race was serious, but you always hope at times like this that there will be a miracle and the rider will get to his feet. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case today.”

MOTO2 RIDER QUOTES

Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki): race winner “When I came in at the end of the race I could see in everyone’s eyes that something wasn’t right. Because I was out front, I never saw the accident. Tomizawa was a great guy; this is very, very sad. My condolences to his family and family. I have to say thanks to my team who worked very hard this weekend and also for their work with Moriwaki which give me this victory, so I have to say thanks to them. Thanks also to the Clinica Mobile who have given me a lot of help after my illness at Indy. But more than anything this is a very sad day for racing.”

Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter): 2nd “Like Toni, I have to say this is a very sad day for our sport, my heart goes out to Tomizawa’s family and friends. This was a very tough race. We didn’t see the accident so we had no idea what had happened. In the race I tried to close the gap on Toni, but he was too fast, especially through T1 and T2.”

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki): 3rd “I saw the sadness in people’s eyes when I came into the pits after the race. I would like to offer my thoughts and condolences to his family; we will miss Tomizawa very much. This weekend we struggled quite a bit during practice because we had a few technical problems. Last night my mechanics worked really hard and were able to fix the problems, so I have to say thank you to them.”

—  Suzuki Report

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista rode a fantastic race at Misano in Italy today to bring his GSV-R home in eighth place after a hard-fought race.
Bautista started from 16th on the grid and was lucky to avoid a first corner incident that caused him to lose time on the pack of riders in front of him. He quickly regained his composure and set about chasing the field. Bautista caught and passed a number of riders as he made his way up to eighth on lap 18, he then tried to catch Colin Edwards who had a large gap between himself and Bautista, but the Rizla Suzuki man was unable to bridge the distance – even though he made huge in-roads into the American’s lead.

Loris Capirossi’s 200th race in the premier class of motorcycle racing was over almost as soon as it had begun, when he was knocked off on the second corner of the first lap. Capirossi got a good start and had made up a number of places from 11th on the grid, before Nicky Hayden ran into him and knocked him off his machine. Capirossi suffered an injury to his right-hand little finger that will require surgery in San Marino tomorrow, but he is hopeful that he will make the next round of the MotoGP championship.

Today’s race was won by Spaniard Dani Pedrosa with World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo in second. Sadly today’s race was overshadowed by tragic events in the Moto2 race earlier in the day. Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa was fatally injured in an accident that involved two other riders. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The thoughts and prayers of the whole Rizla Suzuki team are extended to Tomizawa’s family, friends and team during this traumatic period.

Rizla Suzuki will next be in action at a brand new racetrack to the MotoGP calendar, as it travels to the Aragon circuit in Spain for the next round of the season on Sunday 19th September.

Álvaro Bautista: “It has now become a very difficult day and I don’t really know what to say. I had a good race, even though I had to avoid Loris and Nicky after they crashed and I lost my position. I tried to get in my rhythm as quick as I could because I knew I had a good pace. When I was catching the group in front of me I made a mistake and put the bike into neutral – so I lost some more distance on them. I concentrated hard and pushed to the limit and I managed to go faster than I had in practice and I caught the group up. Once I was with them I knew I was faster so I got past them and pulled away. Today nobody crashed in front of me during the race so it was a true eighth position and I was very pleased with that. I was happy at the end of the race because the position was good and I was happy with the race-pace, but when we had finished the race I heard the news about Tomizawa and I am just so sorry for him and all his family. It is a hard day for all riders, I am sure he will stay with us always and I hope he is now in a better place.”

Loris Capirossi: “I am very angry at what happened today because I was feeling very confident and the bike was good, so I thought we could have a competitive race. Now I have to have an operation and I hope I can be back for Aragon, but this is nothing compared to what happened in the other race. I want to send my condolences to Tomizawa’s family, this is a great tragedy and something that you never like to hear about.”

Tom O’Kane – Álvaro Bautista’s Crew Chief: “Firstly I want to say to Tomizawa’s family and friends that we all send our deepest sympathies – it’s a terrible thing that has happened and Álvaro was very upset when he heard the news at the end of the race. With regards to the race, he got a very good start off the line, but took a few laps to find his rhythm. Then it looked like he had a really fun race, he was chasing guys down and passing them with what looked like ease. His fastest lap in the race is the fastest one he has done all weekend and we as a team will be doing all we can to move him up in qualifying to see what he can do from the second or third row.”

—  Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard

Fresh from winning last weekend at Indianapolis, Dani Pedrosa completed his impressive weekend in Misano by scoring his second consecutive victory, and his fourth of the season. The Repsol Honda rider led from the start and didn’t look back, setting a new lap record in the process. Second position went to championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, whilst his Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi fought off Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso for the final step of the podium at his home grand prix.

As the weather remained dry, every rider chose the softer option rear tyre for the race as it provided more grip than the harder option whilst also having good consistency over race distance. With the exception of Alvaro Bautista who used the softer front, all riders opted for the harder front slick for its increased stability under braking.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director, Bridgestone Motorsport
“I’d like to congratulate Dani and Repsol Honda today for their victory; they have really hit their stride at this point in the season and are very strong indeed. “But today is a very sad day as we lost a great young Japanese rider, a wonderful character and a shining light who was so young in his motorcycle racing career. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tomizawa-san’s family and friends at this tragic time. His memory shall remain bright in our hearts.”

Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“I am pleased with tyre performance this weekend as Dani set a new lap record, the top four riders were all faster than the existing record and the total race time was ten seconds faster than the previous best. But I am deeply saddened, as are we all, about the passing of the young and talented Tomizawa-san today. It was a terrible accident and a tragic loss of life and our hearts go out to those who knew him and loved him.”

Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Race Winner “We had very good race pace and my first back-to-back victory and the fourth of the season is great for me and the team. We are working good and getting stronger. Shoya was a very funny guy, always making jokes, and on the bike he was very great too so this is a very sad time.”

Toni Elías won from pole position at Misano on Sunday in the Moto2 Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to extend his Championship lead to 83 points, achieving his sixth victory of the season and his fourth in a row. Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) moved into second place in the standings with second position in the race, whilst Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Moriwaki) made a return to the podium.

Andrea Iannone led from the off but a jump start meant the Fimmco Speed Up rider had to take a Ride Through penalty early on, and that allowed the trio of Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing), Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) to run at the front.

Pole starter Elías was not far off however and after just six laps the Gresini Racing man assumed the lead, with Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) keeping tabs on him.

Tomizawa’s tragic crash, which also brought down Alex De Angelis (JiR Moto2) and Redding, left a gap in the field that was quickly filled by Simón.

As the battle continued at the front Simón went through on Corsi to move into second, whilst wild card Mattia Pasini and Sergio Gadea’s races ended early with crashes. Yuki Takahashi (Tech 3 Racing) was another faller as he pushed hard to maintain fifth position.

As Elías continued to lead comfortably the impressive Lüthi reeled in Corsi and passed him having been over six seconds adrift at one stage, and also having started from 15th on the grid. Iannone’s day was then capped off with a mechanical fault that forced his retirement as he sought a points-scoring finish further back. Xavier Simeon, a replacement for the injured Fonsi Nieto, crashed when flying high in seventh.

Elías crossed 1.969s clear of Simón with Lüthi securing his fifth podium of the campaign in third, and Elías now stands on 211 points in the Championship with Simón moving up to second on 128 and Lüthi remaining in third on 124.

“All I feel is sadness right now and my victory today is irrelevant,” declared Elias. “I was talking and joking with Shoya Tomizawa only yesterday in the Clinica Mobile and to think that he is no longer with us is truly awful. He has left an indelible mark on my life.”

Corsi took fourth, with Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing), Cluzel, Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP), Claudio Corti (Forward Racing) and Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR) completing the top ten.

World Championship Positions: 1 ELIAS 211, 2 SIMON 128, 3 LUTHI 124, 4 IANNONE 119, 5 CORSI 97, 6 CLUZEL 84,7 TOMIZAWA 82, 8 TALMACSI 79, 9 TAKAHASHI 72, 10 GADEA 59, 11 DEBON 46, 12 ROLFO 43, 13 NIETO 41, 14 REDDING 39, 15 BRADL 36.

Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) took his sixth win of the season – his first since Sachsenring – at Misano on Sunday as he opened up a nine-point advantage over Nico Terol in the 125cc title race, with the Bancaja Aspar rider crossing the line in second position.

A poor start off the front row for Terol saw the Spaniard drop down to 12th as the race got underway, but he soon regained ground and within a few laps had recovered to slot into second behind early race leader Márquez.

Pol Espargaró had made a good start and led for a short while at the front, with Tuenti Racing teammate Efrén Vázquez aiding his cause by getting in front of Márquez. However, by only the third lap it was Márquez and Terol who were the leading two and they swapped first position for much of the 23-lap contest.

Espargaró, who had trailed Márquez by just five points going into this race, looked to be keeping up in third but the leading pair upped the pace midway through the race with Terol and then Márquez setting new lap records as they pulled away. Meanwhile Espargaró began to drop down the order.

With four laps remaining Márquez had opened up over a second on Terol and he maintained a healthy distance until crossing the finish line in first, 2.185s ahead of the Bancaja Aspar rider. A fine scrap for the final podium spot was won by Vázquez for his first top-three result since the opening round in Qatar.

Missing out on the podium having been involved in that battle were pole sitter Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) who came in fourth, Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo) in fifth and Espargaró, who eventually crossed the line sixth as his title hopes were dealt a significant blow.

Márquez now has 197 points at the top of the standings with Terol on 188 and Espargaró 20 off the leader on 177.

Riders failing to finish the race were Khairuddin Zulfahmi (AirAsia – Sepang International Circuit Team), Luis Salom (Stipa-Molenaar Racing), Alexis Masbou (Team Ongetta), Giovanni Bonati (Junior GP FMI), Lorenzo Savadori (Matteoni C.P. Racing), Sturla Fagerhaug (AirAsia – Sepang International Circuit Team) and Luca Marconi (Team Ongetta).

World Championship Positions: 1 MARQUEZ 197, 2 TEROL 188, 3 ESPARGARO 177, 4 SMITH 128, 5 CORTESE 107, 6 RABAT 99, 7 VAZQUEZ 97, 8 KOYAMA 92, 9 KRUMMENACHER 79, 10 WEBB 64, 11 ZARCO 62, 12 FOLGER 48, 13 MONCAYO 40, 14 IWEMA 33, 15 SALOM 25.