MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 7 / JUNE 5, 2016
CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA / CATALONIA, SPAIN
P76
once again, shortly before half
distance.
Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas
Kalex) had been with him from
the early laps with Alex Lowes
(Federal Oils Kalex) in close
pursuit; but now Nakagami, who
had faded in the early laps, had
picked up pace again and joined
battle with the Malaysian.
The pair left Lowes trailing and
with eight laps to go had caught
Luthi for a strong three-way fight.
By the end of it Nakagami had
escaped, while the other two
were changing places until the
last lap, with Syahrin claiming
fourth on the last lap.
Lowes was a couple of sec-
onds adrift in sixth.
Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Kalex)
picked his way steadily through
from 12th on lap one to a clear
seventh.
A four-bike battle in his wake
had closed on Axel Pons (AGR
Kalex), and on the last lap,
rookie Miguel Oliveira (Leopard
Kalex) nipped past the Span-
iard. Second AGR rider Marcel
Schrotter had dropped out of
touch by the finish, and likewise
Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS
Kalex), who just shaded Mattia
Pasini (Italtrans Racing).
Julian Simon (QMMF Speed
Up) was 13th, the first non-Kalex;
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward
Kalex) was an impressive 14th.
He'd been put off the track by
headlong crasher Simone Corsi
(Speed Up) on lap three, and
had come through from last
place.
Remy Gardner, son of 1987
500 Champion Wayne, took the
last point in his first Moto2 race,
defeating Isaac Vinales (Tech 3)
after a long fight. Gardner was
substituting for the out-of-favor
Alessandro Tonucci, and was
waiting to hear if he could keep
the ride.
Dominique Aegerter (CarXpert
Kalex) was among eight non-
finishers, pulling out of a strong
top-10 place with an extraordi-
nary rear-wheel collapse.
Rins took over the title lead
from Lowes, 116 to 108, with
Zarco (106) closing, then Luthi
(93) and Syahrin (60).
Alex Rins finished
second on the day
but still owns an
eight-point lead
over Sam Lowes in
the Moto2 Champi-
onship.
