ROAD RACE
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 12 / SEPTEMBER 4, 2016
SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT / NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND
P60
Moto2:
KNOCKED OUT, THEN
KNOCK OUT FOR LUTHI
After being knocked out in a
nasty crash in the previous
round at Brno, Tom Luthi rode
a commanding race to deliver a
knockout blow to the Moto2 field
at Silverstone.
The often processional Moto2
laid on a thriller, rich in drama
and surprises, heroism and
heartbreak, and an outbreak of
pantomime villainy.
The villain was title leader Jo-
hann Zarco (Ajo Kalex), causing
the heartbreak for home hero
Sam Lowes (Federal Oils Kalex),
who had been fastest in every
practice session so far, and was
aiming for the win with four of 18
laps to go.
He'd got past Zarco and had
his sights set on long-time leader
Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Kalex)
when the French defending
champion sneaked up inside at
a tight left-hander.
He later explained that an
initial contact had lifted his brake
lever, "impeding me from braking
hard." Zarco ran on, and took
Lowes with him. Lowes fell, Zar-
co stayed on board, recovering
to finish sixth. But race direction
was not impressed: an instant
30-second penalty dropped him
out of the points to 22nd.
Nor was Lowes, saying: "I
think he did it on purpose."
Luthi's lead was now fully
secure for a second win of the
season, two weeks after a heavy
crash at Brno had left him un-
conscious.
A fierce scrap behind brought
a strong second to EG-VDS Kal-
ex rider Franco Morbidelli, who
finally prevailed over Takaaki
Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex), with
Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Kalex)
still right with them.
Maybe the best performance
came from Alex Rins. The Pa-
ginas Amarillas Kalex rider was
in pain after surgery to repair a
collarbone. He struggled to 19th
on the grid, but moved steadily
