MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 13 / SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
MISANO WORLD CIRCUIT MARCO SIMONCELLI / RIMINI, SAN MARINO
P78
Moto2
The twisty circuit laid out a
Moto2 race of unusual variety,
with two heroes. One was first-
time winner Lorenzo Baldassarri.
The other was second-placed
Alex Rins, still suffering from in-
jury, leading until the penultimate
lap, and within three points of
taking over the title lead from an
off-form Johann Zarco.
The big loser was Sam Lowes,
with zero points for the fourth
time in the last five races, after
the Federal Oils Kalex rider
crashed out of the group chas-
ing the leader.
Zarco (Ajo Kalex) started from
pole, and led the first two laps.
But it was tough at the front,
with Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS
Kalex), Thomas Luthi (Garage
Plus Kalex), Lowes, Baldassarri
(Forward Kalex) and Takaaki Na-
kagami (Idemitsu Kalex) trading
blows through the tight twists of
the compact circuit.
And a little way behind, Rins
(Paginas Amarillas Kalex), full of
painkillers and aggression, was
charging through.
He took the lead on lap six,
and simply cleared off, with
Baldassarri leading the brawl,
Zarco and Nakagami now fifth
and sixth. Four laps later he was
almost two seconds clear, as the
others scrapped and rubbed.
But now Baldassarri had finally
seen off a persistent Morbidelli,
and started to close, quite rap-
idly at first.
