ROAD RACE
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 16 / OCTOBER 23, 2016
PHILLIP ISLAND CIRCUIT / PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
P62
Lowes was closing on the
leaders when he crashed out
on lap three, his third time in the
last four races, though he won
the other one.
Rins lasted five more laps and
was up to sixth when he tumbled
after missing a gear at the
Southern Loop.
Jonas Folger (Dynavolt
Kalex) had been losing ground
in fourth, and the first to get
past him was Lorenzo Baldas-
sarri (Forward Kalex), followed
soon after by Takaaki Nakagami
(Idemitsu Kalex) and his own
teammate Sandro Cortese. Fol-
ger was soon out of touch, but
Moto2
Another race of upset for the
championship stars added
fresh tension to the only remain-
ing undecided championship,
and gave a glimmer of hope to
Thomas Luthi, who for the first
time in his career won two races
in a row.
"Somebody asked me on the
grid why that had never hap-
pened before. I told him: 'That's
the reason I am still here,'" the
Swiss former 125 champion
said.
The Garage Plus Kalex rider
had claimed pole in another top-
sy-turvy qualifying session, from
veteran Mattia Pasini (Italtrans
Kalex) and triple practice crash-
er Sam Lowes (Gresini Kalex),
with points leader Johann Zarco
(Ajo Kalex) only 10th after also
crashing twice in a qualifying
session with 20 falls.
The worst-off victim was Alex
Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex), in
great pain after getting crushed
up against his fuel tank after
a collision with Julian Simon's
Speed Up, and was out of the
race.
Zarco had been only 12th in
dry morning warm-up, headed
by Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS
Kalex – another double faller in
qualifying), while title challenger
Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas
Kalex), qualified 15th, placed an
encouraging fourth.
Luthi shot off in the lead, pur-
sued by Pasini, soon displaced
by Morbidelli, this trio in control
up front still at half distance.
Thomas Luthi (12) used the slipstream
to his advantage and won the Moto2
race by a hundredth of a second.
