VOL. 53 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 15, 2016 P65
decided not to let them escape,
and fight from the beginning to
feel better. Everything worked
out exactly as we wanted."
Morbidelli looked safe in
second and Luthi in third, as the
race took up the usual proces-
sional format. This was decep-
tive.
Julian Simon (QMMF Speed
Up) had joined the leading
group, but then crashed out, but
ahead of him Sam Lowes (Fed-
eral Oils Kalex) was also gaining
speed toward the end.
It came down to the last lap,
and more furious reshuffling; Lu-
thi snitching second place from
Morbidelli and Lowes doing the
same to Rins.
Six seconds behind, Takaaki
Moto2
In the end, it was business
as usual, but the early laps of
Moto2 were a feast of close rac-
ing and overtaking up front more
reminiscent of Moto3.
The main contenders were
the front row qualifiers—Johann
Zarco, Tom Luthi and Franco
Morbidelli—with the last-named
living up to his reputation for hard
passing and dangerous living.
Zarco (Ajo Kalex) did most of
the leading over the line, but it
was different around the back,
as Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex)
pushed and probed, Zarco
fighting straight back. On one
lap the pair changed places half
a dozen times, and it was not
atypical.
Tom Luthi (CarXpert Kalex)
was with them all the way, and
Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas
Kalex) was up to second for a
couple of early laps.
On the 12th lap, Morbidelli
led over the line for the first time
and for the next three laps. But
it would last no longer. Zarco, as
usual, had taken better care of
his tires (not that his riding style
showed it), and Morbidelli had
taken the best out of his rear.
When Zarco passed again to
lead lap 16, it was the end of the
battle, and he gradually drew
clear to win his sixth race of
the season by better than three
seconds. "I was happy with
pole, but I could see Morbidelli
and Luthi had a good pace, so I
It was business as usual for Johann Zarco in Moto2.
