Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA
Race report

Jerez Moto2: Rossi protege Marini eases to victory

Valentino Rossi protege Luca Marini eased to victory in Moto2’s first race in four months at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

Luca Marini, Sky Racing Team VR46

Luca Marini, Sky Racing Team VR46

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Seizing the lead early on, VR46 rider Marini eased into the distance and managed tyre wear to secure his first win of the season ahead of Qatar victor Tetsuta Nagashima on the Ajo Kalex. 

Jorge Martin transformed his maiden Moto2 pole into the race lead off the line on the sister Ajo bike ahead of Aspar rookie Aron Canet and Marini. 

Marini moved up to second by lap three and snatched the lead away from Martin on the inside of the Turn 9 right-hander on the following lap. 

Nagashima became the chaser at the end of that tour after disposing of his teammate, with the pair quickly opening up a gap to the chasing Martin, VR46 bike of Marco Bezzecchi and Canet.

Bezzecchi moved into third on the seventh lap, but a maiden Moto2 podium in just his second race in the intermediate class went away from him when he crashed at Turn 10 just moments later. 

This extended the gap at the front, with Marini also opening up his advantage over Nagashima, which stood at over a second by lap nine. 

Marini had his lead up to 1.6s by lap 12, though Nagashima did cut into it by way of several fastest laps to put the Italian under some pressure.

However, Marini settled into a rhythm again in the closing stages to keep his lead at the 1.5s and cruise to the chequered flag for his first win since last year’s Japanese GP. 

Nagashima proved his shock Qatar win was no flash in the pan to hold second from eighth on the grid to maintain his championship lead - which now stands at 17 points - while Martin repelled a late charge from Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes to complete the podium.

Lowes surmounted Canet in the second half of the race, though Asapr rider maintained fifth spot ahead of his teammate Hafizh Syahrin.

Remy Gardner got his SAG Kalex to the line in seventh, while last year’s Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons) fended off the Italtrans bike of Enea Bastianini and the Petronas Sprinta of Xavi Vierge. 

Jorge Navarro crashed on the opening lap after Bezzecchi nudged his Speed Up, while both Intact GP bikes of Tom Luthi and Marcel Schrotter ended their races in the gravel. 

Jerez Moto2 - Race Results:

Cla # Rider Bike Gap
1 10 Italy Luca Marini
Kalex
2 45 Japan Tetsuta Nagashima
Kalex 1.271
3 88 Spain Jorge Martin
Kalex 4.838
4 22 United Kingdom Sam Lowes
Kalex 6.200
5 44 Spain Arón Canet
Speed Up 10.794
6 55 Malaysia Hafizh Syahrin
Speed Up 15.578
7 87 Australia Remy Gardner
Kalex 17.426
8 7 Italy Lorenzo Baldassarri
Kalex 19.416
9 33 Italy Enea Bastianini
Kalex 19.505
10 97 Spain Xavi Vierge
Kalex 19.590
11 62 Italy Stefano Manzi
MV 21.269
12 40 Spain Hector Garzo
Kalex 21.405
13 37 Spain Augusto Fernandez
Kalex 24.550
14 11 Italy Nicolo Bulega
Kalex 26.232
15 24 Italy Simone Corsi
MV 27.303
16 57 Spain Edgar Pons
Kalex 32.566
17 16 United States Joe Roberts
Kalex 33.951
18 96 United Kingdom Jake Dixon
Kalex 36.432
19 19 Italy Lorenzo Dalla Porta
Kalex 43.699
20 27 Andi Izdihar
Kalex 43.889
21 2 Switzerland Jesko Raffin
NTS 1'02.884
22 99 Kasma Daniel
Kalex 1'09.455
23 42 Spain Marcos Ramirez
Kalex 1 Lap
24 12 Switzerland Thomas Luthi
Kalex
25 21 Italy Fabio Di Giannantonio
Speed Up
26 23 Germany Marcel Schrotter
Kalex
27 72 Italy Marco Bezzecchi
Kalex
28 64 Netherlands Bo Bendsneyder
NTS
29 35 Thailand Somkiat Chantra
Kalex
30 9 Spain Jorge Navarro
Speed Up

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Marini: Chances of early MotoGP graduation diminished
Next article Andalusia Moto2: Bastianini beats Marini for first win

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA