Today’s Moto2 Catalunya race was action packed and full of drama with Yuki Takahashi from Tech 3 Racing team taking the win after Andrea Iannone was penalized for overtaking under the yellow flag regime.
The race was yellow flagged when a huge crash at the start of the race saw a nine-rider pile-up at turn one triggered by Alex Debón that saw Mike di Meglio, Roberto Rolfo, Robertino Pietri , Shoya Tomizawa, Héctor Faubel, Dominique Aegerter, Sergio Gadea, and Alex Baldolini all going down.
The the flags waving Andrea Iannone took third from Takahashi at turn 1 and then passed Toni Elias at the New Holland and Luthi and proceeded pouring on the speed and breaking away from the rest of field.
The race direction issued Iannone with a go back one position penalty on lap 7, and he was holding over 1.
3sec lead by that time.
The Italian ignored the penalty, later stating he couldn’t read his pit board where his team tried to convey the penalty with pen and paper.
Seven laps later Iannone was given a ride through penalty and this penalty he understood and went through the pitlane and rejoined the race and then rode to 13th.
With Iannone out of contention, Yuki Takahashi was handed the lead over Thomas Luthi and Julian Simon who battled on the last lap with Luthi taking second by 0.
163s over Julian Simon.
Karel Abraham took fourth, while point leaders Toni Elias finished in fifth with Simone Corsi in sixth.
The race also saw former MotoGP rider Niccolò Canepa highside and his Scot Force bike burst into flames and Carmelo Morales who was subbing for Axel Pons, on the race straight to take seventh from Kenny Noyes, clipped the back of Noyes’ bike and crashed.
His bike flew up almost going over the fence and then bounced back hitting Morales twice.
Morales was conscious as he was taken to the ambulance and then to the Clinica Mobile, where Dr.
Costa after a first check-up said that the rider was only bruised, but would remain under observation.
Moto2 Catalunya Race Results:01- Yuki Takahashi – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – 23 laps 41′42.
45102- Thomas Luthi – Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 5.
03703- Julian Simon – Mapfre Aspar Team – Suter MMX – + 5.
20004- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – FTR Moto M210 – + 6.
70605- Toni Elias – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 7.
36906- Simone Corsi – JiR Moto2 – MotoBi – + 7.
41407- Kenny Noyes – Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas – PromoHarris Moto2 – + 17.
01008- Fonsi Nieto – Holiday Gym G22 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 20.
55509- Anthony West – MZ Racing Team – MZ RE Honda – + 21.
00110- Alex De Angelis – RSM Team Scot – Force GP210 – + 21.
36911- Gabor Talmacsi – Fimmco Speed Up – Speed Up S-10 – + 22.
21312- Yonny Hernandez – Blusens STX – BQR Moto2 – + 23.
02413- Andrea Iannone – Fimmco Speed Up – Speed Up S-10 – + 25.
29714- Jules Cluzel – Forward Racing – Suter MMX – + 26.
67415- Yusuke Teshima – JiR Moto2 – MotoBi – + 26.
79616- Raffaele De Rosa – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 27.
44117- Arne Tode – Racing Team Germany – Suter MMX – + 27.
67418- Vladimir Ivanov – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 35.
19319- Jordi Torres – MR Griful – PromoHarris Moto2 – + 37.
42420- Valentin Debise – WTR San Marino Team – ADV AT02 – + 41.
50421- Joan Olive – Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas – PromoHarris Moto2 – + 41.
71022- Claudio Corti – Forward Racing – Suter MMX – + 41.
96623- Ricard Cardus – Viessmann Kiefer Racing – Suter MMX – + 49.
22424- Xavier Simeon – Holiday Gym G22 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 1′03.
47025- Sergio Gadea – Tenerife 40 Pons – Kalex Moto2 – + 1′12.
81426- Mashel Al Naimi – Blusens STX – BQR Moto2 – + 1′22.
796