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

Global
Race report

Mugello Moto2: Zarco beats Baldassarri in two-part thriller

Reigning Moto2 champion Johann Zarco edged Lorenzo Baldassarri in a fierce battle for honours in a shortened 10-lap sprint race at Mugello.

Johann Zarco, Ajo Motorsport

Johann Zarco, Ajo Motorsport

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The race was split into two parts by a crash for Tech 3 rider Xavi Vierge on the fifth lap of the original start, damaging the airfence barrier at Turn 14 and necessitating a repair.

After some 15 minutes, the race was set to get under way again, with the grid being formed on the basis of the running order after three laps.

However, a further delay followed as a number of riders were ordered to start from the rear after breaking the 60-second rule for leaving the pitlane, Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Rins - who were due to take the restart from third and fifth respectively - among them.

That meant Sam Lowes started the 10-lap sprint from pole ahead of Thomas Luthi and Baldassarri, although Zarco soon surged through from his third row grid slot to mix it with the leaders.

After dispatching a slow-starting Lowes and Hafiz Syahrin, Zarco was up to second ahead of Luthi by the fourth lap and wasted little time challenging leader Baldassarri.

Zarco moved into the lead for the first time at Turn 1 on the sixth lap, but was unable to get away from Baldassarri, who after a couple of failed attempts grabbed back the advantage on Lap 8.

The pair swapped places twice more at the first corner on both the penultimate and final laps, but Zarco was able to force Baldassarri aside at the very next turn after losing the advantage, hanging on to take his second win of the year by 0.030s.

A second back, Lowes fought his way through Syahrin and Luthi to get the final place on the podium and move into the lead of the points standings.

Behind Luthi and Syahrin, Axel Pons took his best ever Grand Prix finish in sixth, while Rins limited the damage done to his title challenge by coming from the back to finish seventh.

Franco Morbidelli, a recovering Nakagami and Dominique Aegerter completed the top 10.

Race results:

PosRiderBikeTime
1 FranceJohann Zarco  Kalex 18:59.391
2 ItalyLorenzo Baldassarri  Kalex +0.030
3 United KingdomSam Lowes  Kalex +1.096
4 SwitzerlandThomas Luthi  Kalex +1.215
5 MalaysiaHafizh Syahrin  Kalex +1.653
6 SpainAxel Pons  Kalex +2.110
7 SpainAlex Rins  Kalex +5.649
8 ItalyFranco Morbidelli  Kalex +6.249
9 JapanTakaaki Nakagami  Kalex +6.280
10 SwitzerlandDominique Aegerter  Kalex +6.322
11 GermanySandro Cortese  Kalex +6.720
12 ItalySimone Corsi  Speed Up +7.659
13 PortugalMiguel Oliveira  Kalex +7.718
14 United KingdomDanny Kent  Kalex +7.745
15 GermanyJonas Folger  Kalex +8.046
16 SpainAlex Marquez  Kalex +9.300
17 SpainJulian Simon  Speed Up +10.410
18 GermanyMarcel Schrötter  Kalex +11.585
19 SpainRicard Cardus  Suter +11.654
20 ItalyFederico Fuligni  Kalex +14.739
21 SwitzerlandRobin Mulhauser  Kalex +15.089
22 ThailandRatthapark Wilairot  Kalex +15.098
23 SpainEdgar Pons  Kalex +21.012
24 SpainIsaac Viñales  Tech 3 +21.734
25 ItalyAlessandro Tonucci  Kalex +30.005
26 SwitzerlandJesko Raffin  Kalex +50.423
R Luis Salom  Kalex  
R Mattia Pasini  Kalex  
R Xavi Vierge  Tech 3  
R Luca Marini  Kalex  
DNS Xavier Simeon  Speed Up  

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Mugello Moto2: Lowes beats Nakagami by 0.047s to clinch pole

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

Global