Moto2 Motegi: Back-to-back victories for Marini after Japan win
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Luca Marini built on his Thai win with another victory after working out a way to pass and keep in front of Tom Luthi in the Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix. The Kalex pair were a constant feature at the front and as they battled lap after lap they pulled away from the pack. The Sky Racing Team VR46 rider lead from pole but Tom Luthi was back to his old form and picked off the opposition from seventh to join the Italian at the front of the race. The Swiss veteran showed his hand with eleven laps to go and took over at the front, but Marini used his time behind to work out where he had more pace, picking turn six to unleash his move on the penultimate lap. Tyre management and a strong run out of Victory Corner saw Marini to the win, while a small error caused Luthi to run wide, guaranteeing the Dynavolt IntactGP rider second. Luthi also moves back into second in the championship standings, 36 points behind Alex Marquez The battle for third was equally hard fought with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) pulling out his best ever result since moving up to Moto2 – a first visit to the podium in his rookie year the reward for his racecraft and hard work to get ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP40) with the Pons rider forced to settle for fourth. “4Jorge Navarro again enjoyed the late pace of the Speed Up, it helped him to fifth after he passed Marquez, who saw the race for the title heat up again when he only posted a best of sixth for EG 0,0 Marc VDS. Enea Bastianini was next to see the chequered flag in seventh for Italtrans after pulling clear, with Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP40) eighth after holding off Marcel Schrotter in the run to the line. Stefano Manzi was nearly two seconds further back, but did enough to complete the top ten for MV Agusta Temporary Forward. Fabio Di Giannantonio was close behind on the second Speed Up in eleventh, and was clear of Brad Binder who took eleventh after getting back in control of his troubled Red Bull KTM Ajo. Somikat Chantra had run as high as third before he faded to 13th for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia. Dominique Aegerter ensured both the MV Agusta bikes were in the points at the same time for just the second time this season by claiming 14th, while behind him Andrea Locatelli secured the final point on offer in 15th for Italtrans. Jake Dixon (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) had started last after falling in qualifying, though he did not quite make a points finish he did make it into the battle that Bo Bendsneyder and Joe Roberts were enjoying, splitting the pair in 17th . Tetsuta Nagashima endured a horrible home grand prix, a fall on the warm-up lap saw him start from pit lane, he then tangled with Lukas Tulovic at turn one on the first lap, ending his race prematurely. Sam Lowes retired into the pits as he was victim of Brad Binders huge lap one wobble, unable to avoid the South African, the impact knocked his handlebar off, leaving him unable to compete. Iker Lecouna and Xavi Vierge were next to exit after tangling on lap four. With Nagashima already out, Remy Gardner’s spill at turn nine with fourteen laps remaining completed a bad day at the office for Onexox TKKR SAG Team. Marco Bezzecchi was unable to go the distance as a bike issue saw him pull into the gravel with 9 laps left to run. Mattia Pasini was a late faller.
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