Moto2 Race Results from Valencia:

1 Michele PIRRO Gresini Racing Moto2 46’22.205
2 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 6.15
3 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag-CIP 6.363
4 Anthony WEST MZ Racing Team 8.843
5 Kenny NOYES Avintia-STX 9.229
6 Yonny HERNANDEZ Blusens-STX 9.926
7 Mike DI MEGLIO Tech 3 Racing 10.115
8 Xavier SIMEON Tech 3 B 10.385
9 Max NEUKIRCHNER MZ Racing Team 13.018
10 Julian SIMON Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 13.685
11 Andrea IANNONE Speed Master 14.686
12 Alex DE ANGELIS JIR Moto2 15.2
13 Jules CLUZEL NGM Forward Racing 18.428
14 Pol ESPARGARO HP Tuenti Speed Up 19.177
15 Claudio CORTI Italtrans Racing Team 20.356
16 Randy KRUMMENACHER GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing 26.031
17 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 27.16
18 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 33.813
19 Alex BALDOLINI Desguaces La Torre G22 46.003
20 Kenan SOFUOGLU Technomag-CIP 49.635
21 Aleix ESPARGARO Pons HP 40 +1’12.187
22 Santiago HERNANDEZ SAG Team +1’14.567
23 Bradley SMITH Tech 3 Racing +1’15.394
24 Robertino PIETRI Italtrans Racing Team +1’16.767
25 Elena ROSELL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 +1’19.893
26 Joan OLIVE Aeroport de Castello +1’22.339
27 Mashel AL NAIMI QMMF Racing Team 1 Lap
28 Oscar CLIMENT Team Climent 1 Lap
29 Nasser Hasan AL MALKI QMMF Racing Team 1 Lap
30 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 1 Lap

Not Classified

Raffaele DE ROSA NGM Forward Racing 2 Laps
Simone CORSI Ioda Racing Project 2 Laps
Valentin DEBISE Speed Up 7 Laps
Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda Singha SAG 14 Laps
Mattia PASINI Ioda Racing Project 17 Laps
Esteve RABAT Blusens-STX 21 Laps
Yuki TAKAHASHI Gresini Racing Moto2 22 Laps
Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 23 Laps

Giovanni Cuzari, CEO of the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team:
“Alex is not just a rider for me, but since many years also a dear friend and I always hoped to build a team with him. Beside the mutual admiration which we share, also the passion for rally racing unites us and for sure Alex will participate in all the 4-wheel events we organize. Therefore, for me, this agreement is the realization of a small dream and personally I’m convinced that it is the right choice to aspire to the best possible results in 2012, because actually we cannot have lower expectations with a rider who might finish third in the overall standings this season.”

Marco Curioni, Sporting Director of the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team:
“We are very pleased to have reached this agreement. Alex is an excellent rider, and especially during the last races he is showing his great skills on track. Thanks to the experience we accumulated over the years, from a technical point of view we can provide the best possible support to fight for the title of the Moto2 World Championship 2012. Furthermore Alex did not just convince us with his performance on track, but also his huge media presence and his charismatic character are key factors to fully satisfy the expectations of our sponsors.”

Marquez suffered multiple injuries after his crash in the practice session at Sepang two weeks ago, including an eye injury that was causing double vision.

Regardless of the result on Sunday in the race, Bradl will be crowned the 2011 Moto2 World Champion.

Retirements:

Robertino Pietri Italtrans Racing Team 5 laps
Valentin Debise Speed Up 6 laps
Kris Mclaren BRP Racing 11 laps
Xavier Simeon Tech 3 B 13 laps
Jules Cluzel NGM Forward Racing 13 laps
Max Neukirchner MZ Racing Team 24 laps
Mattia Pasini Ioda Racing Project
Jordi Torres Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2
Esteve Rabat Blusens-STX
Anthony West MZ Racing Team

Stefan Bradl finished in 8th position, but the German rider has a solid chance to regain the Championship lead back from Marc Marquez who starts in last position after being penalised for his crash yesterday with Ratthapak Wilairot in practice.

Moto2 Qualifying Results from Phillip Island:

1 Alex DE ANGELIS JIR Moto2 1’34.574
2 Mike DI MEGLIO Tech 3 Racing 1’34.662
3 Yuki TAKAHASHI Gresini Racing Moto2 1’34.689
4 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 1’34.699
5 Kenan SOFUOGLU Technomag-CIP 1’34.729
6 Pol ESPARGARO HP Tuenti Speed Up 1’34.797
7 Bradley SMITH Tech 3 Racing 1’34.867
8 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1’34.902
9 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 1’34.958
10 Mattia PASINI Ioda Racing Project 1’35.092
11 Max NEUKIRCHNER MZ Racing Team 1’35.267
12 Michele PIRRO Gresini Racing Moto2 1’35.281
13 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag-CIP 1’35.399
14 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’35.519
15 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 1’35.564
16 Andrea IANNONE Speed Master 1’35.647
17 Esteve RABAT Blusens-STX 1’35.668
18 Anthony WEST MZ Racing Team 1’35.675
19 Raffaele DE ROSA NGM Forward Racing 1’35.700
20 Claudio CORTI Italtrans Racing Team 1’35.735
21 Jules CLUZEL NGM Forward Racing 1’35.830
22 Simone CORSI Ioda Racing Project 1’35.912
23 Xavier SIMEON Tech 3 B 1’36.354
24 Aleix ESPARGARO Pons HP 40 1’36.366
25 Axel PONS Pons HP 40 1’36.471
26 Kenny NOYES Avintia-STX 1’36.539
27 Ricard CARDUS QMMF Racing Team 1’36.695
28 Valentin DEBISE Speed Up 1’36.732
29 Yonny HERNANDEZ Blusens-STX 1’37.145
30 Joan OLIVE Aeroport de Castello 1’37.187
31 Ivan MORENO Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’37.414
32 Kris McLAREN BRP Racing 1’37.600
33 Randy KRUMMENACHER GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing 1’38.227
34 Santiago HERNANDEZ SAG Team 1’38.827
35 Blake LEIGH-SMITH BRP Racing 1’38.902
36 Robertino PIETRI Italtrans Racing Team 1’38.933
37 Mashel AL NAIMI QMMF Racing Team 1’39.658
38 Marc MARQUEZ Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol 2’35.298
Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda Singha SAG

Marquez sat at the top of the time-sheets for pretty much the entire session and looks to be in strong form to close, or even eliminate, the gap between him and Bradl as they fight for the Championship lead tomorrow.

Moto2 Qualifying results from Motegi:

1 Marc MARQUEZ Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol 1’52.067
2 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 1’52.260
3 Andrea IANNONE Speed Master 1’52.423
4 Bradley SMITH Tech 3 Racing 1’52.645
5 Yuki TAKAHASHI Gresini Racing Moto2 1’52.694
6 Simone CORSI Ioda Racing Project 1’52.696
7 Alex DE ANGELIS JIR Moto2 1’52.763
8 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1’52.789
9 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag-CIP 1’52.799
10 Mattia PASINI Ioda Racing Project 1’52.853
11 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’52.949
12 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 1’53.082
13 Aleix ESPARGARO Pons HP 40 1’53.135
14 Michele PIRRO Gresini Racing Moto2 1’53.172
15 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 1’53.201
16 Xavier SIMEON Tech 3 B 1’53.210
17 Esteve RABAT Blusens-STX 1’53.274
18 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Italtrans Racing Team 1’53.291
19 Kenan SOFUOGLU Technomag-CIP 1’53.376
20 Raffaele DE ROSA NGM Forward Racing 1’53.430
21 Pol ESPARGARO HP Tuenti Speed Up 1’53.532
22 Ricard CARDUS QMMF Racing Team 1’53.638
23 Anthony WEST MZ Racing Team 1’53.715
24 Axel PONS Pons HP 40 1’53.755
25 Mike DI MEGLIO Tech 3 Racing 1’53.779
26 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda Singha SAG 1’53.818
27 Jules CLUZEL NGM Forward Racing 1’53.820
28 Yonny HERNANDEZ Blusens-STX 1’53.966
29 Max NEUKIRCHNER MZ Racing Team 1’53.969
30 Kenny NOYES Avintia-STX 1’54.161
31 Valentin DEBISE Speed Up 1’54.341
32 Santiago HERNANDEZ SAG Team 1’54.375
33 Tomoyoshi KOYAMA CIP with TSR 1’54.441
34 Joan OLIVE Aeroport de Castello 1’54.740
35 Mashel AL NAIMI QMMF Racing Team 1’54.744
36 Robertino PIETRI Italtrans Racing Team 1’54.911
37 Sergio GADEA Desguaces La Torre G22 1’55.558

Xavier Simeon will join up with Smith in the Tech 3 Moto2 team for 2012.

Bradley Smith:
“I am thrilled to have signed a three-year deal with the Tech 3 Racing Team and I am looking forward to continuing the excellent relationship we’ve developed in 2011. I have a fantastic relationship with Herve, my crew chief Tom Jojic and all my crew, who all have an amazing passion for racing. It is that dedication and desire to succeed that convinced me to join Tech 3 in 2011, so to be staying until the end of 2014 is the perfect scenario for me. There was never any doubt in my mind that Tech 3 would be the best option to develop my career. It has been flattering to have attracted interest from so many top teams in Moto2, but the opportunity to move to MotoGP in 2013 was simply too good for me to turn down. To think I’ll be riding a Yamaha 1000cc MotoGP bike just over a year from now is hard to believe. I’ve worked so hard for many years to earn the chance to be given an opportunity like this, and now it has come I intend to grab it with both hands. Tech 3 gave me the chance to move to MotoGP in 2012 and it was an honour to be even considered at this stage of my career. The decision to stay in Moto2 was one of the hardest of my life but I believe that together, we can be fighting at the front from the start of next season and pushing to challenge for the Championship.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“It gives me enormous pleasure to confirm that Tech 3 has signed a three-year agreement with Bradley Smith. Without doubt, we have managed to secure the services of one of the brightest young talents in the world and I am thrilled that Bradley has put his trust in Tech 3 to help him accomplish his dream of racing in MotoGP. We know he had a lot of interest inside the paddock because of the way he has performed this season, so it is a big compliment to Tech 3 that he chose to commit himself to us until the end of 2014 at least. Bradley has made an immediate impact in Moto2 this year and we all know it is a very difficult class. The rules mean that rider talent plays a crucial role in determining the results, and Bradley has shown he has the speed, talent and commitment to match the best. He has shown the true potential of the Mistral 610 machine with some phenomenal performances this season, and we are in no doubt that in 2012 he can be a genuine title contender before he makes the step to MotoGP. One more year in Moto2 will help him gain more valuable experience, so that when he moves to our MotoGP Team in 2013, he will be immediately competitive. I am convinced that with Bradley’s long-term commitment to Tech 3 Racing that we can look forward to a long and successful relationship together. I’m also pleased to have signed Xavier Simeon. He has shown a lot of promise in 2011 and I’m sure next year he can be consistently finishing in the points and I want to thank RTL-Sport in Belgium for their continued support.”

Smith and di Meglio show fighting spirit in Aragon thriller

Bradley Smith proved once again why he is one of the toughest competitors in the Moto2 World Championship after he produced a heroic fightback into the top six in today’s Motorland Aragon race.

And it was almost a double top 10 finish for the Tech 3 Racing Team after Mike di Meglio produced an outstanding ride to finish 12th, the former 125cc World Champion finishing less than 1.5s away from fifth at the end of a thrilling race.

Smith’s awesome surge through the field was one of the highlights for a crowd of over 63,000 fans packed into the state-of-the-art Motorland Aragon track. The 20-year-old finished the first lap in 16th before embarking on an overtaking masterclass. He moved inside the top 10 on lap 16, as he engaged in an enthralling fight with nine other riders contesting fifth position.

He started the final lap in eighth place but two more brilliant passes on Mika Kallio and Thomas Luthi secured him a seventh top six finish of the campaign.

The race was one of the best of the season for di Meglio, who made a lightning start from 19th on the grid to gain 10 places on the opening lap. Immediately able to set a fast pace, di Meglio’s climb up the order continued when he moved into seventh place two laps later.

After eight laps di Meglio was only 2.3s away from the front and by the end of lap 10 he’d brilliantly forced his way to the back of the leading group of nine riders.

In a frenetic conclusion to the race, di Meglio finished 12th to score points for the third time of the season. He was only 1.3s behind Smith, a result which gives him great encouragement for the final four races of the Championship.

Bradley Smith 6th – 112 points:
“Nobody can say I don’t like working hard for my results after that. I had a bad start and it took a little while for me to get into my rhythm and find a good feeling with the tyres. I was a little bit worried at the beginning as there were many riders in front of me and I thought it might be difficult to reach the top 10. But I kept improving my pace and got more comfortable with the Tech 3 Racing Team bike and I started to make my way forward. As I was overtaking people I kept thinking this might be the last one but I just put my head down. It was definitely a crazy battle but really good fun. There were a lot of close moves and I loved every minute of it. It was something that I haven’t done for a while and holding my own in a tough fight is something I’ve been told I’m no good at, so I put a few things straight this weekend. We did a good job to finish sixth having started 15th. We didn’t quite get the result that I was looking for, but I learnt a lot in this race and although I lost some points to Iannone and de Angelis in the Championship, I am confident for the last four races.”

Mike di Meglio 12th – 12 points:
“That was an amazing race and it was all thanks to my fantastic start. I just attacked from the off and at the end of the first lap I’d gained ten places and fought my way through to ninth. From that point on it was one of the best races I’ve experienced in Moto2 because there was no chance to relax even for one second. It was a lot of fun with many overtakes, but what was difficult for us was my engine it was a bit slow compared to the other riders. I needed to push very strong in the corners to follow the others. I am sad that I lost too much time when I tried to pass, but it was still a brilliant race and I got points in the Championship. Twelfth doesn’t sound like a fantastic result but considering how close the gap is to fifth, I can’t be too hard on myself and I can look forward to the flyaway races in Japan, Australia and Malaysia in optimistic mood.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager:
“That was a typically chaotic Moto2 race again where there was a lot of action in a lot of places and you couldn’t take your eyes of the race for one second. We were clearly very competitive this weekend but unfortunately a small crash on Saturday morning ruined Bradley’s qualifying and starting from 15th makes it very difficult. We got to show our true potential again in the warm-up when he was third, so we started the race with high hopes that he could fight his way through to the top six. This time the start of the race was not very good and for a few laps he was out of the points, but Bradley never gave up and pushed really hard. He was lapping at the same pace as the leading group and making some brilliant overtakes that showed when the lights go out he is one of the most determined guys on the grid. Considering where we started and where we were for the first few laps, we can’t be unhappy to finish in sixth. This shows how good the Mistral 610 package is and how good and motivated Bradley is. I have to say big congratulations to Mike too. He had a great start and all through the race he was fighting for a top 10. At one stage he was closing on the leading group at a really fast rate and I think we saw the true Mike di Meglio today, because he rode with a lot of aggression. Unfortunately there was so much happening at the end that he ended up 12th, but four-points in the Championship is a good result for him.”

The race was frantic throughout, and it was Scott Redding that took an early lead, followed closely by Marquez and Bradl.

Bradl decided to take control on lap 5 and pushed through to take the lead.

Andrea Iannone quickly stated putting in fast laps, and by the end of the 5th lap he had managed to fight his way from 10th position to scrapping it out for 3rd place. He continued his charge and battled for first place with Marquez, with both riders changing positions multiple times.

Marquez ran wide later in the race on lap 14, but managed to regain his rhythm, and eventually his position at the front.

Meanwhile, Stefan Bradl was clearly having issues and started glancing at the rear of his bike. As his times dropped, he started slipping down the through the pack until he was as low as 9th position. He eventually managed to fight hard to regain 8th place from Kallio and Aegerter, and reduce the dent that Marquez was able to put into his lead at the top of the Championship.

With 7 laps to Marquez started to pull away from the rest of the riders and managed to stretch out a lead that proved to be too much for the other riders to match.

Moto2 race results from Aragon:

1 Marc MARQUEZ Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol 40’20.575
2 Andrea IANNONE Speed Master 2.466
3 Simone CORSI Ioda Racing Project 2.574
4 Alex DE ANGELIS JIR Moto2 3.054
5 Aleix ESPARGARO Pons HP 40 10.831
6 Bradley SMITH Tech 3 Racing 10.87
7 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 11.005
8 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 11.212
9 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag-CIP 11.81
10 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 11.939
11 Anthony WEST MZ Racing Team 12.108
12 Mike DI MEGLIO Tech 3 Racing 12.114
13 Max NEUKIRCHNER MZ Racing Team 12.18
14 Pol ESPARGARO HP Tuenti Speed Up 12.908
15 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 13.329
16 Esteve RABAT Blusens-STX 13.875
17 Julian SIMON Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 13.954
18 Xavier SIMEON Tech 3 B 15.251
19 Claudio CORTI Italtrans Racing Team 18.47
20 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 20.128
21 Randy KRUMMENACHER GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing 38.974
22 Alex BALDOLINI Pons HP 40 39.072
23 Kenny NOYES Avintia-STX 39.34
24 Tomoyoshi KOYAMA Technomag-CIP 48.695
25 Ricard CARDUS QMMF Racing Team 48.843
26 Santiago HERNANDEZ SAG Team +1’02.670
27 Sergio GADEA Desguaces La Torre G22 +1’05.633
28 Joan OLIVE Aeroport de Castello +1’06.619
29 Valentin DEBISE Speed Up +1’11.832
30 Robertino PIETRI Italtrans Racing Team +1’27.512
31 Yuki TAKAHASHI Gresini Racing Moto2 +1’31.402
32 Mashel AL NAIMI QMMF Racing Team +1’33.725
33 Elena ROSELL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 +1’36.548

Not Classified

Michele PIRRO Gresini Racing Moto2 4 Laps
Jules CLUZEL NGM Forward Racing 12 Laps
Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda Singha SAG 12 Laps
Raffaele DE ROSA NGM Forward Racing 12 Laps
Mattia PASINI Ioda Racing Project 18 Laps

Full Moto2 qualifying times from Aragon:

1 Marc MARQUEZ Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol 1’53.296
2 Julian SIMON Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’53.980
3 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 1’54.004
4 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1’54.075
5 Alex DE ANGELIS JIR Moto2 1’54.174
6 Aleix ESPARGARO Pons HP 40 1’54.220
7 Jules CLUZEL NGM Forward Racing 1’54.289
8 Pol ESPARGARO HP Tuenti Speed Up 1’54.358
9 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 1’54.385
10 Andrea IANNONE Speed Master 1’54.390
11 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 1’54.413
12 Simone CORSI Ioda Racing Project 1’54.518
13 Michele PIRRO Gresini Racing Moto2 1’54.574
14 Yuki TAKAHASHI Gresini Racing Moto2 1’54.599
15 Bradley SMITH Tech 3 Racing 1’54.619
16 Claudio CORTI Italtrans Racing Team 1’54.625
17 Max NEUKIRCHNER MZ Racing Team 1’54.753
18 Mattia PASINI Ioda Racing Project 1’54.793
19 Mike DI MEGLIO Tech 3 Racing 1’54.889
20 Esteve RABAT Blusens-STX 1’54.946
21 Anthony WEST MZ Racing Team 1’55.047
22 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’55.084
23 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag-CIP 1’55.175
24 Xavier SIMEON Tech 3 B 1’55.283
25 Randy KRUMMENACHER GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing 1’55.324
26 Ricard CARDUS QMMF Racing Team 1’55.395
27 Alex BALDOLINI Pons HP 40 1’55.445
28 Yonny HERNANDEZ Blusens-STX 1’55.560
29 Raffaele DE ROSA NGM Forward Racing 1’55.593
30 Tomoyoshi KOYAMA Technomag-CIP 1’55.608
31 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda Singha SAG 1’55.735
32 Santiago HERNANDEZ SAG Team 1’55.867
33 Valentin DEBISE Speed Up 1’55.926
34 Kenny NOYES Avintia-STX 1’55.948
35 Joan OLIVE Aeroport de Castello 1’56.613
36 Sergio GADEA Desguaces La Torre G22 1’56.636
37 Robertino PIETRI Italtrans Racing Team 1’56.691
38 Mashel AL NAIMI QMMF Racing Team 1’57.197
39 Elena ROSELL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1’58.806