The Moto2 World Championship shaken up after a big name crash out and KTM domination.
Before the start of the race, the issue at hand is what tire to choose. The track is still slightly damp but also has a dry line thanks to the Moto3 class right before. It would be a difficult decision, but right before the sighting lap the race is declared dry. Therefore, the riders will be going out on slick tires.
The dark clouds above the track add to the worry of possible rain. Much like Moto3, the Moto2 teams only have one bike per rider. That means that, if it rains, it will not be a flag-to-flag race.
In pole we have Raul Fernandez, followed by Marco Bezzecchi and the American Joe Roberts. The sighting lap shows a quickly drying track with sections of wet track.
As the lights go out, Roberts and Bezzecchi wheelie off of the line. Bezzecchi is still able to take the lead, followed by Fernandez, Roberts and Canet. The top six are already beginning to separate from the rest of the pack as the chicane splits the field.
Aaron Canet crashes out, thankfully walking away from the incident while Agusto Fernandez easily claims third from Roberts. He doesn’t last long as crashes out at turn 11. Stefano Manzi follows, crashing out as he makes contact with Tony Arbolino.
Championship leader Remy Gardner is in 9th behind Sam Lowes. 2nd in the championship, he pushes early and puts in the fastest lap of the race. At turn 8, merely a lap later, Lowes, Lorenzo Baldassari and Xavi Vierge crashed out. Baldassari’s crash was his own separate incident. But as Lowes was pushing to podium contention, he crashed out and took Vierge with him. This is a huge moment in Lowes’ championship run as Gardner eases out to the front and R. Fernandez maintains 3rd.
Not long after, the American Joe Roberts crashes out, nearly hitting the back of Bezzecchi.
With all the crashes, Bo Bendsneyder and Gardner were brought up to 3rd and 4th. This gives Arbolino and Di Giannantonio a chance at the podium. Di Giannantonio is under investigation after an incident with Hector Garzo, so his podium run may result in a penalty.
After a quick review of the incident, Di Giannantonio was handed a long lap penalty.
Arbolino finally shows his cards as he battles with Gardner for 4th. He has the fastest lap of the race and is putting pressure on the Red Bull KTM man, whose line is not as clean. Arbolino came from 19th.
Halfway through the race, the grid has yet to change drastically. The riders have put in more time on the slick tires during the race then they have all weekend. This adds to a bit of the uncertainty of tire wear. Other than the crashes, there seem to be very few moments as a result of the tires.
In first place, R. Fernandez has a 1.273 second lead on Bezzecchi who is separated from Bendsneyder by 1.076 seconds. It looks as if it will stay the same way for the remainder of the race.
The group battling for 3rd are closing in on one another, Gardner taking third from Bendsneyder. This leaves the SAG Team rider in the reach of Arbolino, who smells a podium. It didn’t take long for him to take Bendsneyder as the tire wear began to drag on riders with only eight laps to go.
As Bezzecchi attempts to catch up to R. Fernandez, Gardner closes the gap between himself and the SKY Racing Team VR46 rider. After running it hot in the corner, he hands 2nd place to Gardner. If his tire issues remain, Arbolino can make quick work of him.
But he himself and Bendsneyder are struggling with their tires. Using up most of the tires to stay within podium contention, they seem to now be out of touch with the top three.
Cameron Beaubier crashes out of what could have been his best race finish in the chicane. That leaves both Americans without points in Le Mans.
The last lap of the race doesn’t see change in the order. R. Fernandez takes the win followed by Gardner and Bezzecchi.
As for the championship, Gardner will take the lead. 2nd place will go to R. Fernandez and 3rd goes to Bezzecchi. Lowes lost out and is down by 23 points, which is very disappointing for the man who almost won the 2020 World Championship.
While it may be too early to tell, it looks like the 2021 Moto2 World Championship will be easily claimed by the KTM team. Out of all of the teams and riders, they seem to be the most formidable forces. Another big name in the race was Arbolino, who arguably could have won if he qualified better. Bendsneyder also had his first top five finish in the Intermediate class.
Overall, the race was excellent and the riders deserve the utmost respect for making it through shaky conditions and a hard race.
Coming up next is Mugello, an Italian favorite. Will the KTM’s reign supreme?
See you all in two weeks.
