First Moto2 podium for Julian Simon

Moto2 hit Le Mans on Sunday and, as in all of the class’ races to date, crashes were the order of the day. 41 riders into 1 corner was never going to be an easy sum to solve, and the opening chicane took down a number of competitors. Eleven riders hit the deck over the course of the race, but amongst those who stayed upright it was Toni Elías who came out on top. Leading the way from the start, the Spaniard took his second win in successive races, denying Julían Simón a maiden victory in the class.

Mapfre Aspar rider Julián Simón finally broke his podium duck in the new class, starting from ninth on the grid. Riding at his best, the Spaniard was able to move up to third by lap five through his own skill and some crashes amongst the leaders. With eleven laps to go he caught up with Elías, but had trouble keeping up the pace and had a couple of hairy moments. Simón showed his talent at the track at which he won the 125cc race last year, securing second place and opening his podium account in Moto2.

2nd Julián Simón: “This podium is very important, because I proved to myself that even if the practice sessions don’t go well, I have a team behind me who can give me strength and put me back into contention for a race. I was ready for anything, and worked well in the opening laps by looking for the space to pass a number of riders. I was lucky to stay out of the way of any crashers, right up until I arrived at Elías’ tail. I went round with him, but I knew that passing him would be another matter due to his more consistent pace. I am very happy with my first podium in this new category, especially as I debuted the new bike with a top three finish. We have to keep working because we still have some way to go in fine tuning the bike, but I want to thank everybody in the team and sponsoring us for supporting the decision to change chassis during the season.”