Simon takes second place from pole position

Once again there was drama in a Moto2 race, this time on raceday at Indianapolis. Two laps after the lights went out, there was a multiple crash involving riders in the intermediate category. Race Direction were left with no choice but to restart the race, cutting the contest short to sixteen laps instead of the twenty-six originally scheduled. Half an hour passed before the restart, taken by every rider present.

In a different twist to events, the pack was broken almost straight away. Elias put his cards on the table, whilst Simón and Redding were the only men to keep up the pace. The two Spaniards fought for first in front of the onlooking Briton, who eventually dropped out of the picture altogether. Elias took the victory with Simón second, in a race that featured ten crashes.

Mapfre Aspar Julián Simón showed that he cannot be written off in the title picture, taking second place in the Indianapolis race. The Spanish rider had been going strong all weekend, and started from pole. He led seven of the sixteen laps in the second race, ending the day agonizingly close to his first Moto2 win. A new circuit record of 1’46.580 was put down by the reigning 125cc World Champion, who is looking forward to next weekend’s race at Misano.

2nd Julián Simón: “I would have liked to have won, but I think that second place is also a good result. I was surprised when Elias overtook me; I had braked too early and wanted to let him get past in order to feel out his pace. I was missing a bit of decisiveness and aggression in trying to attack him, but on the last part of the circuit the tyres were sliding me out too much. The general review of this weekend is that we did well and did a great job on the bike. We were ahead all weekend and it was a track where last year I wasn’t very quick. This result spurs me on to ride well in the home straight of the season, in which we are coming up to some tracks that I really like. I am sure that I will get the win sooner rather than later. The heat made the tyres too hot and corner entry difficult, giving the feeling of sliding a lot. That was the main reason why I didn’t attack Toni more. I also didn’t want to fall, as this track has many bumps and requires a careful riding style.”

Source: Mapfre Aspar Team