Simon takes second place in muted Moto2 race at Misano

A truly tragic event occurred today at Misano, one that has left the World Championship in a state of shock and mourning. Nineteen-year-old Shoya Tomizawa -the winner of the first Moto2 race and the inaugural leader of the series- died as a result of injuries suffered in a racing incident in the San Marino Grand Prix. His death overshadows anything else that happened or will happen on track this season, and the Mapfre Aspar team wish to send our condolences to Tomizawa’s family and friends.

The Moto2 race began without crashes on the first chicane, and was turning into an even contest before the regrettable accident that deprived the world of motorcycle racing of one of its most promising talents. With fifteen laps still remaining, the front group broke away and the race became a fight between Elías, Simón and Corsi. The latter eventually got overtaken by Thomas Luthi, who completed the podium behind the two Spaniards.

Julián Simón had a successful weekend for the second race in a row, taking another podium in Moto2. The Mapfre Aspar rider was not quite able to catch Elías, despite pushing hard for the victory. He was, however, satisfied with his performance and a second consecutive trip to the rostrum, and for jumping two places in the overall classification.

2nd Julián Simón: “I was informed just after the podium celebration about the terrible accident suffered by Tomizawa. Like the rest of the riders I am shaken and sad about his passing. It is always a shame to lose a colleague in such circumstances. As far as the race goes, I am content with second place, because we worked a lot harder for it than we did at Indianapolis. This result gives me strength, because we are looking ever-more consistent and more part of the front group. It was a pity that I didn’t have a good start, because I was unable to slot into the leading pack. That meant that Toni was far away by the time I had moved up to second. The difference between us is small, but enough that I can’t expect to catch him if I get a bad start. In T3 I saw that I could get closer to him and pushed hard to try and force a mistake, but he was very stable today. I am happy with today’s result and am feeling more comfortable with the bike at every race. The next race is at Motorland, a track that I loved riding at when we tested there.”

Source: Mapfre Aspar Team