Torres & Terol take positives from frustrating Indy raceday

The Moto2 Indianapolis GP was decided by tyre wear, creating late excitement at the Brickyard.

Whilst practice results had hinted at a race ridden in groups, Takaaki Nakagami defied that prediction to set an early fast lap. The Japanese rider broke away, eventually establishing a lead of some two seconds. Tito Rabat, Pol Espargaró and Scott Redding were behind him, and it was Rabat who was first to challenge Nakagami. The Spaniard eventually got past his rival, taking the win ahead of Nakagami with Redding in third.

The MAPFRE Aspar riders were clear that at Indianapolis pace would be important. With races usually decided by tyres, owing to the various types of asphalt used at the Brickyard, irregular performance is par for the course. The excellent pace shown in practice allowed the duo to be strong in the opening stages of the race. Nico Terol was up to fourth and Jordi Torres had slotted into seventh, putting them in a good spot for when the rubber on their machines degraded.

Torres battled with tyre wear from the midway point and his pace dropped as a result, in the end giving him a tenth place finish.

Terol experienced a stomach problem from lap five onwards, impeding him from riding at his best. In the end, the Spaniard crossed the line in twelfth.

10th Jordi Torres:
“Overall I’m happy because we were competitive, and we were able to fight head-to-head with our rivals. At the beginning of the race we kept up with the group, but we knew that this circuit is not favourable for us even with our doing a great job. In practice we managed to get the bike turning in a lot better and more stable, but we lacked that extra step forward that maybe cost us at the end of the race. In addition, halfway through the race the tyres went off, and my riding style did not help in terms of saving the rubber for the final laps. I tried to hold out until the last moment, pushing hard, but inevitably my performance dropped in the end because of the tyres. I think it was a widespread problem today. However, I am happy because I endured the conditions for the entire race and overcame tiredness and scares to finish in a good position.”

12th Nico Terol:
“We have experienced a great weekend in Indianapolis, always amongst the top positions and finding an incredible pace for the race. I was very motivated for the race and I came out strong. During the first few laps I kept my position, fighting all the time with my rivals, but as the race wore on I started to feel a sting in my stomach. At times I even felt dizzy -I could not give any more. It wasn’t to do with fitness, as I train a lot and eat well, but something was wrong today. This week I will go to the doctor to find out the source of the discomfort. Today I know that technically I could have fought for the podium -even for the victory- because we had a great setup and also a great pace. I want to thank the team for having given me that this weekend and for doing a great job once again.”

Source: Aspar Media