Valencia Moto2 Grand Prix, Ricardo Tormo - Race Results
Remy Gardner is crowned the 2021 Moto2 world champion as team-mate and title rival Raul Fernandez wins the Valencia season finale.
Gardner began the race with a 23-point lead over Fernandez, meaning Fernandez had to win and Gardner finish 14th or lower for the Spanish rookie to dramatically snatch the title.
Tension was ramped up when the initial start was red-flagged to clean up oil following an accident involving Bezzecchi, Vierge and Baldassarri on the exit of Turn 2.
The restart was held over a much shorter 16 laps, using the original grid positions. But there was heartbreak for surprise MV Agusta pole starter Simone Corsi, who pulled into the pits at the end of the warm-up lap, while Bezzecchi was forced to start from the back of the grid after some frantic repairs.
Fernandez battled namesake Augusto, di Giannantonio and Canet for the lead after the restart, with Gardner settling into ninth. As Raul battled for victory, Gardner momentarily dropping to a low of twelfth, putting him in the danger zone if Fernandez could pass di Giannantonio and win the race.
But the Australian held his nerve to climb back into the top ten, thus negating a later pass by Fernandez for race victory, to join father Wayne on the list of grand prix world champions by just four points.
Both Gardner and Fernandez will start a new chapter in their racing careers, in MotoGP with Tech3 KTM, at next week's Jerez test...
Valencia Moto2 Grand Prix, Ricardo Tormo - Race Results | |||||
Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Bike | Time |
1 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | (Kalex) | 25m 38.612s |
2 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | (Kalex) | 25m 39.129s |
3 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Elf Marc VDS Racing Team | (Kalex) | 25m 39.398s |
4 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | (Kalex) | 25m 41.005s |
5 | Aron Canet | SPA | Inde Aspar Team | (Boscoscuro) | 25m 43.590s |
6 | Xavi Vierge | SPA | Petronas Sprinta Racing | (Kalex) | 25m 43.703s |
7 | Sam Lowes | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing Team | (Kalex) | 25m 44.027s |
8 | Jorge Navarro | SPA | Termozeta Speed Up | (Boscoscuro) | 25m 44.420s |
9 | Marcel Schrotter | GER | Liqui Moly Intact GP | (Kalex) | 25m 46.553s |
10 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Red Bull KTM Ajo | (Kalex) | 25m 47.724s |
11 | Tetsuta Nagashima | JPN | Italtrans Racing Team | (Kalex) | 25m 48.032s |
12 | Thomas Luthi | SWI | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team | (Kalex) | 25m 48.967s |
13 | Stefano Manzi | ITA | Flexbox HP40 | (Kalex) | 25m 50.510s |
14 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | American Racing | (Kalex) | 25m 50.700s |
15 | Hafizh Syahrin | MAL | NTS RW Racing GP | (NTS) | 25m 50.973s |
16 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | (Kalex) | 25m 52.594s |
17 | Fermín Aldeguer | SPA | Termozeta Speed Up | (Boscoscuro) | 25m 52.634s |
18 | Barry Baltus | BEL | NTS RW Racing GP | (NTS) | 25m 52.757s |
19 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | (Kalex) | 25m 55.723s |
20 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | (Kalex) | 25m 57.885s |
21 | Cameron Beaubier | USA | American Racing | (Kalex) | 25m 58.038s |
22 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Inde Aspar Team | (Boscoscuro) | 25m 58.220s |
23 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | Liqui Moly Intact GP | (Kalex) | 25m 58.598s |
24 | Nicolò Bulega | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | (Kalex) | 26m 2.417s |
25 | Bo Bendsneyder | NED | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team | (Kalex) | 26m 10.171s |
Hector Garzo | SPA | Flexbox HP40 | (Kalex) | DNF | |
Dimas Ekky Pratama | INA | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team | (Kalex) | DNF | |
Simone Corsi | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | (MV Agusta) | DNF | |
Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | (MV Agusta) | DNF |