Scott Redding gave the Moto2 field a master class in controlling a race from the front today, as he stormed to his second successive win in as many weeks at Mugello. Mika Kallio ended a difficult weekend on a high by taking a hard fought fifth place finish after starting from 13th position on the grid.
Redding, starting from pole position for the second time this season, looked to be in control from the off, shadowing Takaaki Nakagami until the Japanese rider started to slow and then making his move to take the race lead.
Nico Terol managed to draft his way past on the start finish straight at mid-race distance but, after leading for just four laps, was relegated back to second place by a hard charging Redding, who then pulled out a gap that he maintained to the chequered flag.
Redding’s successive victories at Le Mans and Mugello is the first time a British rider has had back-to-back wins in the intermediate class since Rod Gould in 1971. The Marc VDS rider is also now the youngest British rider to take back-to-back Grand Prix wins, a record previously held by the late, great Barry Sheene.
The Mugello win means Redding extends his lead at the top of the Moto2 Championship standings to 43 points over Nico Terol who, along with Frenchman Johann Zarco, joined the championship leader on the podium today.
Mika Kallio put the troubles of practice and qualifying behind him today, to finish an impressive fifth and consolidate his third position in the championship standings. The 30-year-old Finn started today from 13th on the grid, but a lightning start and a late braking move into turn one, saw him emerge in sixth position. Kallio led the second group for the remainder of the race, but lost out on fourth place to Pol Espargaro in the final few laps.
Livio Loi endured a difficult Moto3 race, as he struggled with the same issues that had plagued him during practice and qualifying. The 16-year-old Belgian eventually finished in 25th position and, after putting this weekend behind him, is already looking forward to rediscovering his form in Barcelona in two weeks time.
Redding, Kallio and Loi will remain at Mugello for testing, with Moto2 scheduled to take to the track on Monday and Moto3 on Tuesday.
Scott Redding #45: 1st
“What a weekend! It didn’t start well, as I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike, but after consigning it to the skip on Saturday morning, the new bike felt much better. Qualifying on pole really boosted my confidence and once we got going I knew straight away that another win was a possibility. I slotted in behind Taka, pushing past when he started to slow and immediately pulled a gap. I’m not sure how Terol and Zarco caught me, but once Terol went in front I could see he wasn’t comfortable running the pace. I have no idea why he decided to let me through, but I wasn’t going to pass up a chance like that. I knew I could pull away, and that’s what I did.”
Mika Kallio #36: 5th
“I got a great start and managed to go up the inside into turn one, coming out in sixth position. I lost a couple of places over the next few laps and then Corsi dropped his pace by almost a second in front of me and, by the time I pushed my way through, he’d allowed the front four to get away. I knew it was better to push to stay at the front of the group, rather than dropping back and getting involved in the battle that I knew was going on behind me. When Pol came past towards the end I had a plan to retake fourth on the final lap, but he pulled just enough of a gap out of the Biondetti chicane to stop me out braking him into the final corner. I almost drafted him to the line, but he managed to just hold me off. Anyway, I’m happy with fifth after the problems we’ve had this weekend.”
Livio Loi #11: 25th
“This is a weekend I’ll be happy to put behind me. We had problems from the start of practice and we didn’t find a solution. In the race I again had to fight the bike into every turn, just to get it to follow a line, but the more I tried to force it into the corner the more the front tried to break away from me. Obviously I’m disappointed because I came here to Mugello looking for points, but we need to put this one down to experience and use Tuesday’s test here to make sure we’re ready for the next race in Barcelona.”
Marc van der Straten: President, Marc VDS Racing Team
“It was a pleasure to watch Scott take his second win in succession by controlling the race so effectively at the front. Even when he wasn’t leading you could see quite clearly he had everything in hand and, for me, the win was never in doubt. Mika also showed his fighting spirit, taking an impressive fifth place despite experiencing so many problems during practice and qualifying. I know Livio is disappointed with his result today, but it’s more experience for him and I’m confident we’ll see him back on form next time out in Barcelona. Finally, it made me very proud to see Michael Bartholemy walk onto the podium to collect the trophy for the winning team today. He has worked tirelessly to make the Marc VDS Racing Team one of the best in the Grand Prix paddock and it was satisfying for me personally to see him rewarded for his efforts today.”
Marc VDS Racing Press Release
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