The Repsol rider achieves his third victory of the season, the second consecutive win, after an intense duel with the leader of the class, Germany’s Bradl
The Italian Grand Prix saw a Moto2 race that kept the tension up to the last second, until the chequered flag. Marc Márquez emerged in Mugello as the winner of an exciting duel with the German rider Stefan Bradl, leader of the overall standings and the main aim of young Márquez. In his first year in the Moto2 class, the Repsol rider has already won three times and strengthened today his second position in the overall classification after his second consecutive victory, with which he becomes the youngest rider to achieve it in the intermediate category, breaking Dani Pedrosa’s record.
The race began with a good start for Márquez, who took advantage closely followed by Britain’s Bradley Smith. The margin over the rest of the group was up to one second, but Bradl would not allow them to escape and in the third lap caught up with the two leaders, with De Angelis at his wheel.
Those positions were kept during the main part of the race, with Márquez on top and with a fifth rider that was able to join the group, Italian Iannone. Márquez kept his position despite the constant attacks from Bradl and even from Smith. In the last few laps, those three riders had a tough battle for victory, while De Angelis and Iannone were left behind.
The last lap arrived under max adrenaline level with a final duel between the two first riders of the overall standings. Bradl tried his best, but Márquez did not falter and set a searing pace in his last lap, leaving the German no chance to overtake him. Great victory and perfect weekend for the Repsol rider, who with this triumph, his second consecutive win, reduces more than five points from Bradl’s advantage —now of 52 points— in the overall classification, and consolidates his second position.
The next round will take place in two weeks in Sachsenring, Stefan Bradl’s home GP, where another exciting duel between the two first Moto2 riders is expected.
Marc Márquez >> Audio
1st – 40:02.941
“It was a very tough race. At the beginning, with a full tank, it was difficult to set a good pace, but afterwards we were able to recover the confidence we had in the practice sessions and that helped a lot. I thought that it would be a race between Bradl and me and that if we set a pace of 1 minute 53 seconds we would be able to take some advantage over the rest. It did not happen that way, we rode in ’54 and Bradley [Smith], who took a step ahead from the practice, was also with us. When I saw that De Angelis was also there, I decided to push a little to try and make the group smaller for the end of the race. It was not to be, but I was able to do a very good lap in the end, my best lap in all the race. I am very happy for me, for my team and for Suter, because to achieve such a hard-fought victory always makes you feel very proud”.
