M2: British GP: Team Aspar race report

Things were a little different in the MotoGP time schedule for the British Grand Prix, with a change that meant that the new Moto2 class opened the action on Sunday. The category gave a wake-up call to fans at the Silverstone circuit, putting them on the edge of their seats in another spectacular race. A surprise poleman in Claudio Corti, a capable chasing group and some excellent overtaking made for a great event, eventually won by Jules Cluzel in the French rider's first Grand Prix win. Thomas Luthi took second, ahead of Julian Simon.

The Mapfre Aspar Team had a great race at Silverstone, and for the first time this year both riders had reason to celebrate. Julian Simon gained a place after starting fourth on the grid and went for the win at the British track, joining up with the lead group. He led for the first time on lap five, but was overtaken again and decided to wait for an opportunity. He was unable to pass the top two but held out for third place, his second podium in the class and a position that takes him up to fourth in the championship.

Mike di Meglio's hard work paid off in a spectacular comeback for the Frenchman, who started 31st on the grid and ended the day in 7th. A great start took him up to 16th, and from then on Di Meglio had confidence on his side. Nine points went to the Mapfre Aspar man as a just reward for his persistence, his first points in Moto2.

3rd Julian Simon:

"This third place is a good result, but I really wanted to win. This morning in the warm up and in the first few laps of the race was when I could tell that I had a good pace going, and when I got to the front I was confident in my chances of victory. When Corti fell on the last lap I thought that it was in the bag, but Cluzel put a clean pass on me and my strategy went out of the window. I just had to hope for a mistake from Luthi or Cluzel, but there was no space to overtake. I am happy in any case, because the bike has improved a lot and we have almost completely eliminated the chattering problem. This is one of the best results that we have had with this bike, so I head to Assen confident of a good race using similar settings to here. Today gives me motivation to continue working in the same way, and I have a hunger for the win now. I have learnt a lot here and I am convinced that we are going to continue getting results like this and work our way up the table."

7th Mike Di Meglio:

"I had a very good start, and from the very first moment I thought 'let's go Mike!" This morning in the warmup we made a change to the gearing that worked perfectly, and on the opening corners of the race I was able to pass a handful of riders. Thanks to these two things I grew in confidence with every lap. It was a pity to have been crowded later on, because I was hungry for more. I held my nerve and was feeling great. Yesterday I had a lot of disappointment in qualifying and needed to respond today, so I want to thank my team for helping me out with their hard work. This has been a very productive weekend, because I learnt a lot about applying myself and how a comeback is always possible. I am happy to have taken my first points in the class, and I hope to continue like this in Assen next weekend."

-source: team aspar