Moto2: Aoyama wins, Lorenzo takes title
Red Bull KTM's Hiroshi Aoyama took victory at Sepang as Jorge Lorenzo took his second consecutive 250cc title, helped by a desperate passing attempt by Aoyama's teammate Mika Kallio on the second last lap
Any slim chance of the title going to the last round, which would have required Lorenzo to finish well down the order or DNF while Andrea Dovizioso won, went out the window when Kallio collided with then leader Dovizioso, the collision pushing Dovizioso outside the top ten.
Lorenzo was already well-placed to take the title, having ridden in the front group throughout the race as title rival Andrea Dovizioso led the early laps and opened a gap. By half distance Lorenzo had caught Dovizioso and passed him, with the two riding nose-to-tail before swapping back five laps later.
Also battling with them was a group of riders, including Thomas Luthi, Mika Kallio, Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera. Alvaro Bautista was also in the group in the early laps before an engine problem forced him out of the race on lap seven.
The battle at the front was hotting up, Lorenzo and Kallio passing Dovizioso for the lead on lap 18 of 20, only for Kallio and Dovizioso to move ahead of Lorenzo at the start of the next lap.
Later that same lap Dovizioso moved into the lead past Kallio around the back of the circuit, as Lorenzo was passed by Aoyama and Barbera, the 2006 world champion falling from first to fifth in less than a lap.
As they headed into the final turn on the penultimate lap, Kallio made a late-braking move into the hairpin. Sideways under braking, he was overcommitted and managed to avoid hitting other riders until he clipped the rear wheel of leader Dovizioso, causing Dovizioso to crash.
This allowed Aoyama, Barbera and Lorenzo through into the podium positions, while Kallio was able to stay upright and finished just behind them in fourth. Dovizioso remounted, but was only able to finish in 11th position, a disappointing result in a race he could have won.
CLASSIFIED: Pos Rider Make Time 1. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 43:09.316 2. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 2.251 3. Jorge Lorenzo Aprilia + 2.957 4. Mika Kallio KTM + 2.965 5. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 7.305 6. Julian Simon Honda + 8.747 7. R. Locatelli Gilera + 16.105 8. Marco Simoncelli Gilera + 26.101 9. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 28.032 10. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 34.754 11. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 35.888 12. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 42.514 13. Shuhei Aoyama Honda + 48.020 14. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 48.058 15. Dirk Heidolf Aprilia + 49.190 16. R. Wilairot Honda + 49.273 17. Eugene Laverty Honda + 53.468 18. Taro Sekiguchi Aprilia +1:02.665 19. Jules Cluzel Aprilia +1:15.625 20. Fabrizio Lai Aprilia +1:17.024 21. Imre Toth Aprilia +1:32.646 NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS: Rider Make Laps Federico Sandi Aprilia 17 Doni Tata Yamaha 16 Alex de Angelis Aprilia 10 Efren Vazquez Aprilia 9 Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 6
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