2012 Estoril Moto2 Race Result: Tense Duel Settled In Last Lap Thriller

Results and summary of the Moto2 race at Estoril:

Marc Marquez has taken victory in the first race of the day at Estoril, beating Pol Espargaro in a last-lap battle after Espargaro made a mistake in the chicane. With his win in Portugal, Marquez seizes a 9 point lead in the championship.

Marquez got the holeshot into Turn 1, but only led for the first lap before Thomas Luthi came past to take the lead into the first corner. Luthi pushed hard and led for most of the race, with Marquez, Espargaro and Johann Zarco close behind. Zarco rode an impressive race from the beginning, pushing hard and mugging both Espargaro and Marquez to seize 2nd for a while. The front 4 were joined by Scott Redding and Andrea Iannone early on, but Redding faded fast from the front. Iannone pushed forward hard, but a mistake on lap 11 saw the Italian run off the track and drop back to 7th, losing several seconds in the process.

At the front, Luthi looked very comfortable in the lead, with Marquez closing sometimes, only to drop off the back again as he battled with Espargaro and Zarco for the right to chase down the Interwetten rider. The pace proved too hot for Zarco from the halfway mark, and he started dropping off the back, leaving the two Spaniards to chase the Swiss rider.

Luthi's grip on the race started slipping from lap 17, as Marquez and Espargaro got closer. On lap 20, both Espargaro and Marquez were past, quickly gapping Luthi and the victory would be decided between the two Spaniards. The battle was hard, very hard on occasions, and would be decided on the last lap. Marquez led until the start of the final lap, but Espargaro came past into Turn 1. So hard was Espargaro trying that he pushed a little wide, and Marquez managed to get back again on the exit of the corner. Espargaro got past three more times, the last time overcooking the entry into the chicane, running wide and leaving Marquez to take victory. Espargaro held on to 2nd, keeping Luthi behind him. Zarco ended the race in 4th, just ahead of Andrea Iannone, who had put on a charge after recovering from his moment halfway through the race.

Marquez now leads the championship, ahead of Espargaro by 9 points. Luthi sits in 3rd, but with 43 points to Marquez' 70, the Swiss rider has a significant gap to the leaders already.

Results: