2011 Le Mans Moto2 Race Result: Victory Taken After Fight Through The Field

Results and summary of the 125cc race at Le Mans:

Marc Marquez has taken his first win of the season in Moto2 at Le Mans, after fighting his way forward through the field to seize victory.

Championship leader Stefan Bradl took the lead off the line, with Yuki Takahashi following, though the Gresini rider would not hold 2nd for long, as Interwetten's Thomas Luthi barged past through the chicane into 2nd, while Julian Simon closed the gap to the front three. The foursome soon pulled away at the front, Bradl's lead looking strong, the remainder of the group in tight order behind Bradl.

Those four looked like settling the race between them, but there was a whirlwind coming from behind to shake them all up. Marc Marquez had had an indifferent start, but once he had got clear of the chasing group, he started closing hard on the leaders. Simone Corsi - who had been hanging on to the leading group's coat tails, but was starting to lag - was the first rider to be disposed of, soon followed by Aleix Espargaro, who was in a similar position. Marquez then latch onto the tail of Julian Simon and Yuki Takahashi, and started to push the rest of the group forward.

Marquez' arrival was a spur to action for Tom Luthi, the Interwetten rider deciding to make a move on Stefan Bradl for the lead. Bradl had earlier created the smallest of gaps at the front, but shortly after the halfway mark, Luthi decided enough was enough. The Swiss rider slipped past Bradl through the fast first corner, then held the German off through the chicane. 

Having fallen back into the clutches of the chasing group, Bradl's race got a little bit messy. The German was attacked by Yuki Takahashi, then tried passing back, but ran wide in succeeding, allowing not just Takahashi, but also Marc Marquez past.

Marquez was now the man on the move: The Spaniard tried on Takahashi once at turn 1, only to be defeated at the chicane. He tried again the next lap, and this time he succeeded, and started chasing Luthi down. Another lap, and Marquez was past Luthi, and now put the hammer down. Despite the first spots of rain appearing on the track, Marquez was unstoppable, going on to take victory with a comfortable lead, and ironically, finish his first race of the season too, the first three all ending in crashes.

Behind Marquez, Luthi was suddenly going backwards. First Takahashi came past, and then Bradl, but try as Bradl might, he could not take 2nd from the Japanese rider. Takahashi gets his second podium in a row, while Bradl consolidates his lead in the championship with the final podium spot in 3rd.

Results:

FTR