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Italian GP – 03/07/11 – Mugello – Moto2 Race
JORDI TORRES REPRESENTS MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM AT MUGELLO WITH FIRST MOTO2 FINISH
MAPFRE Aspar rider makes full debut in Italy and places nineteenth in Moto2 outing
The Moto2 race at Mugello was a spectacle worthy of its backdrop, under almost perfect racing conditions. Marc Márquez took off from pole position looking to establish an advantage, but he was hindered in his attempts by Bradley Smith, Stefan Bradl and Alex de Angelis over the course of the contest. It was up to the Spaniard and the German to lead the race for extended periods, although Smith had his moment at the head of the field towards the end. The first and second placed riders in the overall standings were the top two finishers in Italy after 21 laps, with Márquez emerging the winner.
MAPFRE Aspar rider Jordi Torres had established a goal of a top twenty finish at Mugello for his first full race with the team, but his main objective was to do what was not possible at the British Grand Prix –finish the race. Nerves got the better of him early on and he dropped from 18th to 29th, but once he had regained his composure he moved back up the order. His eventual race position was a respectable 19th.
Stand-in rider Raffaele De Rosa was unable to complete the first lap at his home race, as he crashed out after running off-line.
Jordi Torres (19th): “Today was the first time that I rode in a world championship race, so I had to control my nerves amidst all the tension at the start. Riders were streaming past me on the opening laps, and I felt unsettled right from the beginning. I tried to hang on in there until things got a bit more stable. Once the initial push had died down, I stuck to upping my pace and overtaking the riders ahead of me. In the end, I was amongst the top twenty and I am very happy, because the team worked really hard and I was able to give them a decent result to show for their efforts. I am elated to have ridden and completed a race for the MAPFRE Aspar Team.”
Raffaele De Rosa (DNF): “I am disappointed with the crash. I started well today and could have taken a top ten finish. Just before I crashed, I was riding alongside Corsi –who finished seventh. Another rider took me slightly off-track with an overtaking move, and that forced me to change my line. When I went to move across, I lost control of the bike. I feel bad about ending the weekend in this way, because the team worked hard and have really welcomed me. I want to thank them for the opportunity to ride for them this weekend and for treating me so well.”
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