Ajo Motorsport rider makes comeback during race for third consecutive podium finish, increasing his lead in the overall standings.

The Spanish GP weekend ended very positively for Ajo Motorsport and rider Johann Zarco. Hindered in his quest for the best setup for his Kalex by high temperatures on track, the Frenchman placed second in the race after having started from ninth on the grid. It was his third consecutive podium of the year.

Aware of the difficulties posed by the early laps, Zarco made a discreet start that relegated him to eleventh position after Lap 1. The Frenchman soon started to recover positions, and his rapid progression led to him occupying fifth place after just five laps. With a fast and steady pace, the Ajo Motorsport rider knew he could reach the leading group.

After an intense fight with Thomas Luthi, Zarco began to close the gap to the leading group -entering the fight for the podium on the penultimate lap. Attentive to all movements around him, he reached the final corner in a prime position to capitalise on a mistake by Alex Rins and snatched second place.

The former champion of the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2007 will head into his home race, the French Grand Prix, as Moto2 series leader by 16 points. The race will be held from May 15th-17th at Le Mans.

Race – Results
1. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 45:01.873
2. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) +1.931
3. Tito Rabat (Kalex) +2.222
4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +6.833
5. Xavier Simeon (Kalex) +11.086

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2015
1. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 73 points
2. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 57 points
3. Alex Rins (Kalex) 49 points
4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 43 points
5. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 43 points

Johann Zarco,
“It was a good race, because I did not start very well and the first few corners were difficult. My pace was good and I was able to overtake riders from then until the end. I got up to the front group and wanted to stick with them, because I knew that until the last corner anything was possible. Rins made a mistake -we were all on the limit- and I had good speed coming out of the turn, so I kept second place and it feels great. Starting from ninth and finishing with 20 points is great for the championship, as we head to Le Mans as leaders.”

Aki Ajo,
“After not a very good qualifying session, Johann [Zarco] had an excellent race. The weekend has been difficult, because the track temperature changed a lot during the sessions and it didn’t make it easy for the tyre choice. On the podium there were riders with both hard and soft compounds. In the end everything went well and I am happy that Johann remained calm and focused on his own race, without making any mistakes, and that he achieved this result.”