Ajo Motorsport rider shows fight of a World Champion and gains 10 places at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain.

Johann Zarco was able to leave the Jerez Circuit with a good result after a difficult weekend, fighting back on race day to take a very creditable fifth place. The Ajo Motorsport rider, who started from fifteenth position on the grid, gained places lap after lap to score 11 important points for his World Championship tally.

Taking off from the fifth row, the reigning Moto2 World Champion had expected a difficult race. After losing a position on the opening lap, the Frenchman overtook riders for four consecutive laps, breaking into the Top 10 by Lap 5. On the remaining laps, 3 crashes for riders ahead of him, plus passes of an additional pair of rivals, allowed him to cross the finish line in fifth.

With this result, Johann Zarco lies third in the overall standings with 56 points. Next up for the Ajo Motorsport rider is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans –his home round– in a fortnight’s time.

Results (Race)
1. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 44:58.624
2. Jonas Folger (Kalex) +2.480
3. Alex Rins (Kalex) +8.113
4. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) +10.659
5. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) +14.594

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2016
1. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 72 points
2. Alex Rins (Kalex) 62 points
3. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 56 points
4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 53 points
5. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 47 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“We should be happy with the result Johann [Zarco] achieved today, because it has been a difficult weekend. It was similar to last year’s race, and it is not easy for him to find a good pace at this track. But in the end he reacted like the champion he is, with the team also supporting him, and they never surrendered. Fifth place is very good for us.”

5 JOHANN ZARCO

“I’m happy with fifth place. I was ready to overtake off the start, but I could not do so because it was too risky. However, in the end I was able to find a good pace and gradually improve my position. At the end I benefited from crashes for other riders, because everyone was going all-out. The overall verdict is that this weekend has been positive, because it has helped me to improve my feeling on the bike and understand it a little better. It is positive for the future.”