Ajo Motorsport rider wins at Termas de Rio Hondo for second consecutive season, stuff overcoming difficult track conditions.

Just as he did in the 2015 Argentinian GP, cure Johann Zarco occupied the top step of the podium at Termas de Rio Hondo in 2016. Despite facing mixed track conditions that were neither wet nor dry, the reigning Moto2 World Champion managed to play his cards to perfection on raceday and claim his first win of the year. His latest victory is the tenth of his career to date, and was the perfect end to Round 2 of the season.

In order to take the win, Zarco needed to tackle 23 difficult laps for the Moto2 riders. Morning rainfall leaving several damp patches on track meant the intermediate class had to ride with caution, but it was the Frenchman who proved to be the best in adapting. The Ajo Motorsport rider started from second place on the starting grid and held his position on the opening lap, settling into a four-rider leading group. With 11 laps remaining, Zarco took the lead; with 3 remaining he pulled away from rivals Lowes, Morbidelli and Folger to go clear. So strong was his finish that he set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

After the first two races of the year, Zarco occupies second position in the overall standings -just five points behind the current leader. The Frenchman will try to establish a winning run next weekend in Austin, at the Grand Prix of the Americas.

Results (Race)
1. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 40:57.806
2. Sam Lowes (Kalex) +1.347
3. Jonas Folger (Kalex) +2.754
4. Alex Rins (Kalex) +6.101
5. Dominique Aegerter (Kalex) +17.384

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2016
1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 34 points
2. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 29 points
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 27 points
4. Hafizh Syahrin (Kalex) 23 points
5. Dominique Aegerter (Kalex) 22 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“It was another excellent race from Johann [Zarco] in what has been a great weekend for him. He proved to be very strong. In the winter he found it hard to get a good feeling with the bike, but in Qatar we took a big step forward and here, from Friday on, we have seen how Johann is very confident on the bike. He had a great pace all weekend, whatever the conditions. For me this is a good sign for the future, and we have to continue working like we have done up to now.”

5 JOHANN ZARCO

“Honestly, I did not know if I was really strong in these conditions, but before the race I thought I should be careful. Being in the lead group was very important, because then it would have been more difficult to reduce any gap later on. I started to get in control and did everything I could to avoid the wettest areas of the track, then began to push. Maybe I made a few small mistakes, as I was fighting against other riders such as Morbidelli. When the track dried out further I focused much more, and when I had the opportunity to lead the race I felt more comfortable using my lines -taking advantage of the gap to push harder and get everything under control. In the end I succeeded. I am very happy with the victory, and after Qatar this is fantastic. I hope things go the same way in Texas.”