Tetsuta Nagashima finishes 21st and his teammate, Jorge Martin, crashes out early at the French Grand Prix.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team had a tough Sunday at the French Grand Prix, in which mid-morning rain meant that the Moto2 race was declared wet. Tetsuta Nagashima completed the 25-lap contest, crossing the line 21st. His teammate, Jorge Martin, crashed in the opening moments of the round, when riding in sixth.

Tetsuta Nagashima experienced the difficulties of starting far back on the grid and, after taking off from the eighth row, he lost several positions. The Japanese worked hard to avoid making any mistake on a track that was still not 100% dry. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider would eventually come home 21st at the tenth round of the Moto2 World Championship.

The French Grand Prix was a tough one for Jorge Martin, despite him proving to be one of the most competitive riders in practice. In the contest, the Spaniard made a good start from the second row, moving up into second position on the opening corner. However, shortly after, he had a small scare that forced him to go off the racing line, giving up several places in the process. On Lap 3, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider was unable to save a crash at Turn 2, which brought his day to a premature end.

Now Jorge Martin occupies 5th position in the overall standings with 79 points. Tetsuta Nagashima is 6th with 72. Next week the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo will be back in action at the Aragon Grand Prix, which takes place from October 16-18th.

Results – Race
1. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 41:27.648
2. Remy Gardner (Kalex) +3.822
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) +4.184
4. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) +5.884
5. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +21.668
21. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1:14.158
DNF. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2020
1. Luca Marini (Kalex) 150 points
2. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 135 points
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 130 points
4. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 128 points
5. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 79 points
6. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 72 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“It was a tough weekend for us in Moto2, with many incidents. Tetsuta [Nagashima] was able to finish the race and, unfortunately, Jorge [Martin] crashed out. We cannot be satisfied with our performance at the French Grand Prix, but luckily now we have two new opportunities at Aragon in the coming weeks.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“It was a tough French Grand Prix for us. On the one hand, I am happy with the speed we have shown. On the other, I’m not satisfied with the result or with our development, as we suffered three crashes in the same weekend. However, all of the incidents occurred on a track in strange and delicate conditions. Now we have to focus on the next race in Aragon. We will try to achieve a good result in the two opportunities we have at that track.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“First of all, I want to apologise to both the team and the fans, as this weekend was very difficult for us. This isn’t the best time for us, but I know we have enough pace to be able to fight at the front. Now we should reset our minds and regain the feeling we had in Qatar and at Jerez. We know that the potential is there and at Aragon we will continue working hard, as we always do, to be able to take a step forward.”