The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider finishes 23rd, despite suffering a heavy crash in the warm-up. Mattia Pasini places 16th in his first experience with the team.

Sunday at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix required improvisation from Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2. The appearance of rain on the sixth lap of the race led to a stoppage of several minutes and a restart over 10 laps in dry conditions. Tetsuta Nagashima gritted his teeth to finish the contest 23rd, after suffering a heavy crash in the warm-up. Stand-in rider Mattia Pasini did a very professional job with the team and placed 16th.

Nagashima began the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with pain and bruising, after an incident at Turn 15 at the end of the morning warm-up. The Japanese was in 12th position, one higher than his spot on the grid, when the race was stopped due to the onset of rain. Upon the restart, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider got off the line well once again. Although he would lose several places by the time the chequered flag was waved, he would come home 23rd.

Pasini, who started from the fifth row of the grid, held his position on the first corner. The Italian was 17th when the stewards showed the red flag for rain. He did not get away well second time around and was required to make a speedy comeback due to the short duration of the second half of the contest. The Italian eventually ended his first experience with Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 16th.

After the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Nagashima occupies 6th in the overall standings with 68 points. Jorge Martin, who missed this race, is 5th with 79. Next week the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team will return to action at the Catalan Grand Prix, from September 25-27th.

Results – Race
1. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 16:11.977
2. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) +0.720
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) +1.124
4. Luca Marini (Kalex) +2.310
5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +4.132
16. Mattia Pasini (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +12.935
23. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +18.079

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2020
1. Luca Marini (Kalex) 125 points
2. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 120 points
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 105 points
4. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 83 points
5. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 79 points
6. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 68 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“This weekend was tough for us in Moto2. However, Tetsuta Nagashima had been enjoying a positive Grand Prix, since from Friday he had been setting competitive times. He just needed to improve with the soft tyre, which was precisely the one that everyone chose for the second half of the race. However, the main problem for him today was the big crash he suffered in the warm-up. As for Mattia Pasini, he rounded off a very professional job and perfectly understood his position as a substitute rider. He showed great pace and has given us a lot of data.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“It was an unfortunate day for me. Before the warm-up I felt very good and was setting some good times; we were ready for the race. It was a shame about the crash I suffered in the final minutes of the session, which did me a lot of damage.
During the contest I didn’t feel too bad and I was holding my position well. However, after the red flag we had to fit a soft tyre and I found it much harder. Luckily, next week we will have another opportunity in Barcelona, so we are going to start working right away to arrive there well prepared.”

54 MATTIA PASINI

“I’m very happy with today’s race; we were very close to getting into the points. On the second start, we were further back than our position on the initial grid, so I had to fight back – and finally we reached the 16th place.
It was a tough race due to the red flag for rain. Nonetheless, we did a good job and I am pleased to have been able to fight against some of the best riders in the class again. I am satisfied with the work I did alongside the team and I want to thank all those who made it possible for me to be here today once again.”