Ajo Motorsport rider takes second place in an exciting Grand Prix of The Americas -the first podium for the Finnish structure in the intermediate class.

Bad luck struck for him in Qatar, but this Sunday in Austin, Johann Zarco could finally finish off a great weekend with his first podium of the season. His second position was one he fought for right from the first lap, and was a deserved reward for a great start to the year. This is also the first podium for Ajo Motorsport in Moto2, in their rookie season in the class.

Mixed track conditions did not set Zarco back at the start of the race. Starting from the second row, the Frenchman took the lead just after the first corner. From that moment, the Ajo Motorsport rider pushed hard and ignored the drops of rain that fell on the opening laps. He would only relinquish the lead of the race with 6 laps to go, as eventually racewinner Sam Lowes got past him.

With this result, Zarco rises to second place in the overall standings with 28 points. He lies just one point off the top spot. Next weekend, at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit in Argentina, he will contest the third Grand Prix of the year.

Results – Race
1. Sam Lowes (Speed Up) 41:45.565
2. Johann Zarco (Kalex) +1.999
3. Alex Rins (Kalex) +4.622
4. Tito Rabat (Kalex) +8.975
5. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) +12.976

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2015
1. Alex Rins (Kalex) 29 points
2. Johann Zarco (Kalex) 28 points
3. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 25 points
4. Sam Lowes (Speed Up) 25 points
5. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 22 points

Johann Zarco,
“It was a very nice race. I’m happy, because after the opening corners I was leading the race and for a long time I was up at the front and feeling comfortable. It was a pleasure to lead. Six laps from the end, Sam [Lowes] overtook me; he was going a little better and although I tried to follow him, it was not easy and he slowly pulled away. I had a little incident with Xavier Simeon and I lost some time. I did not know he had crashed, so I feel bad for him. I tried to catch Sam, but he was very fast. Second position is very important and very good for the championship. The bike went very well, so I thank the team for a good job. We have to keep working because I can still go faster, and that will be important for the next races.”

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“I’m very happy with the race Johann [Zarco] had, because once again it was a difficult race due to the weather. It rained a little while he was leading the race and that is very difficult, because you have no reference ahead of you. He remained calm, even at the end of the race when Sam Lowes started to push and overtook him. I think he did very well to get second position. At the moment we are doing very well with the points, so we are excited about continuing fighting for the front positions at the coming races.”