Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) has taken his first ever back-to-back victories in the world championship, as he slipstreamed Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli to the line in Australia – taking the Italian in a stunning photo finish only a week after his victory at the Twin Ring Motegi. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese completed the podium for his first rostrum in over a year, bouncing back from a tough season marred by injury.
Blue skies, good weather and finally a completely dry track at Phillip Island saw Moto2™ line up a little late after a dramatic Moto3™ race, with Luthi getting the holeshot from pole and as you were at the front – with a key loser off the line proving Championship leader and reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport). As Luthi then had a big moment, Morbidelli then struck for the lead – but the Swiss rider hit back as the front row set off at the head of the race.
From a tough starting position of P15 for Championship contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40), the Spaniard was up into P6 with 20 laps to go – with Zarco back in P13 – as he attempted to cut the Frenchman’s 21 point lead ahead of the Australian GP. Then Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was the first big name to crash out – rider ok – as the Brit suffered his fifth fall of the weekend early on, before Rins saw his title chances take another big hit as he ended up in the gravel soon after, and Zarco began his fight back and got up into the top ten.
The front group of Luthi, Morbidelli and Pasini remained clear in the lead, with the three keeping pace with each other – and Luthi, P3 in the Championship, seeing his “Rins – out” pit board. As the three remained in the 1:34 laptimes, Zarco began to drop back through the field – in P14 by 11 laps to go.
After a strong turn of pace at the start, Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) fell back into the clutches of Misano winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing), with the Italian taking over in P4 and Folger holding on in the top five – until Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Folger’s teammate Sandro Cortese overhauled the Brno winner. Cortese continued his stunning pace and ride through the field to take the podium, with Nakagami fading slightly as he felt the effects of his highside crash in Qualifying – and Pasini falling out of contention at Turn 4.
Baldassarri finished the race in P4, ahead of Nakagami by the flag, with Folger hanging on to P6. Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) had a solid ride to P7, with Axel Pons (AGR Team) taking eighth ahead of an impressive performance from Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing), who came home in ninth. Marcel Schrotter (AGR Team) completed the top ten.
Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team) headed reigning Champion Zarco, as the Frenchman finished the race in P12 – with Jesko Raffin (Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG), Edgar Pons (Paginas Amalrillas HP40) and Ratthapark Wilairot (Idemitsi Honda Team Asia) completing the points positions.
With Lowes and Rins both crashing out, and Zarco down in P12, Luthi was the big winner in Phillip Island – cutting his deficit in the title fight significantly as the penultimate round of the year at Sepang International Circuit approaches. He took over in P2 in the title, now only 22 points down, and showed the adage can be true – he who dares, can sometimes win.
MICHELIN® AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX
Moto2 Race Classification 2016.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SWI | Garage Plus Interwetten | Kalex | 169.9 | 39’15.891 |
| 2 | 20 | 21 | Franco MORBIDELLI | ITA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 169.9 | +0.010 |
| 3 | 16 | 11 | Sandro CORTESE | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 169.8 | +0.530 |
| 4 | 13 | 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | Forward Team | Kalex | 169.7 | +3.081 |
| 5 | 11 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | JPN | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 169.6 | +3.815 |
| 6 | 10 | 94 | Jonas FOLGER | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 169.1 | +11.087 |
| 7 | 9 | 24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | 168.9 | +13.291 |
| 8 | 8 | 49 | Axel PONS | SPA | AGR Team | Kalex | 168.7 | +16.411 |
| 9 | 7 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | AGR Team | Kalex | 168.6 | +17.650 |
| 10 | 6 | 97 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 168.6 | +17.665 |
| 11 | 5 | 19 | Xavier SIMEON | BEL | QMMF Racing Team | Speed Up | 168.6 | +17.762 |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | FRA | Ajo Motorsport | Kalex | 168.6 | +17.796 |
| 13 | 3 | 2 | Jesko RAFFIN | SWI | Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG | Kalex | 167.6 | +31.575 |
| 14 | 2 | 57 | Edgar PONS | SPA | Paginas Amarillas HP 40 | Kalex | 167.4 | +34.670 |
| 15 | 1 | 14 | Ratthapark WILAIROT | THA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 167.0 | +40.454 |
| 16 | 10 | Luca MARINI | ITA | Forward Team | Kalex | 166.5 | +47.707 | |
| 17 | 70 | Robin MULHAUSER | SWI | CarXpert Interwetten | Kalex | 163.3 | +1’34.470 | |
| 18 | 93 | Ramdan ROSLI | MAL | Petronas AHM Malaysia | Kalex | 162.4 | 1 Lap | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 20 | Alessandro NOCCO | ITA | Leopard Racing | Kalex | 160.7 | 2 Laps | ||
| 54 | Mattia PASINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 169.8 | 3 Laps | ||
| 52 | Danny KENT | GBR | Leopard Racing | Kalex | 167.3 | 3 Laps | ||
| 87 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 158.8 | 12 Laps | ||
| 60 | Julian SIMON | SPA | QMMF Racing Team | Speed Up | 167.3 | 16 Laps | ||
| 27 | Iker LECUONA | SPA | CarXpert Interwetten | Kalex | 164.4 | 16 Laps | ||
| 40 | Alex RINS | SPA | Paginas Amarillas HP 40 | Kalex | 167.4 | 19 Laps | ||
| 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | 163.1 | 23 Laps | ||
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||||||
| 55 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAL | Petronas Raceline Malaysia | Kalex | 0 Lap | |||
Moto2 World Standing 2016
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johann ZARCO | Kalex | FRA | 226 |
| 2 | Thomas LUTHI | Kalex | SWI | 204 |
| 3 | Alex RINS | Kalex | SPA | 201 |
| 4 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Kalex | ITA | 177 |
| 5 | Sam LOWES | Kalex | GBR | 162 |
| 6 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Kalex | JPN | 159 |
| 7 | Jonas FOLGER | Kalex | GER | 143 |
| 8 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Kalex | ITA | 112 |
| 9 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | Kalex | MAL | 106 |
| 10 | Simone CORSI | Speed Up | ITA | 93 |
| 11 | Dominique AEGERTER | Kalex | SWI | 71 |
| 12 | Mattia PASINI | Kalex | ITA | 63 |
| 13 | Sandro CORTESE | Kalex | GER | 61 |
| 14 | Alex MARQUEZ | Kalex | SPA | 60 |
| 15 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Kalex | GER | 58 |
| 16 | Axel PONS | Kalex | SPA | 55 |
| 17 | Xavier SIMEON | Speed Up | BEL | 45 |
| 18 | Julian SIMON | Speed Up | SPA | 40 |
| 19 | Luis SALOM | Kalex | SPA | 37 |
| 20 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | Kalex | POR | 33 |
| 21 | Danny KENT | Kalex | GBR | 28 |
| 22 | Luca MARINI | Kalex | ITA | 27 |
| 23 | Xavi VIERGE | Tech 3 | SPA | 25 |
| 24 | Jesko RAFFIN | Kalex | SWI | 14 |
| 25 | Isaac VIÑALES | Tech 3 | SPA | 13 |
| 26 | Anthony WEST | Suter | AUS | 6 |
| 27 | Ratthapark WILAIROT | Kalex | THA | 6 |
| 28 | Remy GARDNER | Kalex | AUS | 5 |
| 29 | Robin MULHAUSER | Kalex | SWI | 4 |
| 30 | Edgar PONS | Kalex | SPA | 4 |
| 31 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | Kalex | JPN | 2 |
| 32 | Federico FULIGNI | Kalex | ITA | |
| 33 | Ramdan ROSLI | Kalex | MAL | |
| 34 | Steven ODENDAAL | Kalex | RSA | |
| 35 | Alessandro TONUCCI | Kalex | ITA | |
| 36 | Iker LECUONA | Kalex | SPA | |
| 37 | Alessandro NOCCO | ITA | ||
| 38 | Ricard CARDUS | Suter | SPA | |
| 39 | Naomichi URAMOTO | Kalex | JPN | |
| 40 | Efren VAZQUEZ | Suter | SPA | |
| 41 | Taro SEKIGUCHI | TSR | JPN | |
| 42 | Danny ESLICK | Suter | USA |
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of MotoGP.com
Check Out Our Instagram Feed
Check Out Our Facebook Feed
Modenas Riang Ria 2026 & Cup Prix Team announcement #modenas #modenasmalaysia #motorbugs #cupprix #cupprixmalaysia
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
![]()
“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
![]()
Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
![]()
Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
![]()
The 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup will be run over seven rounds. From the season-opener at Autopolis, the Series moves to Round 2 from 16-17 May at Sportsland Sugo, followed by Round 3 from 27-28 June at Okayama International Circuit; and Round 4 from 8-9 August at the Tokachi Speedway. Round 5 will be held at Fuji Speedway from 5-6 September, followed by Round 6 from 3-4 October at Suzuka Circuit before the 7th and final round at Mobility Resort Montegi from 21-22 November.
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
![]()
“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
![]()
Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
![]()
Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
![]()
The 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup will be run over seven rounds. From the season-opener at Autopolis, the Series moves to Round 2 from 16-17 May at Sportsland Sugo, followed by Round 3 from 27-28 June at Okayama International Circuit; and Round 4 from 8-9 August at the Tokachi Speedway. Round 5 will be held at Fuji Speedway from 5-6 September, followed by Round 6 from 3-4 October at Suzuka Circuit before the 7th and final round at Mobility Resort Montegi from 21-22 November.
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
![]()
Having won the Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series last year, Malaysia’s Wing Hin Motorsports is doubling down on its’s presence in Japan to establish a gateway for the rise of racing talent from Asia.![]()
![]()
In collaboration with Masahiro Sasaki, a Gazoo Racing and Rookie Racing driver, the Malaysian team will field two drivers at the opening of the 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series this weekend as part of its Driver Development Program. Wing Hin Motorsports had won the Series in its debut last year with Naquib Azlan and also clinched a 4th place overall with a second Malaysian driver Amer Harris.![]()
![]()
This year, Wing Hin Motorsports will field Malaysian touring car ace Mitchell Cheah and Indonesian Jordan Johan in the Series with Round 1 taking on the Autopolis Circuit.
