Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) put in an outstanding Texas ride to take Moto2™ victory at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the Swiss rider leading a Dynavolt Intact GP 1-2 as Marcel Schrötter crossed the line second as Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) completed the podium.
There was drama right from the off and it was disaster for home hero Joe Roberts (American Racing KTM). The American and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) got tangled together heading up the hill into Turn 1, the pair then slamming into the helpless Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) as the trio crashed out in a scary looking incident. Thankfully all riders were ok and, in the meantime, Schrötter had got the perfect launch from pole but ran it wide into Turn 1, allowing Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and teammate Lüthi to slip through.
The Lap 1 drama wasn’t done there though. Double race winner and Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox HP 40) wouldn’t make it past Turn 10 after hitting the back of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the reigning Moto3™ World Champion getting out of shape on the exit of Turn 9 with Baldassarri unable to avoid contact.
With the Championship leader out, it was a great opportunity for the likes of Marquez, Lüthi and Schrötter to reel in some points on the Italian – and it was this exact trio who took a stranglehold on the race, with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Navarro just over two seconds back in fourth and fifth.
Lüthi and Marquez were nibbling at each other for several laps before the Swiss rider made a move stick at Turn 11 on Lap 8, this coming half a lap after the leaders made slight contact at Turn 1. Lüthi then put the hammer down and a lap later his lead over Marquez was stretched out to a full second, his teammate Schrötter 1.7 back. The men in second and third then came into contact on Lap 11 on the exit of Turn 11, both lucky to stay on, with Schrötter eventually getting the better of Marquez by the end of the lap. But the gap to Lüthi now sat at over two seconds, with fourth place Navarro now just 1.3 off Marquez.
With six laps remaining, Lüthi’s lead was up to 2.5 seconds over his teammate, with the German rider and Marquez slipping back into the clutches of the hard-charging Speed Up machine of Navarro – the battle for second really hotting up, with Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) less than a second back from the trio in fifth.
Marquez then started to suffer, seemingly with tyre issues, which allowed Navarro to eventually move up to third with himself, Marquez and Marini all locking horns. However, replacement rider Mattia Pasini (FlexBox HP 40) – an impressive performer throughout the weekend – was closing in on the podium scrap, and the Italian would get the better of both Marquez and Marini with two laps to go.
Meanwhile, Lüthi would cruise around the last lap to earn his first Grand Prix win since the 2017 San Marino GP in stunning style, with Schrötter making it a Dynavolt Intact GP 1-2 finish in Texas. Navarro held on for his maiden Moto2™ podium – his first since Aragon 2016 in the Moto3™ class – with Pasini producing a phenomenal effort to come home fourth on his first ride with a Triumph Moto2™ engine. Marquez held on for fifth, with Marini fending off Lowes on the last lap as the Kalex duo took the chequered flag in P6 and P7 respectively.
Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) wasn’t far off that particular scrap in P8, a great top ten finish for the veteran Italian, with compatriot Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) taking top rookie honours in P9 – his third consecutive ninth place finish. Fellow Italtrans Racing Team rider Andrea Locatelli completed the top ten, he led Argentina GP rostrum finisher Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) in P11 as his teammate Tetsuta Nagashima, Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP), Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) and Martin completed the points – Aegerter picking up MV’s first points on their return to GP racing.
Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) title aspirations took a dent after the South African pulled in at the end of Lap 2 with a clutch problem. Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) crashed out of Turn 1 while on course for his first Moto2™ points, with Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) crashed late on at Turn 12.
After a Moto2™ Texas rodeo, Baldassarri’s rivals have closed the gap the Championship. The Italian’s lead is now just three points over Schrötter, with Lüthi a further two behind his teammate. We now head to Jerez to start our 2019 European tour, what’s in store in southern Spain for the intermediate class?
RED BULL GRAND PRIX OF THE AMERICAS
Moto2 Race Classification 2019.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SWI | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 151.9 | 39’11.508 |
| 2 | 20 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 151.7 | +2.532 |
| 3 | 16 | 9 | Jorge NAVARRO | SPA | Beta Tools Speed Up | Speed Up | 151.6 | +3.836 |
| 4 | 13 | 54 | Mattia PASINI | ITA | Flexbox HP 40 | Kalex | 151.6 | +4.757 |
| 5 | 11 | 73 | Alex MARQUEZ | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 151.4 | +7.741 |
| 6 | 10 | 10 | Luca MARINI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 151.4 | +8.031 |
| 7 | 9 | 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | 151.3 | +8.282 |
| 8 | 8 | 24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 151.3 | +8.953 |
| 9 | 7 | 33 | Enea BASTIANINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 151.2 | +10.706 |
| 10 | 6 | 5 | Andrea LOCATELLI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 150.8 | +16.868 |
| 11 | 5 | 87 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | Kalex | 150.2 | +25.633 |
| 12 | 4 | 45 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | JPN | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | Kalex | 150.2 | +25.948 |
| 13 | 3 | 64 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 150.1 | +26.997 |
| 14 | 2 | 77 | Dominique AEGERTER | SWI | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | MV Agusta | 150.1 | +27.462 |
| 15 | 1 | 88 | Jorge MARTIN | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 150.1 | +27.482 |
| 16 | 2 | Jesko RAFFIN | SWI | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 149.4 | +39.435 | |
| 17 | 89 | Khairul Idham PAWI | MAL | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Kalex | 148.7 | +49.582 | |
| 18 | 65 | Philipp OETTL | GER | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 148.6 | +51.247 | |
| 19 | 3 | Lukas TULOVIC | GER | Kiefer Racing | KTM | 148.6 | +51.380 | |
| 20 | 35 | Somkiat CHANTRA | THA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 148.5 | +53.778 | |
| 21 | 6 | Gabriele RUIU | ITA | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | MV Agusta | 146.9 | +1’19.156 | |
| 22 | 20 | Dimas EKKY PRATAMA | INA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 146.9 | +1’19.286 | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 27 | Iker LECUONA | SPA | American Racing KTM | KTM | 151.0 | 5 Laps | ||
| 72 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 143.0 | 6 Laps | ||
| 18 | Xavi CARDELUS | AND | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | KTM | 142.4 | 12 Laps | ||
| 41 | Brad BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 131.5 | 16 Laps | ||
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||||||
| 21 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | Beta Tools Speed Up | Speed Up | 0 Lap | |||
| 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | Flexbox HP 40 | Kalex | 0 Lap | |||
| 97 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 0 Lap | |||
| 16 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | American Racing KTM | KTM | 0 Lap | |||
Moto2 World Standing 2019.
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Kalex | ITA | 50 |
| 2 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Kalex | GER | 47 |
| 3 | Thomas LUTHI | Kalex | SWI | 45 |
| 4 | Remy GARDNER | Kalex | AUS | 38 |
| 5 | Alex MARQUEZ | Kalex | SPA | 36 |
| 6 | Luca MARINI | Kalex | ITA | 27 |
| 7 | Jorge NAVARRO | Speed Up | SPA | 24 |
| 8 | Enea BASTIANINI | Kalex | ITA | 21 |
| 9 | Sam LOWES | Kalex | GBR | 19 |
| 10 | Brad BINDER | KTM | RSA | 14 |
| 11 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Kalex | ITA | 14 |
| 12 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | SPA | 13 |
| 13 | Mattia PASINI | Kalex | ITA | 13 |
| 14 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | Kalex | SPA | 11 |
| 15 | Simone CORSI | Kalex | ITA | 8 |
| 16 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | Kalex | JPN | 8 |
| 17 | Somkiat CHANTRA | Kalex | THA | 6 |
| 18 | Xavi VIERGE | Kalex | SPA | 6 |
| 19 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Speed Up | ITA | 5 |
| 20 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS | NED | 5 |
| 21 | Khairul Idham PAWI | Kalex | MAL | 3 |
| 22 | Jesko RAFFIN | NTS | SWI | 3 |
| 23 | Dominique AEGERTER | MV Agusta | SWI | 2 |
| 24 | Jorge MARTIN | KTM | SPA | 2 |
| 25 | Marco BEZZECCHI | KTM | ITA | |
| 26 | Jake DIXON | KTM | GBR | |
| 27 | Lukas TULOVIC | KTM | GER | |
| 28 | Philipp OETTL | KTM | GER | |
| 29 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta | ITA | |
| 30 | Xavi CARDELUS | KTM | AND | |
| 31 | Gabriele RUIU | MV Agusta | ITA | |
| 32 | Joe ROBERTS | KTM | USA | |
| 33 | Dimas EKKY PRATAMA | Kalex | INA |
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of MotoGP.com
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Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
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“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.”![]()
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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.![]()
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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.![]()
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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.![]()
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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.![]()
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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.
