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Remy Gardner has gone back-to-back in the Moto2 world championship with victory at the Catalan Grand Prix.
Either of the two Red Bull KTM Ajo entries led all 22 laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Gardner exercising patience during the middle portion of the race before picking off Raul Fernandez with three laps to go.
The MotoGP-bound Australian pulled away thereafter and his championship lead is now 11 points over his Spanish team-mate, who took the chequered flag in second position.
Gardner had qualified on pole and headed the field into the first corner, ahead of Raul Fernandez, Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG), Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta), and Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS).
Bendsneyder went down the inside of Raul Fernandez at Turn 5 but the latter re-passed the Dutchman at Turn 7, a battle which allowed Gardner to skip 0.6s clear by the end of the standing lap.
Marco Bezzecchi (Sky VR46), the man nearest to the KTM Ajo duo in the championship, moved into fifth when he slipstreamed past Augusto Fernandez as Lap 2 became Lap 3.
Raul Fernandez needed little time to catch back up to Gardner, although he continued to follow the Sydney native as Augusto Fernandez and Aron Canet (Inde Aspar) battled over sixth spot.
When Canet crashed out at Turn 5 on Lap 7, Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS), who arrived in Barcelona fourth in the championship, was promoted to ninth.
Lowes passed Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini) for eighth at the start of Lap 8, making Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) his next target, while Raul Fernandez was still tailing Gardner.
The top two had moved more than a second clear of the chasing pack when the rookie finally made his move for the lead, down the inside of #87 at Turn 1 on Lap 12.
Vierge took over third when he went underneath Bendsneyder at the start of Lap 16, and then Bezzecchi slipstreamed past #64 into fourth at the start of Lap 17.
Raul Fernandez received a track limits warning with a handful of laps remaining, raising the stakes given he had not shaken Gardner.
The second-generation rider made an opportunist move on Lap 20 when he threw his bike down the inside of #25 at Turn 1, and that was effectively the end of the contest.
Gardner won by 1.872s in the end, with Vierge surviving late pressure from Bezzecchi to claim the final spot on the podium.
Augusto Fernandez claimed fifth position after slipstreaming past Bendsneyder with two laps to go while, behind the latter, seventh through 10th at the finish was Lowes, Marcel Schrotter (Liqui-Moly Intact GP), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), and Joe Roberts (Italtrans).
Ogura crashed out of seventh position on Lap 20 and neither Di Giannantonio nor Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) finished either, clashing under brakes at Turn 1 on Lap 21 when they were running eighth and ninth respectively.
Round 8 is the German Grand Prix, at the Sachsenring, on June 18-20.
Race results: Catalan Moto2 Grand Prix
Pos | Num | Rider | Nat | Team | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | 87 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | Red Bull KTM Ajo | Kalex | 38:22.284 |
2 | 25 | Raul FERNANDEZ | ESP | Red Bull KTM Ajo | Kalex | +1.872 |
3 | 97 | Xavi VIERGE | ESP | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Kalex | +2.866 |
4 | 72 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | +3.207 |
5 | 37 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | ESP | Elf Marc VDS Racing Team | Kalex | +3.899 |
6 | 64 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team | Kalex | +4.541 |
7 | 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing Team | Kalex | +4.875 |
8 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Liqui Moly Intact GP | Kalex | +15.973 |
9 | 35 | Somkiat CHANTRA | THA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | +17.515 |
10 | 16 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | +19.838 |
11 | 9 | Jorge NAVARRO | ESP | MB Conveyors Speed Up | Boscoscuro | +20.571 |
12 | 75 | Albert ARENAS | ESP | Inde Aspar Team | Boscoscuro | +22.512 |
13 | 14 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | Liqui Moly Intact GP | Kalex | +22.558 |
14 | 13 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | +23.238 |
15 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SUI | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team | Kalex | +23.958 |
16 | 24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | MV Agusta | +25.099 |
17 | 11 | Nicolò BULEGA | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | +31.344 |
18 | 96 | Jake DIXON | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Kalex | +37.129 |
19 | 6 | Cameron BEAUBIER | USA | American Racing | Kalex | +37.895 |
20 | 55 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAS | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | +38.438 |
21 | 2 | Alonso LOPEZ | ESP | MB Conveyors Speed Up | Boscoscuro | +40.247 |
22 | 70 | Barry BALTUS | BEL | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | +40.674 |
23 | 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | MV Agusta | +40.784 |
24 | 62 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | Flexbox HP40 | Kalex | +48.588 |
25 | 74 | Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI | POL | Pertamina Mandalika SAG Euvic | Kalex | +49.640 |
26 | 81 | Keminth KUBO | THA | VR46 Master Camp Team | Kalex | +49.694 |
DNF | 40 | Hector GARZO | ESP | Flexbox HP40 | Kalex | 2 Laps |
DNF | 21 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | 2 Laps |
DNF | 79 | Ai OGURA | JPN | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 3 Laps |
DNF | 19 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 4 Laps |
DNF | 42 | Marcos RAMIREZ | ESP | American Racing | Kalex | 15 Laps |
DNF | 44 | Aron CANET | ESP | Inde Aspar Team | Boscoscuro | 16 Laps |
Race winner: 22 laps
Championship points
Pos | Rider | Nat | Pts |
1 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | 139 |
2 | Raul FERNANDEZ | ESP | 128 |
3 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | 101 |
4 | Sam LOWES | GBR | 75 |
5 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | 60 |
6 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | 50 |
7 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | 49 |
8 | Xavi VIERGE | ESP | 42 |
9 | Ai OGURA | JPN | 39 |
10 | Aron CANET | ESP | 35 |
11 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | 35 |
12 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | ESP | 34 |
13 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | 30 |
14 | Jorge NAVARRO | ESP | 24 |
15 | Cameron BEAUBIER | USA | 20 |
16 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | 17 |
17 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | 15 |
18 | Jake DIXON | GBR | 11 |
19 | Hector GARZO | ESP | 11 |
20 | Somkiat CHANTRA | THA | 11 |
21 | Albert ARENAS | ESP | 10 |
22 | Marcos RAMIREZ | ESP | 9 |
23 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAS | 8 |
24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | 7 |
25 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | 6 |
26 | Nicolò BULEGA | ITA | 5 |
27 | Fermín ALDEGUER | ESP | 4 |
28 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | 3 |
29 | Thomas LUTHI | SUI | 2 |
30 | Barry BALTUS | BEL | |
31 | Yari MONTELLA | ITA | |
32 | Tommaso MARCON | ITA | |
33 | Miquel PONS | ESP | |
34 | Fraser ROGERS | GBR | |
35 | Alonso LOPEZ | ESP | |
36 | Taiga HADA | JPN | |
37 | Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI | POL | |
38 | Keminth KUBO | THA |