GARDNER WINS MOTO2 EPIC AT MUGELLO

A last lap overtake from Remy Gardner in Italy secured the Australian his first Moto2 victory of the season, and first with the KTM Ajo team.

The margin was the second smallest in Moto2 history, taking the win by just 0.014s from his teammate and major championship rival Raul Fernandez.

It had been a consistent start to the season for Gardner who had only once finished off the podium in the first five races, however a race win eluded the Aussie until the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

Gardner made a lightning start from fourth on the grid and held second into Turn 1 behind Fernandez.

The teammates immediately began to break away from the field and were followed from a distance by championship rival Sam Lowes.

As the race approached half distance Gardner began to drop off Fernandez and fall into the clutches of Lowes.

The Aussie and the Englishman exchanged positions several times on lap 10, but Lowes eventually made it stick.

Fernandez held a 2s lead at that point, but immediately Lowes began to cut into the margin.

By lap 16 Lowes closed the gap to 0.8s before he shockingly crashed out of the race at Arrabbiata 1.

With Lowes out of the way Gardner found a new lease of life, from 3s back he began to cut the margin by more than 0.5s a lap.

After catching his Spanish teammate on the penultimate lap Gardner bided his time.

On the final lap with a great run out of Arrabbiata 2 Gardner fired up the inside at Scarperia.

Out of the final turn Fernandez got in the Aussie’s tow but came up just a few millimetres short, Gardner taking the win by 0.014s.

“I was trying to keep calm in the beginning and strike in those last few laps and I think my plan worked out perfectly,” he felt.

“So happy, can’t believe it, it’s another win for me, I just want to thank the team and everyone who supports me, I’m lost for words.”

Joe Roberts finished third but was demoted to fourth for ignoring track limits on the final lap, giving Marco Bezzecchi his third successive podium.

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