Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaró has announced himself as the man to beat this season by ending the three-day Valencia Moto2™ test on top on Thursday, as Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi was taken to hospital after a crash with Honda Gresini Moto2’s Ratthapark Wilairot.
Wilairot lost the front going into turn 2 of the race track. The fact that Lüthi and his Suter bike were hit so hard and completely unexpectedly by Wilairot’s tumbling machine, contributed to the seriousness of Lüthi’s injuries.
Lüthi, who finished the test in fifth, was initially taken to Valencia’s 9 d’Octubre Hospital with a suspected broken right arm and collarbone, while Wilairot was treated at the circuit for pain in his head.
Since Lüthi was able to travel, Switzerland’s emergency recovery service “Rega” sent a jet that picked Lüthi up shortly after 10 p.m. the same evening. After landing at Zurich airport, an ambulance brought him to the hospital of Münsingen, were the team of Dr. Marc Metzler, Lüthi’s surgeon for many years, started surgery only one hour after his arrival at 5 a.m. Friday morning. Whereas his shoulder injury didn’t require surgery, his multiple fractures in elbow and upper arm were screwed and plated in a five-hour-long procedure.
“The operation was a success. Tom can expect a full recovery without any restrictions to his mobility,” was the good news when the doctors came out of the operation theatre.
There are no plans for an early return at the remaining pre-season test session and Luthi’s participation at the first round at Qatar on April 7 is also in jeopardy.
“This accident was very, very unlucky”, said team owner Daniel M. Epp. “But the initial report of the doctors after surgery took a big weight of our shoulders since Tom will, in all likelihood, recover completely from his injuries. At the moment, this is all that counts!”
Before the incident happened, Espargaró’s time set in the second session today of 1:34.577 put him top of the pile ahead of Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol, who looks to have had an upsurge in form this year. While Espargaró was testing only minor upgrades on his Kalex, Terol was evaluating the 2012 chassis and the 2013 one, with him tending towards the newer one, but still undecided.
Italtrans Racing Team’s Julián Simón gelled with his Kalex over the three days, going just four tenths slower than the top time, with Terol’s teammate Jordi Torres closely behind. Lüthi, who had looked strong before his crash, was fifth, with Simón’s teammate Takaaki Nakagami carrying over his form from the end of last year, to post the sixth quickest time.
Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding left it until the penultimate session of the day to jump to seventh place on the table, ousting Pons’ Esteve Rabat into eighth. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Simone Corsi continued to be the strongest Speed Up rider, with Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco completing the top 10.
Dominance across all three days by JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Maverick Viñales has sent a clear warning to the Moto3™ grid at the Valencia test that came to an end on Thursday.
The Spaniard ended the three days top with a time of 1:39.299, praising his new KTM, saying that he was particularly impressed with the engine, and that it was now only the chassis that needs more work. Estrella Galicia’s Alex Rins, last year’s Rookie of the Year, finished in second less than three tenths behind, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom in tow.
Caretta Technology-RTG’s John McPhee, who had been largely subdued throughout big parts of the test, put in a terrific performance to end the test as fastest FTR Honda, and the last rider below the 1.40 mark. Fifth spot went to Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who was getting acquainted with his 2013 Kalex KTM, citing that he was looking for higher corner speed.
–From motogp.com
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