News
27 May 2018
MOTO 2 WIN AND GRAND PRIX TITLE FOR YOUSEF AL ABDULRAZZAQ
Sunday, 27 May, GALLIPOLI (Italy): World Champion Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq completed a near-perfect start to his title defence in Gallipoli with victory in Moto 2 in Runabout GP1 to win the UIM-ABP Aquabike Grand Prix of Italy.
 
The four-time champion grabbed the advantage immediately to get ahead of yesterday’s winner and pole-sitter Gyorgy Kasza to lead from Christophe Agostinho, Kasza and Jeremy Perez at the end of lap 1.
 
Spain’s Roberto Alexander was also in the mix on the opening lap but a spectacular high-side coming to the start-finish line at the end of lap 1 put paid to his chances, dropping back and ending the race a lap down in tenth.
 
The running order at the front remained static until lap 5 when Kasza hit a wall of a wave and was passed by Perez, making a double gain and also moving ahead of Agostinho, the hit on Kasza’s bike proving costly, his race ending on lap 7, but his Moto 1 win was enough to put him on the third step of the podium.
 
Out front Abdulrazzaq was in complete control and racing away from Perez, opening out a 30 second gap by lap 10 and running out the winner by 19.00s to take his 11th Grand Prix title and an early nine point lead in the title race. Second place for Perez put him into second overall and on the podium for the first time since Sharjah 2016.
 
But the man on the move and producing the performance of Moto 2 was Marcus Jorgensen; starting from 23rd he was up to 11th at the end of lap I and started to scythe his way through the pack picking of riders with ease and by lap 8 was into third where he finished.
 
Lars Akerblom came home in fourth place ahead of a great race by Alexander Kabatov, with Johan Johansson picking up a second top six finish.
 
James Bushell put the frustrations of yesterday behind him and despite having to switch to his spare machine just before the start, came from the back of the line of 25 to finish in eighth behind Marcus Schick with Andrzej Wisniewski in tenth. 
 
For final classifications:
 
For overall standings: