2012 Sachsenring Moto2 Race Result: Three-Way Battle Decided Late

Results and summary of the Moto2 race at the Sachsenring:

Marc Marquez has taken victory in convincing style at the Sachsenring, breaking away from the three-way fight he was tangled up in with 8 laps to go and pulling a comfortable gap to win the race. The win was Marquez' fourth of the season, and his second in a row, after winning at Assen last week. Marquez' victory puts him very comfortably in control of the Moto2 championship.

Marquez got away from the line early, with Marc VDS Racing's Mika Kallio in his wake. Within a couple of laps a leading trio had formed, with Andrea Iannone charging through the field after starting in 10th to join Marquez and Kallio. The Italian was on a mission, quickly past Kallio and then snapping at Marquez' heels. He forced his way past on lap 8 at T12, only to have Marquez strike straight back into the first corner. Iannone pushed once again, but this time a little too hard, folding the front and crashing out of contention.

Two more riders were coming from behind. Alex De Angelis was with Kallio and Marquez by lap 13, while Pol Espargaro, who had started from 17th after a disastrous qualifying, was really on a charge. By lap 7, Espargaro had scrapped his way forward to 7th, but a massive moment at Turn 11, the very high speed right hander at the top of the hill, temporarily halted his progress, running off through the gravel and rejoining having dropped a number of places. Espargaro picked up his charge once again, but his hopes of a podium had faded.

Though the names on the podium looked settled, their order was anything but. Marquez led throughout, resisting pressure from first Kallio and then De Angelis, the two veterans taking it in turns to chase the young Spaniard. With five laps to go, Marquez decided it was enough, and stepped up the pace beyond anything which De Angelis and Kallio could follow. The Catalunya Caixa rider went on to take a very comfortable victory, winning the race by two seconds.

Mika Kallio finally triumphed for 2nd, holding off a last corner challenge from De Angelis after the two had swapped places earlier. De Angelis had looked the stronger of the two in the middle of the race, but the Finnish veteran eventually came out on top. Pol Espargaro salvaged some very important points with a 4th spot, his tires finally giving up at the end of the race after his epic charge through the field. Espargaro was nearly caught by Thom Luthi, but the Interwetten rider's chase came just too late to catch the Spaniard.

Marquez' victory gives him a massive lead in the championship, extending his lead to 43 points. The Spaniard was helped to no small extent by Iannone's crash and Espargaro's poor qualifying, but the nature of his win was undisputed.

Results: