After finishing the Catalan GP in third place, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Nakagami dedicated the podium to his good friend and rival Luis Salom. The Japanese rider had given an indication of what was to come when he topped Sunday’s Warm Up. In the race he started from fourth on the grid but had to battle his way through the field after dropping down to seventh on just the second lap. After an excellent early battle with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) he methodically picked his way past riders, eventually passing Thomas Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) for third and making it stick with 6 laps to go.
"I would like to dedicate this podium to Luis Salom and his family."In the end Nakagami crossed the line 9.313s behind eventual race-winner Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) in third, and he now lies seventh in the Moto2™ World Championship standings with 53 points.
Takaaki Nakagami: “It was difficult to keep consistency because the track conditions became very hot in the afternoon. I tried my maximum to overtake riders in front of me and enjoyed the battle with Lowes, Syahrin and Luthi. I would like to dedicate this podium to Luis Salom and his family. We had raced together since our Spanish championship days and I still cannot believe he’s gone. I will make a good race again in Assen and try to recover championship points as many as possible.”