Italtrans Racing’s Joe Roberts finished 10th in today’s Monster Energy British Moto2 Grand Prix, the Californian hoping for more but still pleased to end a drought of four non-point-scoring finishes. Roberts’ countryman Cameron Beaubier, meanwhile, crashed his American Racing Kalex out of 14th place on the 14th of 18 laps.
Roberts finished a second and a half behind Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura and some six seconds clear of 11th-placed Thomas Luthi on the Pertamina Mandalka SAG Team Kalex.
“It’s not the result I was hoping for, but it’s a positive step for me and the team,” Roberts said in a team release. “I’m struggling with the front, but we worked better compared to the last races and I hope we can keep growing from this point.”
Beaubier, who started 19th in the grid, was 14th and in a battle for 12th when he suffered a low-speed lowside with four laps to go.
Roberts is now 12th in the Moto2 World Championship, two points out of 11th and 10 ahead of 13th. Beaubier is currently 17th in the series point standings after his fourth non-point-scoring finish in a row.
The race was won by World Championship leader Remy Gardner, the Red Bull KTM Ajo-mounted Australian besting pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi on the Sky Racing Team VR465 Kalex. Lightech Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro rounded out the podium finishers.
Gardner now leads the championship point standings by 44 points over his teammate Raul Fernandez with the Spaniard crashing out of the British Grand Prix on Sunday. Bezzecchi is now just eight points behind Fernandez.