Luthi wins Moto2 jump start chaos

Thomas Luthi has come out triumphant in a chaotic start to the 2016 Moto2 season that saw many of the front-runners penalised for jump starts – but with confusion and anger at the way in which the penalties were made.

Among the six riders initially penalised with ride-throughs were race favourites Sam Lowes, Johann Zarco and Alex Rins, along with Schrotter, Mulhauser and Nakagami, dramatically changing the order at the front after a close series of opening laps.

However, Franco Morbidelli, perhaps the most blatant of all the jumpers, was able to get away unpenalised until the closing stages of the race, where he was instead handed a 20 second penalty, along with Sandro Cortese, that demoted him to seventh, still well clear of those forced into the pits.

Early leader Jonas Folger, able to escape ahead of the chaos behind him from pole, crashed out in the early stages of the race, leaving Luthi to eventually overcome a close battle with Morbidelli to take the win, ahead of Salom and Corsi.

Danny Kent had a strong return to the class in sixth, with Rins the first of the penalised in eighth with Lowes just behind him in ninth, with world champion Zarco in twelfth.