125: Cortese beats Zarco for first win, Terol DNF

Sandro Cortese wins the Czech Republic 125cc Grand Prix at Brno, title leader Nico Terol retires from lead.
Cortese and Zarco, 125 race, Czech MotoGP 2011
Cortese and Zarco, 125 race, Czech MotoGP 2011
© Gold and Goose

Riding in his seventh grand prix season, Sandro Cortese finally took his first ever 125cc victory at Brno on Sunday, in a race that saw title leader Nico Terol fail to finish.

Pole sitter Terol, chasing his third Brno victory in a row, suddenly lost power just before the halfway stage of the 19 laps, while in first place.

Terol was forced to park his Aspar Aprilia at the side of the track - leaving Johann Zarco and Cortese, who had been the only riders able to keep pace with Terol, to fight it out for a debut victory.

The pair remained in close formation to the finish, with Cortese shadowing Zarco until the start of the penultimate lap, when the Racing Team Germany rider took the lead at turn one.

Ajo Derbi rider Zarco returned the move at the start of the last lap, with Cortese soon back ahead on the brakes at turn three. Zarco then waited for the final chicane to try and snatch victory, and the pair leaned on each other through the first part of the turn, with Cortese just holding on around the outside.

A near highside for Zarco as he applied the power sealed victory for Cortese, who made his grand prix debut back in 2005 and had stood on the podium seven times prior to victory.

Cortese - now fourth in the championship - is the third first-time winner this season, after Maverick Vinales and Jonas Folger.

Zarco - previously denied victory after being penalised at Catalunya, then losing a tie-break at Sachsenring - was left with the consolation that he has now slashed Terol's title lead from 32 to 12 points.

Third place saw another landmark result with Andalucia Aprilia's Alberto Moncayo claiming his first podium, almost eleven seconds from victory.

The Spaniard led four riders covered by less than a second, finishing just in front of Terol's team-mate Hector Faubel, plus Paris Hilton Aprilia riders Sergio Gadea and Vinales.

Ajo Aprilia star Folger, winner at Silverstone, missed the race due to illness while Luis Salom, who had qualified fifth, didn't start after crashing in warm-up.

Race results:

1. Cortese (Aprilia) 19 laps
2. Zarco (Derbi) +0.397sec
3. Moncayo (Aprilia) +10.773s
4. Faubel (Aprilia) +10.794s
5. Gadea (Aprilia) +11.144s
6. Vinales (Aprilia) +11.473s
7. Kornfeil (Aprilia) +24.720s
8. Grotzkyj (Aprilia) +39.982s
9. Khairuddin (Derbi) +42.887s
10. Iwema (Aprilia) +43.023s=

12. Webb (Mahindra) +43.675s
13. Stafford (Aprilia) +43.764s
21. Mackenzie (Aprilia) +1m 15.543s
Kent (Aprilia) DNF

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