2016 Moto2 World Championship Explained
The 2016 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 68th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season was marred by the death of Luis Salom during a free practice session, at the Catalan Grand Prix.[1]
Johann Zarco started the season as the defending World Champion, having secured his first championship title at the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix.[2] With victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix – his sixth of the 2016 season – Zarco was able to retain his title,[3] amassing an unassailable points lead ahead of the final round in Valencia. As a result, Zarco became the first French rider to win multiple world motorcycle racing titles,[4] as well as becoming the first rider in the Moto2 era to defend the world championship, and the first to do so in the intermediate class since Jorge Lorenzo in and .[5] Zarco completed the season with victory in Valencia,[6] as he won the championship by an eventual margin of 42 points.
The runner-up position remained up for grabs in Valencia, as four-time winner Thomas Lüthi, double winner Álex Rins and Franco Morbidelli all had a mathematical chance of finishing there. Ultimately with a second-place finish,[6] Lüthi finished clear of Rins by 20 points; Lüthi's last-lap pass on Morbidelli also cost the latter third place in the championship by a point, as Rins had finished the race in fifth place.[6] Morbidelli took a total of eight podium finishes, including each of the last five races, but was unable to take a victory. Four other riders won races; Sam Lowes took two race victories at Jerez and Aragon,[7] [8] Jonas Folger won at Brno,[9] while first Grand Prix victories went to Takaaki Nakagami at Assen,[10] and Lorenzo Baldassarri in Misano.[11] The constructors' championship went to Kalex with a maximum score of 450 points, with a 34-race winning streak at the conclusion of the season – a run stretching back to a Speed Up victory for Lowes at the 2015 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas.
Changes for 2016
- French oil and gas giants company Total was selected to become official fuel supplier of Moto2 and Moto3 beginning from 2016 onwards, replacing Eni after five seasons as a fuel supplier of Moto2 and Moto3.[12]
Calendar
The following Grands Prix took place in 2016.[13]
Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
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1 | 20 March ‡ | Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar | Losail International Circuit, Lusail |
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2 | 3 April | Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina | |
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3 | 10 April | Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas | Circuit of the Americas, Austin |
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4 | 24 April | Gran Premio Red Bull de España | Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera |
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5 | 8 May | Monster Energy Grand Prix de France | Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans |
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6 | 22 May | Gran Premio d'Italia TIM | Mugello Circuit, Scarperia e San Piero |
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7 | 5 June | Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló |
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8 | 26 June | Motul TT Assen | TT Circuit Assen, Assen |
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9 | 17 July | GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland | Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal |
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10 | 14 August | NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich | Red Bull Ring, Spielberg |
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11 | 21 August | HJC Helmets Grand Prix České republiky | Brno Circuit, Brno |
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12 | 4 September | Octo British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone |
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13 | 11 September | | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano Adriatico |
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14 | | Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón | MotorLand Aragón, Alcañiz |
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15 | 16 October | Motul Grand Prix of Japan | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi |
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16 | 23 October | Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island |
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17 | 30 October | Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix | Sepang International Circuit, Sepang |
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18 | 13 November | Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana | Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia | |
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‡ = Night race
Calendar changes
Teams and riders
A provisional entry list was announced on 7 November 2015.[15] All Moto2 competitors raced with an identical CBR600RR inline-four engine developed by Honda. Teams competed with tyres supplied by Dunlop.
Team | Constructor | Motorcycle | | Rider | Rounds |
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Sports-Millions-Emwe-SAG SAG Team | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 2 | Jesko Raffin[16] | All |
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39 | Luis Salom[17] | 1–7 | AGR Team | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 4 | Steven Odendaal[18] | 14 |
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23 | Marcel Schrötter[19] | All | 49 | Axel Pons | All | Ajo Motorsport Ajo Motorsport Academy | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 5 | Johann Zarco[20] | All |
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align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 45 | Tetsuta Nagashima[21] | 14–15 | Forward Team | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 7 | | All |
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10 | Luca Marini | All | JPMoto Malaysia | Suter | Suter MMX2 | 8 | Efrén Vázquez | 1–3 |
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align=center style="background:#ffcccc;" | 69 | Danny Eslick[22] | 5 | align=center style="background:#ffcccc;" | 88 | Ricard Cardús[23] | 6 | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 11 | Sandro Cortese[24] | All |
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94 | Jonas Folger | All | Garage Plus Interwetten CarXpert Interwetten | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 12 | Thomas Lüthi | All |
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align=center style="background:#ffcccc;" | 27 | Iker Lecuona[25] | | 70 | Robin Mulhauser | All | 77 | Dominique Aegerter | 1–11, 14 | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 14 | Ratthapark Wilairot | 1–7, 9–18 |
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30 | Takaaki Nakagami | All | Promoto Sport | TransFIORmers | ??? | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 16 | Hugo Clere[26] | 18 |
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QMMF Racing Team | Speed Up | Speed Up SF16 | 19 | Xavier Siméon[27] | All |
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60 | Julián Simón | All | Leopard Racing | Kalex[28] | Kalex Moto2 | align=center style="background:#ffcccc;" | 20 | Alessandro Nocco[29] | 16–17 |
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44 | Miguel Oliveira[30] | 1–15, 18 | 52 | Danny Kent[31] | All | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli[32] | All |
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73 | Álex Márquez | All | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 22 | Sam Lowes[33] | All |
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Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | Speed Up SF16 | 24 | Simone Corsi | All |
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Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | | 32 | Isaac Viñales | All |
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97 | Xavi Vierge[34] | All | | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 33 | Alessandro Tonucci | 1–6 |
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align=center style="background:#ffcccc;" | 87 | Remy Gardner[35] | 7–18 | Páginas Amarillas HP 40 | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 40 | Álex Rins[36] | All |
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57 | Edgar Pons[37] | 1–2, 4, 6–18 | Team Ciatti | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 42 | Federico Fuligni[38] | 4, 6, 13, 18 |
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Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 54 | Mattia Pasini | All |
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Petronas Raceline Malaysia Petronas AHM Malaysia | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | 55 | Hafizh Syahrin | All |
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align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 93 | Ramdan Rosli[39] | 7, 16–17 | Japan-GP2 | Kalex | Kalex Moto2 | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 63 | Naomichi Uramoto[40] | 15 |
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Team Taro Plus One | TSR | ??? | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 84 | Taro Sekiguchi | 15 |
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NTS T.Pro Project | NTS | ??? | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 89 | Alan Techer | 14 |
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Montáže Brož Racing Team | Suter | Suter MMX2 | align=center style="background:#ccffcc;" | 95 | Anthony West[41] | 11 | |
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| Key |
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Regular rider | Wildcard rider | | |
| |
Team changes
- JiR Moto2 announced that they would withdraw from the championship at the end of the 2015 season.[42]
- Dynavolt Intact GP expanded to enter a second bike, while Italtrans Racing downgraded to a single entry in 2016.
- Leopard Racing returned to the Moto2 class after previously competing as Kiefer Racing from 2010 to 2012. The team competed on Kalex bikes, with Danny Kent and Miguel Oliveira as their riders.
- AGP Racing, who were listed on the provisional entry list, withdrew from the championship due to financial problems, leaving Federico Fuligni and Remy Gardner without rides.[43]
- IodaRacing Project SRL also withdrew from the championship.
Rider changes
- Luis Salom left Paginas Amarillas HP 40 at the end of the 2015 season to join Stop and Go Racing Team.
- Salom's place at Pons Racing was taken by 2015 FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship winner Edgar Pons.
- Moto3 World Champion Danny Kent returned to the Moto2 class with Leopard Racing, following a season with Tech 3 back in 2013.
- Franco Morbidelli moved to Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, following Tito Rabat's decision to join MotoGP with Marc VDS for 2016.
- Simone Corsi left Forward Racing at the end of the 2015 season to join Speed Up Racing.
- Jonas Folger left the AGR Team to join Dynavolt Intact GP.
- Sam Lowes replaced Xavier Siméon at Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 as part of a contract-signing for a MotoGP seat with Gresini in 2017. Siméon joined the QMMF Racing Team as a result.
- Mika Kallio returned to MotoGP, after being left without a ride in Moto2. He joined KTM as a test rider for their 2017 MotoGP project.
- Miguel Oliveira moved up to the Moto2 class, joining Leopard Racing.
- Randy Krummenacher left Moto2 to join the Supersport World Championship following JiR's withdrawal from the championship.
- After competing in the second half of the 2015 season with Tech 3 as a replacement rider, Xavi Vierge moved full-time to Moto2 with the same team.
- Efrén Vázquez moved up to the Moto2 class with JPMoto Malaysia replacing Ricard Cardús. Vázquez previously competed in the intermediate class in 2007.
- Luca Marini stepped up to the Moto2 class, with the Forward Team.
- Isaac Viñales moved up to the Moto2 class with Tech 3, replacing Marcel Schrötter. Schrötter moved to the AGR Team.
- Alessandro Tonucci moved up to the Moto2 class with Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 replacing Louis Rossi.
- Ratthapark Wilairot made a full-time return to Moto2 with Idemitsu Honda Team Asia.
- Azlan Shah, who was on the provisional entry list with JPMoto Malaysia, withdrew due to financial problems.[44]
Mid-season changes
- After the Grand Prix of the Americas, Efrén Vázquez left the JPMoto Malaysia team. He was replaced by Danny Eslick in the 5th race and by Ricard Cardús in the 6th race. Before the 7th race, the JPMoto Malaysia team went bankrupt, so the team retired from the rest of the season.
- After the Italian Grand Prix, Alessandro Tonucci left the Tasca Racing Scuderia team. He was replaced by Remy Gardner for the rest of the season starting with the 7th race.[35]
- Luis Salom was killed after an accident during Friday practice at the Catalan Grand Prix. His teammate Jesko Raffin withdrew from the weekend.[45] Before the Dutch TT, the SAG Racing Team announced that they will complete the season with Raffin as the team's sole rider, with Salom's spot on the team left vacated for the rest of the season.[46]
- Dominique Aegerter got injured after the Czech Republic Grand Prix, so he was replaced by Iker Lecuona for the 12th and the 13th races. Aegerter returned for the 14th race. However, upon signing a 2017 contract with Leopard Racing, he was fired from Interwetten, bringing Lecuona back for the remaining 4 races.
Results and standings
Grands Prix
Riders' standings
- Scoring systemPoints were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
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Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
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| Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap Light blue – Rookie † – Rider deceased | |
Constructors' standings
Each constructor received the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
External links
Notes and References
- News: Luis Salom passes away. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 3 June 2016. 3 June 2016.
- News: Motegi Moto2: Tito Rabat withdraws, Johann Zarco wins championship. Autosport.com. Autosport. 9 October 2015. 9 October 2015.
- News: The return of the King: Zarco reigns to retain his crown. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 30 October 2016. 30 October 2016.
- News: The history maker: Zarco takes Moto2 crown number 2. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 30 October 2016. 30 October 2016.
- News:
- 2arco: Stats on Zarco's stunning second title
. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 30 October 2016. 30 October 2016.
- News: Final farewell: Zarco wins a four-way war. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 13 November 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Lowes extends points lead with dominant win. Jamie. Klein. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 24 April 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Sam Lowes believes Moto2 title bid is back on after Aragon win. Mitchell. Adam. Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 26 September 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Folger wins in the wet, disaster for Zarco. Darshan. Chokhani. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 21 August 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Nakagami fights through for maiden win. Valentin. Khorounzhiy. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 26 June 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Baldassarri takes dramatic first win on home soil. Lisa. Lewis. Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 11 September 2016. 13 November 2016.
- News: Total Will Be The Exclusive Fuel Supplier For The FIM Moto2 And Moto3 World Championships. 14 December 2015. 14 December 2015. roadracingworld.com. roadracingworld.com.
- News: 2016 provisional MotoGP calendar announced. 11 September 2015. 11 September 2015. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports.
- News: MotoGP Will Not Return to IMS in 2016. 11 September 2015. 11 September 2015.
- News: 2016 Moto2 provisional entry list. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 7 November 2015. 7 November 2015.
- News: Jesko Raffin and the SAG Racing Team together for the 2015 and 2016. stopandgo.es. SAG Team. 14 September 2014. 14 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210227/http://www.stopandgo.es/noticias/noticias-generales-news/posts/jesko-raffin-and-the-sag-racing-team-for-the. 2016-03-03. dead.
- News: For 2016 @LuisSalom39 will join @jeskoraffin1 in the @SAGRacingTeam, continuing in the #Moto2 Championship.. 11 September 2015. 11 September 2015.
- News: Top10 for Pons in the first day at Motorland. AGR Team. Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team. 23 September 2016. 23 September 2016. The Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team brought 3 riders this time to Alcañiz; the two official riders, Marcel Schrötter and Áxel Pons, and our European Champion Steven Odendaal as a wild card.. https://web.archive.org/web/20160924112256/http://www.agrteam.com/en/noticias/201609/top10-para-pons-primera-jornada-1297.html. 2016-09-24. dead.
- News: Isaac Viñales fährt 2016 statt Schrötter für Tech3. Isaac Viñales replaces Schrötter in Tech3 for 2016. de. Speedweek.com. Speedweek. 16 October 2015. 16 October 2015.
- News: Johann Zarco delays MotoGP until 2017. Crash.net. Crash.net. 6 September 2015. 6 September 2015. 19 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319043746/http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/222648/1/johann-zarco-delays-motogp-until-2017.html. dead.
- Web site: Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 22 September 2016. 23 September 2016.
- Web site: Monster Energy Grand Prix de France - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 5 May 2016. 22 May 2016.
- Web site: Gran Premio d'Italia TIM - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 19 May 2016. 22 May 2016.
- News: Jonas Folger joins Dynavolt Intact GP in 2016. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 3 September 2015. 3 September 2015.
- Web site: Octo British Grand Prix - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 1 September 2016. 1 September 2016.
- Web site: Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 10 November 2016. 10 November 2016.
- News: Xavier Siméon: 2016. Kallio in QMMF team. Xavier Siméon: Replaces Mika Kallio in QMMF Team for 2016. de. Speedweek.com. Speedweek. 24 October 2015. 24 October 2015.
- News: MotoGP Australia: Kent explains reasoning behind Moto2 deal. 15 October 2015. 15 October 2015. Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 19 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319013438/http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/224165/1/kent-explains-reasoning-behind-moto2-deal.html. dead.
- News: A Phillip Island Nocco per Oliveira. it. Nocco at Phillip Island for Oliveira. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 27 September 2015. 27 September 2015.
- News: Miguel Oliveira to Moto2 with Leopard Racing. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 13 September 2015. 13 September 2015.
- News: Kent moves to Moto2 with Leopard Racing. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 27 September 2015. 27 September 2015.
- News: Morbidelli and Marquez confirmed for 2015. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 11 October 2015. 11 October 2015.
- News: Aprilia signs Bradl for 2016, Lowes for 2017. 22 September 2015. 22 September 2015. Crash.net. Crash.net.
- News: Vierge to continue with the Tech3 Racing Team for 2016. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 25 September 2015. 25 September 2015.
- News: Remy Gardner con Tasca Racing nel Mondiale. it. Alessio. Piana. Remy Gardner with Tasca Racing in the Worlds. CorseDiMoto. GazzaNet. 2 June 2016. 5 June 2016.
- News: Rins joins Paginas Amarillas HP 40 for the next two seasons. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 12 September 2014. 14 August 2015.
- Web site: @Rins42: 26 September. Twitter. Twitter Inc.. 26 September 2015. 27 September 2015.
- Web site: Gran Premio Red Bull de España - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 21 April 2016. 22 May 2016.
- News: Meet the Wildcards: A mixing pot. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 30 May 2016. 5 June 2016. Ramdan Rosli (Petronas AHM Malaysia) will join the Moto2 World Championship for the weekend, the Malaysian also making the step over from the FIM CEV Repsol series..
- Web site: Motul Grand Prix of Japan - Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 13 October 2016. 13 October 2016.
- Web site: HJC Helmets Grand Prix České Republiky — Moto2 Entry List. MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 18 August 2016. 18 August 2016.
- News: JiR-Team: Moto2-Rennstall wird für 2016 zugesperrt. JiR Team: Moto2 team is closed for 2016. de. Speedweek.com. Speedweek. 24 October 2015. 24 October 2015.
- News: AGP-Team steigt aus – Gardner und Fuligni ohne Job. AGP team gets out - Gardner and Fuligni without job. de. Speedweek.com. Speedweek. 20 December 2015. 27 December 2015.
- News: Moto2-WM 2016: Startfeld schrumpft weiter. Moto2 World Championship 2016: Starting field continues to shrink. de. Speedweek.com. Speedweek. 23 December 2015. 27 December 2015.
- News: Jesko Raffin, compañero de Salom, no correrá en Montmeló. Jesko Raffin, team mate of Salom, will not race at Montmeló. es. Marca. Unidad Editorial. 4 June 2016. 5 June 2016. Jaime. Martín.
- News: Luis Salom's team to complete Moto2 season with one rider. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 22 June 2016. 24 June 2016. Jamie. Klein. 9 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170909142921/https://www.motorsport.com/moto2/news/luis-salom-s-team-to-complete-moto2-season-with-one-rider-790732/. dead.