Lap count "error" means Thai Moto2 race result changed to half-points

Thai Moto2 race winner Manuel Gonzalez and the rest of Sunday’s top 15 will now only receive half points, the FIM has announced.

The opening round for the 765cc class saw two restarts due to racing incidents.

The first stoppage was for an accident involving David Alonso on lap 4 of 22.

A restart was then planned for 11 laps, with the grid based on the standings at the end of lap 3.

But red flags appeared again on the opening lap of the restart, when Sergio Garcia tagged the rear tyre of Barry Baltus at the Turn 3 hairpin, sending Garcia down and then wiping out Luca Lunetta.

The third and final Moto2 start was held over just seven laps, using the 'race two' starting positions, with Gonzalez eventually winning from Izan Guevara and Dani Holgado.

However, a Friday statement from the FIM explained that the opening lap of the second restart had incorrectly been included in the total race distance completed calculations.

Without that lap, there were only ten Moto2 racing laps on Sunday (3+7), which is one less than the 50% of original race distance required for full points to be awarded.

Gonzalez now scores only 12.5 points for victory, down to 0.5 points for 15th-place Alberto Ferrandez.

The full FIM statement and official explanation can be seen below:

'Following a review of the Moto2 race results from Thailand, an error has been identified in the total race distance completed.

'The results were initially issued with full championship points. Under normal circumstances, race control software issues a prompt indicating that 50% of original race distance has not been completed in order to award half points.

'Due to the multiple starts that took place at the Grand Prix of Thailand, the single lap completed on the second start, which should have been null and void, was incorrectly added to the overall race distance.

'In accordance with the sporting regulations, the race distance actually completed requires half points to be awarded. The points allocation has therefore been corrected and updated championship standings will be published.

'Additional verification steps will be implemented to prevent any similar events in the future.'