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Thomas Lüthi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Lüthi
Lüthi in 2018
NationalitySwiss
Born (1986-09-06) 6 September 1986 (age 38)[1]
Oberdiessbach, Switzerland
Websitethomasluethi.ch
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years2018
ManufacturersHonda
Championships0
2018 championship position29th (0 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
18 0 0 0 0 0
Moto2 World Championship
Active years20102017, 20192021
ManufacturersMoriwaki, Suter, Kalex
Championships0
2021 championship position22nd (27 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
185 12 53 7 18 1852
250cc World Championship
Active years20072009
ManufacturersAprilia
Championships0
2009 championship position7th (120 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
47 0 2 0 0 361
125cc World Championship
Active years20022006
ManufacturersHonda
Championships1 (2005)
2006 championship position8th (113 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
67 5 10 5 1 444

Thomas Lüthi (born 6 September 1986) is a Swiss sporting director at Prüstel GP,[2] and former Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He spent 19 years in Grand Prix world championships, becoming one of only six riders to reach 300 race starts,[3] spending much of his career with the Interwetten Paddock team, with who he became the 2005 season's 125cc world champion.[4]

Career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Lüthi was born in Oberdiessbach, Kanton Bern, Switzerland, but grew up in Emmental. Lüthi started racing pocket bikes at the age of nine. He won pocket bike championships in 1999 and 2000. In 2002, he finished second overall in the European 125cc Championship, and third in the German 125cc series.

125cc World Championship

[edit]

Lüthi made his first 125cc World Championship appearance at the 2002 German Grand Prix, which he finished in 26th place.

In the 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Lüthi was invited by Daniel Epp to ride for his team, known as the "Elit Grand Prix Team"; Epp became his manager. Lüthi scored his first podium in Barcelona and ended in second place. In 2004, he retired from four races in a row, missed four races because of injury, and scored 14 points.

Andy Ibbott of California Superbike School started training Thomas during the 2005 season. Lüthi scored his first 125cc class Grand Prix win in 2005 at Le Mans, followed by three more victories that season, including one at his team's home race at Brno, Czech Republic. On 6 November 2005 Lüthi secured his first world championship in the 125cc class, the sixth-youngest person to do so; this took place at Valencia. While using a Honda RS125R kit, Lüthi won the world championship title in the 125cc class, being five points ahead of Mika Kallio. Lüthi was voted Swiss sportsman of the year in 2005 and also won the annual "Swiss Award" in the category of sport.

After winning the 2005 125cc World Championship, he was partnered by Sandro Cortese of Germany and the team name was changed to "Elit — Caffè Latte". He scored his only win and only podium of the season at the 2006 French Grand Prix. He lost his championship title to Álvaro Bautista.[citation needed]

250cc World Championship

[edit]

After the 2006 season, Lüthi moved on to 250cc. The team changed their name to "Emmi — Caffè Latte", and defected to Aprilia, racing on the Aprilia RSA 250.

For 2008, Lüthi continued with the Aprilia RSA 250. Daniel Epp also ran an Aprillia LE for Lukáš Pešek, under the Auto Kelly - CP branding. Lüthi did not have any podiums until the 2008 Italian GP, where he finished at the podium in third place. At Assen, he finished in second place behind Álvaro Bautista. At Brno, Lüthi crashed out of the race due to an apparent brake failure.

In 2009, he finished seventh overall in 250cc, although without a podium.

Moto2 World Championship

[edit]
Lüthi at the 2011 Portuguese Grand Prix

For 2010, he remained with the team in the Moto2 class that replaced the 250cc category. At Silverstone, Lüthi finished in second place. Lüthi finished in third place at Assen, which was a position he acquired on the last lap after being in first place earlier in the race.[5] Lüthi had a collarbone injury during those two races.[6]

MotoGP World Championship

[edit]

On 24 August 2017, it was announced that Lüthi would move up to MotoGP for the 2018 season, partnering Moto2 title rival Franco Morbidelli at EG 0,0 Marc VDS. Lüthi did not score a single point throughout his first MotoGP campaign, with his best result being 16th place at Losail, Le Mans, Brno, Phillip Island, and Sepang.

Return to Moto2

[edit]

On 12 August 2018, it was announced that Lüthi would step back to Moto2 for the 2019 season, joining Dynavolt Intact GP. He replaced Xavi Vierge, who moved to Marc VDS.

Retirement

[edit]

On 19 August 2021, he announced his retirement from racing after the 2021 season. He will take on the role of Sports Director of the Prüstel GP Moto3 team, as well as their Junior Team, starting 2022.[7]

Career statistics

[edit]

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

[edit]

By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Type Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
2002 125cc Honda Honda RS125R Elit Grand Prix 7 0 0 0 0 7 27th
2003 125cc Honda Honda RS125R Elit Grand Prix 15 0 1 0 0 68 15th
2004 125cc Honda Honda RS125R Elit Grand Prix 13 0 0 0 0 14 25th
2005 125cc Honda Honda RS125R Elit Grand Prix 16 4 8 5 1 242 1st 1
2006 125cc Honda Honda RS125R Elit – Caffe Latte 16 1 1 0 0 113 8th
2007 250cc Aprilia Aprilia RSA 250 Emmi – Caffe Latte 17 0 0 0 0 133 8th
2008 250cc Aprilia Aprilia RSA 250 Emmi – Caffe Latte 14 0 2 0 0 108 11th
2009 250cc Aprilia Aprilia RSA 250 Emmi – Caffe Latte 16 0 0 0 0 120 7th
2010 Moto2 Moriwaki Moriwaki MD600 Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 17 0 5 0 2 156 4th
2011 Moto2 Suter Suter MMX2 Interwetten Paddock Moto2 17 1 4 1 0 151 5th
2012 Moto2 Suter Suter MMX2 Interwetten-Paddock 17 1 6 1 3 191 4th
2013 Moto2 Suter Suter MMX2 Interwetten Paddock Moto2 15 0 6 0 1 155 6th
2014 Moto2 Suter Suter MMX2 Interwetten Paddock Moto2 18 2 4 0 2 194 4th
2015 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Derendinger Racing Interwetten 18 1 4 1 3 179 5th
2016 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Garage Plus Interwetten 17 4 6 3 2 234 2nd
2017 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Garage Plus Interwetten 16 2 10 1 1 243 2nd
2018 MotoGP Honda Honda RC213V EG 0,0 Marc VDS 18 0 0 0 0 0 29th
2019 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Dynavolt Intact GP 18 1 8 0 4 250 3rd
2020 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Liqui Moly Intact GP 15 0 0 0 0 72 11th
2021 Moto2 Kalex Kalex Moto2 Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team 17 0 0 0 0 27 22nd
Total 317 17 65 12 19 2657 1

By class

[edit]
Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
125cc 2002–2006 2002 Germany 2003 Catalunya 2005 France 67 5 10 5 1 444 1
250cc 2007–2009 2007 Qatar 2008 Italy 47 0 2 0 0 361 0
Moto2 2010–2017, 2019–2021 2010 Qatar 2010 Spain 2011 Malaysia 185 12 53 7 18 1852 0
MotoGP 2018 2018 Qatar 18 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2002–2021 317 17 65 12 19 2657 1

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Pos Pts
2002 125cc Honda JPN RSA SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER
26
CZE
19
POR
9
RIO
24
PAC MAL
21
AUS
Ret
VAL
24
27th 7
2003 125cc Honda JPN
9
RSA
17
SPA
12
FRA
9
ITA
15
CAT
2
NED
7
GBR
22
GER
Ret
CZE
Ret
POR
Ret
RIO
15
PAC
10
MAL
4
AUS
16
VAL
DNS
15th 68
2004 125cc Honda RSA
Ret
SPA
Ret
FRA
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAT NED RIO GER
18
GBR
18
CZE
18
POR
16
JPN
12
QAT
13
MAL
11
AUS
19
VAL
14
25th 14
2005 125cc Honda SPA
Ret
POR
3
CHN
4
FRA
1
ITA
2
CAT
7
NED
10
GBR
6
GER
2
CZE
1
JPN
2
MAL
1
QAT
6
AUS
1
TUR
5
VAL
9
1st 242
2006 125cc Honda SPA
Ret
QAT
8
TUR
12
CHN
Ret
FRA
1
ITA
9
CAT
6
NED
8
GBR
8
GER
6
CZE
5
MAL
13
AUS
4
JPN
Ret
POR
Ret
VAL
10
8th 113
2007 250cc Aprilia QAT
4
SPA
Ret
TUR
5
CHN
8
FRA
Ret
ITA
5
CAT
4
GBR
Ret
NED
Ret
GER
9
CZE
7
RSM
4
POR
4
JPN
10
AUS
5
MAL
5
VAL
9
8th 133
2008 250cc Aprilia QAT
15
SPA
Ret
POR
4
CHN
Ret
FRA
11
ITA
3
CAT
5
GBR
5
NED
2
GER
7
CZE
Ret
RSM
7
INP
C
JPN AUS MAL
9
VAL
10
11th 108
2009 250cc Aprilia QAT
6
JPN
8
SPA
5
FRA
Ret
ITA
4
CAT
6
NED
Ret
GER
8
GBR
9
CZE
Ret
INP
9
RSM
10
POR
7
AUS
11
MAL
4
VAL
4
7th 120
2010 Moto2 Moriwaki QAT
7
SPA
3
FRA
19
ITA
4
GBR
2
NED
3
CAT
2
GER
Ret
CZE
11
INP
7
RSM
3
ARA
10
JPN
8
MAL
Ret
AUS
11
POR
16
VAL
4
4th 156
2011 Moto2 Suter QAT
3
SPA
2
POR
Ret
FRA
5
CAT
Ret
GBR
15
NED
8
ITA
6
GER
5
CZE
5
INP
17
RSM
8
ARA
7
JPN
3
AUS
11
MAL
1
VAL
17
5th 151
2012 Moto2 Suter QAT
5
SPA
3
POR
3
FRA
1
CAT
2
GBR
8
NED
Ret
GER
5
ITA
3
INP
5
CZE
2
RSM
9
ARA
10
JPN
5
MAL
Ret
AUS
Ret
VAL
4
4th 191
2013 Moto2 Suter QAT AME
DNS
SPA
11
FRA
Ret
ITA
9
CAT
3
NED
8
GER
6
INP
13
CZE
3
GBR
3
RSM
4
ARA
Ret
MAL
3
AUS
2
JPN
3
VAL
7
6th 155
2014 Moto2 Suter QAT
3
AME
6
ARG
19
SPA
10
FRA
8
ITA
Ret
CAT
5
NED
6
GER
9
INP
Ret
CZE
4
GBR
5
RSM
5
ARA
4
JPN
1
AUS
2
MAL
8
VAL
1
4th 194
2015 Moto2 Kalex QAT
3
AME
12
ARG
6
SPA
4
FRA
1
ITA
Ret
CAT
6
NED
5
GER
6
INP
6
CZE
7
GBR
9
RSM
10
ARA
5
JPN
Ret
AUS
15
MAL
2
VAL
3
5th 179
2016 Moto2 Kalex QAT
1
ARG
7
AME
7
SPA
6
FRA
3
ITA
4
CAT
5
NED
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
4
CZE
DNS
GBR
1
RSM
6
ARA
4
JPN
1
AUS
1
MAL
6
VAL
2
2nd 234
2017 Moto2 Kalex QAT
2
ARG
3
AME
2
SPA
8
FRA
3
ITA
2
CAT
2
NED
2
GER
Ret
CZE
1
AUT
3
GBR
4
RSM
1
ARA
4
JPN
11
AUS
10
MAL
DNS
VAL 2nd 243
2018 MotoGP Honda QAT
16
ARG
17
AME
18
SPA
Ret
FRA
16
ITA
Ret
CAT
Ret
NED
20
GER
17
CZE
16
AUT
22
GBR
C
RSM
22
ARA
17
THA
20
JPN
20
AUS
16
MAL
16
VAL
Ret
29th 0
2019 Moto2 Kalex QAT
2
ARG
Ret
AME
1
SPA
4
FRA
6
ITA
3
CAT
2
NED
4
GER
5
CZE
Ret
AUT
6
GBR
8
RSM
4
ARA
6
THA
7
JPN
2
AUS
3
MAL
3
VAL
2
3rd 250
2020 Moto2 Kalex QAT
10
SPA
Ret
ANC
7
CZE
17
AUT
7
STY
5
RSM
6
EMI
9
CAT
11
FRA
5
ARA
12
TER
Ret
EUR
19
VAL
16
POR
16
11th 72
2021 Moto2 Kalex QAT
15
DOH
Ret
POR
17
SPA
19
FRA
Ret
ITA
DNS
CAT
15
GER
19
NED
14
STY
16
AUT
9
GBR
11
ARA
Ret
RSM
11
AME
Ret
EMI
14
ALR
19
VAL
12
22nd 27

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Official MotoGP profile". Archived from the original on June 25, 2007.
  2. ^ "Ex-MotoGP racer Luthi to retire from racing at the end of 2021". August 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Artikel / Tom Lüthi". Tom Lüthi.
  4. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Thomas Lüthi, 2005 125cc World Champion | MotoGP™". www.motogp.com.
  5. ^ "Another Iannone runaway at Assen". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Luthi to ride fresh from surgery". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  7. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Tom Lüthi announces his retirement". www.motogp.com.
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Swiss Sportsman of the Year
2005
Succeeded by