MarcVDS Moto2 series leader Scott Redding didn't let problems with his gearbox stop him from giving title challenger Pol Espargaro a hard time in Holland, with the pair only separated by one-tenth of a second after 24 laps.

The Gloucestershire rider had difficuty making his Kalex-chassied Honda stay in sixth and was guessing which gear he was in coming out of fast corners. But he managed to stay in touch with the Pons rider and retains a 30-point lead in the championship.

"We had this problem with the gears jumping out since yesterday and a little bit this morning. I was trying to really force it into sixth but when I put my foot back to get it tucked in, so when it jumps, there's quite a long time to get my foot back and it's almost in neutral or jumped back to fourth," said Redding, speaking after the race.

"Sometimes it did it quite late into the corner so at the last left I don't know if I am in fourth or sixth or fifth, so I was trying to look down in the corner so it kind of took my concentration away a little bit but I was so focused on Pol it would have taken more than that.

"I tried really hard the whole race but I was comfortable. He had been fast all weekend and we struggled a bit but in the race I was there and to have a battle like that, and be that close to the victory, sometimes it is like this.

"I was tempted to do something in the last chicane, but he was fast there and I had a lot of front chatter going in. I was also going to try into the right left by the rear was skipping. He was fast in two places and that was enough, especially in the last sector.

"We lose so much on the straight when I am on my own. Sector one I can make some time but then he catches me in sector two because of the straight, sector three I make a gap and sector four he comes back. When I am behind I can follow, but when I am in front I can't break him."