Thai rider Somkiat Chantra dominated the two-day private testing session in Jerez, closely followed by his team mate, Ai Ogura. Marcel Schrötter posted the third fastest overall time.
Ahead of the first and only official testing session next week, 20 Moto2 and Moto3 teams took part in a private test in Jerez. The session aimed to provide 49 rookies with much-needed time on track with their 2022 machines. In attendance were the likes of Alessandro Zaccone, Filip Salac and Jeremy Alcoba.
However, it was Somkiat Chantra who dominated the two day-long sessions. The Thai rider sat at the top of the timings sheet on day one, with a time of 1:42.213. He then found further improvements on day two, when he posted a 1:41.466.
Chantra will be eager to build on his much-improved 2021 season – his fourth and most successful season in Moto2, where his best result was a fifth at the Austrian GP.
Image Credit: Honda Racing
His Japanese teammate, Ai Ogura, was just 0.035s behind him, rounding our a truly successful testing programme for Honda Team Asia. This will be Ogura’s second year in Moto2, and his second year with the Honda team. He enjoyed an impressive rookie season, finishing the year 8th in the championship and taking his maiden Moto2 podium with a second place finish at the Austrian GP.
Marcel Schrötter and his Liqui Moly Intact machine posted the third fastest time of the session. Having not stepped onto the podium since early 2020, Schrötter will be looking to carry this promising testing performance through to his 10th full season in Moto2.
The official test for Moto2 will commence on the 19th of February 2022 and last for three days. The first race of the season will then take place less than two weeks later in Qatar, on the 6th of March.
Elf Marc VDS top the timesheets during a private two-day testing session in Jerez. Sam Lowes secured the fastest lap overall.
Sam Lowes has laid down an early marker ahead of the 2022 season, topping the timesheets during a private testing session in Jerez. Just behind was his new team mate, Tony Arbolino, in second. This was Arbolino’s first experience of the new bike and he spent the sessions working closely with the team to find a set-up that gave him maximum confidence in the machine.
Third place was taken by Celestino Vietti on the Mooney VR46 Racing machine. The top 3 were covered by a mere 0.140 seconds.
These close timings could suggest that Lowes’ main competitor in 2022 will be his own team mate. Both riders were looking very strong and Arbolino seems to be very comfortable on the Elf Marc VDS bike already. However, this test may not tell the full story as there were only 6 Moto2 riders involved, with a further 15 Moto3 riders joining them.
Image Credit: Marc VDS Racing Team
Lowes, who enjoyed 3 wins and a further 2 podiums in 2021, commented that he was “really happy with the work done in these two days”. He then went on to state that “I was trying lots of components, especially today. Yesterday was more about getting back up to speed. But today we tried many things. As always in testing, some were good, some weren’t. But we found a nice direction. It’s been a good two days to get back into the riding side of things.”
He summed up the two-day test by saying he “felt confident” and is “looking forward to Jerez and making steps so we are ready for Qatar.”
Image Credit: Marc VDS Racing Team
Arbolino, who is the new boy at Elf Marc VDS this year, stated “It was a great test! We worked really well during the two days and we tested many things. The team worked really hard to give me a better bike which allowed me to feel more comfortable on it. I’m really proud of them for that. From here we’ll keep going and keep working hard to reach our objective.”
Both Arbolino and Lowes will be back in action for one more private test on the 8th and 9th of February. They will then join the rest of the field for the only official test, commencing on the 22nd of February.
With a new livery and two new riders, Gresini Racing have unveiled their 2022 contender.
Alessandro Zaccone and Filip Salac will take the reigns of the new Gresini Racing machine for the first time in 2022. But the riders are not the only new element for Gresini this year – they are also sporting a new paint job.
The red and white colours have been replaced by a blue theme, which will appear on their machines in all classes, including this Moto2 bike.
Zaccone joins the team after a strong MotoE season, in which he sat at the top of the championship standings until the final race. Salac is also enjoying a promotion as he steps up from Moto3. Despite a difficult year, Salac did enjoy a podium at the French GP.
Reflecting on this, Salac commented that “Everything will be new for me after a difficult year in Moto3. I was too tall for that bike. This winter I trained with a bike more similar to Moto2 and I can say that I feel much more comfortable. It will be a new adventure for me and I will have to gain a lot of experience, I will do everything possible to learn quickly and I will always give my best.”
Image Credit: MotoGP
His new team mate, Zaccone, added that “It will be my first year in the Moto2 World Championship so the most important thing will be to try to learn the new tracks as quickly as possible: the first four ones are going to be a little bit tough for me, but I can’t wait to try!”
He continued to say “It’s like a dream that is about to come true, we just have to wait for the tests. In the meantime, I’m training at the gym as well as doing some motocross and Supermoto riding, trying to get back to full fitness after last year’s injury. We are almost there, so I am confident!”
Both riders will have a chance to put this confidence to the test as the first official Moto2 test session commences on the 22nd of February.
Cameron Beaubier and Sean Dylan Kelly were presented as the 2022 riders for Moto2 team, American Racing.
In front of a home crowd in Los Angeles, American Racing unveiled their 2022 machine. At the same time as presenting this years rider line-up. The team are the only fully American outfit racing in Moto2 and, now, they have two American riders at the helm.
Cameron Beaubier is returning to the team for his second season after scoring a season’s best result of 5th at both COTA and Portimão. He will be joined by Sean Dylan Kelly, who enjoyed 12 wins in MotoAmerica Supersport before then securing the 2021 championship.
When speaking to media, Beaubier stated that “I’m really pumped to have Sean on the team and have two Americans. It’s weird because coming up in racing, I was always the young gun that always had older teammates and now it’s reversed on me.”
Image Credit: American Racing Team
When reflecting on his 2021 rookie Moto2 season, Beaubier continued by saying that “I’m not saying that this year isn’t going to be tough by any means, but last year was really, really tough. We had some really good moments, a lot of crashes, a couple of top-fives and a handful of top 10s. It’s definitely something to build on and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Hi new team mate, Kelly, commented that “Right now, it still feels unreal for me to looking at this beautiful bike with my number on it, which is going to be the 4 and I’ve always raced as 40. It’s a dream come true for me. This is something that felt really far away only a year ago. It felt like something that was hard to reach.”
He continued “We know how life is and how careers can be with lots of ups and downs. This year has been incredible, and I was able to achieve one of my biggest goals and dreams of being National Champion and not too long after to sign a contract for the World Championship. Honestly, it’s a dream come true for me and my family and something I dreamed of since I was a little kid and started racing at five years old.”
Beaubier and Kelly will be able to put the new American Racing Team machine to the test for the first time on the 22nd of February when the official test kicks off.
In an interview with Spanish Autosport, Raul Fernandez claimed that he is the “moral” Moto2 champion in 2021. He believes his team placed “stones and obstacles” in his way, preventing him from taking the title.
Raul Fernandez is the Moto2 rookie who burst onto the grid in 2021, claiming a phenomenal 12 podiums, 7 pole positions and 8 race wins. The latter surpasses the previous record held by Marc Marquez, who won 7 races in his rookie Moto2 season.
These results saw him clinch 2nd in the Moto2 championship, eventually won by his KTM Ajo teammate Remy Gardner. He missed out on the title by just 4 points.
When speaking to Spanish Autosport, Fernandez stated that “no one knew how to guide” him and his team of “inexperienced” mechanics. He believes this played a role in him failing to secure the title in his maiden Moto2 season.
“The problem we had is that my whole team – and when I say my team I mean my mechanics, who I was very lucky to find such a special group – were inexperienced and nobody knew how to guide us. And that is why today we don’t have the championship crown. But morally it has been proved by the result that I am the strongest rider, with more wins, poles, fastest laps.”
“Remy is the champion, he has scored more points, but really with the speed we had and being a fish that swims against the current, I honestly feel morally champion. What we have done, being all new and getting to know each other this year, it’s impressive.”
Image credit: MotoGP
Fernandez then stated that he felt “stones and obstacles” had been placed in his way by his team, handing the championship to his teammate. He claimed that having a “figure” in the team to guide and support himself and the mechanics would have helped them secure the title.
“I have lacked a hand to guide us, a hand to tell us, like little children before they trip over a stone, to be careful. A figure that would guide us and open the way for us, a figure that would want to help us to win, not a figure that would put stones and obstacles in our way so that we wouldn’t succeed. That was the key.”
“It has cost us sweat and tears. In the middle of the year we talked and all of [my mechanics] were having a hard time. We were all looking forward to the end of the season.”
Their strong performances across the 2021 season mean that both Fernandez and Gardner will be moving up to MotoGP, joining the Tech3 KTM Factory Team for 2022. Back in August, when his promotion was confirmed, Fernandez stated that “it’s the dream of any rider to arrive to this class”.
After crashing out at the Grand Prix of the Americas and seeing his championship lead reduced to just nine points, all eyes were on Remy Gardner and his rookie teammate (and championship rival) Raul Fernandez as we moved into round 16 of the 2021 Moto2 season with a return to Misano.
But this is a season where we have learned to expect the unexpected. After a difficult qualifying in damp conditions, Raul started from 9th place on the grid and Gardner from 14th, his worst starting position of the season.
Moto2 Misano 2021 Picture courtesy of marcvds.com
Fernandez quickly moved up the order to 2nd place by lap 6, but Gardner struggled to make progress, initially dropping back, then moving up to 8th by the start of lap 5. His attempt at passing Somkiat Chantra forced the Honda Team Asia rider into the gravel, with Gardner being given a long lap penalty.
On Lap 15 Raul Fernandez’s fortunes changed again – after running slightly wide and clipping the white line on turn 15, both bike and rider were sent cartwheeling into the gravel. Fortunately uninjured, Raul could only watch as Gardner crossed the line in 7th place, the championship lead stretching out once again to 18 points.
Instead it was a good day at the office for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team, with Sam Lowes starting from pole and claiming the top spot on the podium. Teammate Augusto Fernandez received a long lap penalty before the race had even started, for riding slowly on the racing line during qualifying. Starting from 3rd on the grid, he took his penalty early, rejoined in 14th place, and worked his way back up to the top 4, eventually finishing in second.
Off the line Lowes held onto the lead after a brief challenge from his teammate, as behind him Aron Canet moved up past Jorge Navarro into 2nd and Augusto dropped back into 4th.
By the end of lap 1 Canet had taken the lead, until lap 4 when Navarro moved up to challenge, Canet forced him wide and Lowes was able to pass them both, and in the meantime Raul Fernandez moved up to 3rd.
Going into lap 6, Lowes had a lead of half a second, and started to stretch it out, as Raul Fernandez passed Canet to gain 2nd place. Lap 7 saw Raul close in on Lowes, as Gardner’s attempted overtake of Chantra resulted in a long lap penalty. A prolonged battle with Augusto Fernandez saw Gardner struggle to maintain his pace and by lap 15 Augusto was running in 6th, Stefano Manzi 7th and Gardner 8th.
After Raul Fernandez’ crash, Gardner took to the long lap loop, and rejoined in 7th place in front of Marco Bezzecchi.
On lap 18, Lowes ran wide allowing Canet to seize the opportunity to take the lead, but Lowes regained the place on lap 22 whilst fighting the front end, and Canet began to drop back almost immediately. On the last lap, Lowes led by a second over Canet, who was in turn half a second ahead of Augusto Fernandez. As they approached the chequered flag Augusto caught up to Canet to snatch 2nd.
With only 2 rounds remaining, can Raul Fernandez fight back to take the championship crown in his rookie season? Or can Gardner recover his composure and increase his lead?
First fifteen riders:
1 Sam Lowes GBR – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 25 points
2 Augusto Fernandez SPA – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 20
3 Aron Canet SPA – Aspar Team Moto2 – 16
4 Celestino Vietti ITA – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 13
5 Jorge Navarro SPA – +EGO Speed Up – 11
6 Stefano Manzi ITA – Flexbox HP40 – 10
7 Remy Gardner AUS – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 9
8 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 8
9 Ai Ogura JPN – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 7
10 Marcos Ramirez SPA – American Racing – 6
11 Albert Arenas SPA – Aspar Team Moto2 – 5
12 Bo Bendsneyder NED – Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team – 4
13 Jake Dixon GBR – Petronas Sprinta Racing -3
14 Thomas Luthi SWI – Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team – 2
15 Marcel Schrotter GER – Liqui Moly Intact GP – 1
There’s definitely one thing the 2021 Moto2 season has not been, and that is predictable. Last weekend’s outing at the Red Bull Ring of the Americas was no exception, creating yet more twists and turns in a fascinating and entertaining season.
Moto2 Americas Augusto Fernandez. Picture courtesy of marcvds.com
Over the last few rounds the championship has evolved into a two-horse race between the Ajo KTM teammates Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, with Gardner holding onto the top spot with a seemingly comfortable lead. Going into the weekend, Gardner, on 271 points, was 34 points ahead of Fernandez on 237 with Marco Bezzecchi in third place on 190.
Team Ajo KTM yet again dominated the front row with Raul Fernandez starting on pole (the sixth of his rookie season in Moto2), Gardner second and Fabio Di Giannantonio third. Behind them, Marco Bezzecchi started in fourth place, alongside American Cameron Beaubier in fifth, his best start of the season, and Augusto Fernandez in sixth.
Britain’s Jake Dixon started on row 5 in 13th place and Sam Lowes on row 6 in 16th.
Into turn 1 the local rider Cameron Beaubier slots through to take the lead, but only briefly as he runs wide, allowing both Ajo KTM riders through, with Raul taking the lead.
Beaubier drops back to fourth and then fifth as he is passed by Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi, but comes back at Bezzecchi to regain fourth.
Gardner passes his teammate, but is unable to make it stick, and on lap 2 Gardner is passed by Di Giannantonio, then Beaubier passes both of them to edge back up into second. The ensuing battle allows Fernandez to stretch out a lead of almost 2 seconds at the front.
Lap 3, and Gardner is back up into second place, Beaubier is pushing hard and passes him on lap 4, but is unable to make it stick.
Everything changes on lap 6 as Gardner crashes out, losing the front end in the tight left hander of Turn 15. He tries desperately to restart his stalled machine, but eventually returns to his garage to watch the remainder of the race.
Raul Fernandez now leads by 2.2 seconds from Di Giannantonio, with Bezecchi, Beaubier and Italy’s Tony Arbolino battling for third.
Digiannantonio starts to make inroads into Fernandez’s lead, bringing it down to 1.7 seconds by lap 9.
Sam Lowes, who dropped back several places in the early stages of the race, suffered mechanical issues and limped his Elf Marc VDS machine back to the pitlane.
Moto2 Americas Sam Lowes. Picture courtesy of marcvds.com
By lap 14 Raul Fernandez has again stretched out a 2 second lead over Di Giannantonio, who is in turn 2.7 seconds ahead of 3rd place Bezzecchi, with Augusto Fernandez in 4th, Beaubier in 5th and Arbolino in 6th. These positions remained the same for the final few laps.
After an eventful weekend, Gardner’s championship lead is reduced to nine points, but with Raul Fernandez on a roll can he keep his place at the top as we return to Misano?
First fifteen riders:
1 Raul Fernandez SPA – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 25 points
2 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 20
3 Marco Bezzecchi ITA – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 16
4 Augusto Fernandez SPA – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 13
5 Cameron Beaubier USA – American Racing – 11
6 Tony Arbolino ITA – Liqui Moly Intact GP – 10
7 Ai Ogura JPN – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 9
8 Xavi Vierge SPA – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 8
9 Marcos Ramirez SPA – American Racing – 7
10 Jake Dixon GBR – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 6
11 Aron Canet – SPA Inde Aspar Team – 5
12 Jorge Navarro SPA – MB Conveyors Speed Up – 4
13 Simone Corsi ITA – MV Agusta Forward Racing – 3
14 Somkiat Chantra THA – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 2
15 Bo Bendsneyder NED – Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team – 1
Spain’s Raul Fernandez took the fifth win of his rookie Moto2 season, despite undergoing surgery during the week for a broken bone in his right hand after a training incident.
Round 13 of the 2021 Moto2 season took us to the Motorland circuit in Aragon, and the weight of expectation sat firmly on the shoulders of Britain’s Sam Lowes. Holder of several Moto2 track records including most wins, most pole starts, best race lap and all time lap record, plus winning here in 2020, history seemed set to repeat itself after he qualified in pole position.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Fernandez, starting from 3rd place on the grid, passed his teammate Remy Gardner on the first lap to move up into 2nd and on lap 2 passed Lowes to take the lead. Doubts lingered over whether Raul would be able to maintain the blistering pace, but he held on to first place for the remainder of the race, with Lowes remaining comfortably in second until crashing out at turn 7 on lap 13. Fernandez crossed the finish line over 7 seconds ahead of 2nd place Gardner.
Tyre options for the weekend were medium or supersoft, with the vast majority of the field opting for the latter. Tyre preservation was a concern, and potentially a factor in the high rate of attrition, with crashes including Dalla Porta on lap 8, Lowes on lap 13, Bezzecchi on lap 10, Bulega on lap 18 and Chantra on lap 19, all fortunately escaping uninjured.
Gardner found himself in a battle for 3rd with Ai Ogura and Hector Garzo; on lap 5 he managed to gain and hold onto the place, with Garzo crashing out shortly after. Ogura dropped back to 7th place after being passed by Aron Canet and Marco Bezzecchi, and eventually finished 8th, even despite Bezzecchi crashing out on the corkscrew on lap 10.
The fight for third place then raged between Jorge Navarro, Aron Canet & Augusto Fernandez, swapping back and forth, with Augusto finally crossing the line 1.5 seconds behind second place Gardner.
Next weekend takes us to the San Marino Grand Prix, with Gardner maintaining his lead at the top of the championship with 251 points, 39 points ahead of second place Raul Fernandez. This weekend’s non-finishes for Bezzecchi and Lowes mean that the gap is widening between the Red Bull KTM Ajo teammates and the rest of the championship, but with five rounds still to go, what further surprises lie in store?
First fifteen riders:
1 Raul Fernandez SPA – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 25 points
2 Remy Gardner AUS – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 20
3 Augusto Fernandez SPA – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 16
4 Jorge Navarro SPA – Lightech Speed Up – 13
5 Aron Canet SPA – Aspar Team Moto2 – 11
6 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 10
7 Fermín Aldeguer SPA – +Ego Speed Up – 9
8 Ai Ogura JPN – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 8
9 Tony Arbolino ITA Liqui Moly Intact GP – 7
10 Simone Corsi ITA – MV Agusta Forward Racing – 6
11 Marcel Schrotter GER – Liqui Moly Intact GP – 5
12 Marcos Ramirez SPA – American Racing – 4
13 Joe Roberts USA – Italtrans Racing Team – 3
14 Cameron Beaubier USA – American Racing – 2
15 Celestino Vietti ITA – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 1
The 12th round of the 2021 Moto2 season took us to Silverstone, on a cloudy and cool Bank Holiday weekend.
It didn’t look like it was going to be Remy Gardner’s day. The Australian started from the second row of the grid in fourth place, behind SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi on pole who had smashed the outright lap record in qualifying. Jorge Navarro was in second and local favourite Sam Lowes in third. Joining Gardner on the second row were teammates Raul Fernandez in fifth place and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 rider, Fabio DiGiannantonio in sixth.
Remy racing. Courtesy of: RemyGardner.com
In the end Gardner emerged victorious after a hard-fought win over Bezzecchi, who nevertheless managed to hold on to the outright lap record. The fastest race lap changed hands multiple times over the course of the 18 laps – Gardner, then Navarro, then Lowes and Gardner again before being ultimately claimed by Navarro on lap 17.
Bezzecchi was the only one to go with the softer rear tyre option, which had served him well in qualifying, but would it be enough to dominate in the race?
Ai Ogura, the rookie Honda Team Asia rider, who had been impressive in the last two rounds, was back on the 5th row in 14th place after a disappointing qualifying. And before the race even started Marcel Schrotter, starting in 15th, incurred a long lap penalty for ignoring the mechanical failure flag in practice.
Bezzecchi got the best start off the line as Lowes moved up into 2nd on the first bend, and by turn 2 Lowes nipped past Bezzecchi to take the lead as Gardner moved up into 3rd. But after a couple of moments on the opening lap, Gardner was passed by his teammate and dropped down to 5th.
On lap 2, Bezzecchi regained the lead, pushing Lowes back down into 2nd and on lap 4 Lowes was passed by Gardner making up for lost time.
The top 5 started to break away – Bezzecchi, Gardner, Lowes, Navarro and DiGiannantonio stretched out a 1.5 second gap ahead of 6th place Raul Fernandez, whilst Gardner hunted down Bezzecchi to briefly take the lead but was unable to make it stick. Bezzecchi then had a moment in the middle of turn 15, causing Gardner to take evasive action to avoid contact.
The fight on track. Courtesy of: RemyGardner. com
DiGiannantonio moved up into 4th place past Navarro as Lowes held onto 3rd, meanwhile Raul and Augusto Fernandez battled it out for 6th.
For the next few laps, Gardner and Bezzecchi swapped back and forth, with Gardner setting a new race lap record on lap 8. Navarro moved back up into 4th, and Lowes and Navarro closed in on the leading pair.
On lap 12, Gardner retook the lead, with Bezzecchi pushing hard every step of the way. On lap 15 Bezzecchi ran slightly wide, which allowed Gardner a little space to hold onto the front spot and he crossed the line almost half a second ahead of Bezzecchi.
Meanwhile, on lap 14 Navarro edged past Lowes into 3rd place, and Raul Fernandez crashed out at Farm – uninjured but his bike remained on the edge of the track – fortunately not causing a red flag incident.
Augusto Fernandez, who Raul had been battling with, managed to pass DiGiannantonio at the last minute, finishing 5th behind Lowes.
A combination of Gardner’s win and the DNF from Raul Fernandez now stretches out Gardner’s lead at the top of the championship – on 231 points he is 44 ahead of his teammate, with Bezzecchi in 3rd on 179 and Lowes 4th with 127.
But with the next race in Spain, in two weeks time, will we see Raul return to form on his home turf? And after such a hard-fought battle for the lead, can Bezzecchi regain the top step of the podium?
Race results:
1 Remy Gardner (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 25 points
2 Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 20
3 Jorge Navarro (SPA) – Lightech Speed Up – 16
4 Sam Lowes (GBR) – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 13
5 Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 11
6 Augusto Fernandez (SPA) – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 10
7 Aron Canet (SPA) – Aspar Team Moto2 – 9
8 Xavi Vierge (SPA) – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 8
9 Ai Ogura (JPN) – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 7
10 Joe Roberts (USA) – Italtrans Racing Team – 6
11 Thomas Luthi (SWI) – Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team – 5
12 Celestino Vietti (ITA) – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 4
And so Moto2 returns after the five week summer break with Round 10, the Styrian Grand Prix, high in the Austrian Alps, and Sunday’s race certainly brought plenty of ups and downs.
Pic courtesy of marcvds Racing Team
All eyes were on the weather over the weekend, with dark clouds looming over practice and qualifying. The rain stayed away and the race was declared dry, but away from the racing line the track remained damp and greasy.
Before Sunday’s race Australia’s Remy Gardner led the championship on 184 points, his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Raul Fernandez 2nd with 153, Bezzecchi 3rd on 128, Britain’s Sam Lowes 4th on 99, and Fabio Di Giannantonio 5th with 73.
During free practice news broke that Raul Fernandez will be moving up to MotoGP next season, to join his current teammate Remy Gardner at KTM, but did the unfortunate timing of the announcement impact on Fernandez’s performance?
For only the second time this season, neither of Red Bull KTM Ajo teammates made an appearance on the podium. Remy Gardner started from pole, and his teammate Raul Fernandez on the 2nd row in 4th after a frustrating qualifying.
It looked as though Sunday would be Japanese rookie Ai Ogura’s time to shine, as he briefly held pole position during qualifying. He was pipped at the post by Gardner, but claimed his first front row start of the season in second, with Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi making up the front row in 3rd. Alongside Raul Fernandez on the second row were Aron Canet in 5th and Augusto Fernandez 6th. On the third row, Britain’s Sam Lowes started 7th, Lorenzo dalla Porta 8th, and Somkiat Chandra 9th.
Gardner briefly led the opening lap before being passed by Bezzecchi, and his attempt to reclaim the lead was foiled by running wide, also allowing teammate Raul Fernandez through. Ogura dropped back to 5th, and the next few laps saw Gardner retaking the lead, Aron Canet up into second, the pair of them pulling ahead of Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez who were battling for 3rd. On lap 6 Fernandez ran very wide into turn 9, dropping down to 7th place, Ai Ogura moving back up into 4th, and Gardner and Canet stretching out to almost a second ahead of 3rd place Bezzecchi.
On lap 11 Ogura posted the fastest lap of the race and looked set for the first podium finish of his rookie Moto2 season, but after incurring a late penalty for exceeding track limits ended up by crossing the line in 5th. After completing the race it was announced that Ogura had been penalised a further 3 seconds for exceeding track limits during the long lap penalty. Despite this he finished far enough ahead of 6th place Celestino Vietti to hold on to the position.
Lap 20 saw an uncharacteristic error from Gardner, late on the brakes into turn 1 and running into the gravel to avoid the back wheel of Bezzecchi. He managed to keep the bike upright and rejoined in 5th.
Marco Bezzecchi of SKY Racing Team VR46 held onto the lead to claim his first win of the season, despite pressure from Spain’s Aron Canet who finished second, and the 3rd podium spot was claimed by Augusto Fernandez, celebrating his second podium in as many races. Remy Gardner crossed the line in 4th, and Raul Fernandez finished 7th, the worst finish of his rookie Moto2 season. Despite moving up to 5th on lap 4, Britain’s Sam Lowes had a difficult race, but still managed to finish within the points in 14th.
Pic courtesy of marcvds Racing Team
The top five positions in the championship remain the same – Gardner increases his lead from 31 to 35 points ahead of second place Raul Fernandez. Bezzecchi, in third, closes the gap on Fernandez from 25 to 9 points, with fourth place Lowes trailing by 52 points, and Italy’s Fabio Di Giannantonio in 5th, 25 points behind Lowes.
Sunday 15th August sees the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Can Ai Ogura make up for his disappointment and claim a podium spot? Will the Ajo Red Bull team return to form? And can Bezzecchi leapfrog Raul Fernandez on the championship table?
First fifteen riders:
1 Marco Bezzecchi ITA – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 25 points
2 Aron Canet SPA – Aspar Team Moto2 – 20
3 Augusto Fernandez SPA – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 16
4 Remy Gardner AUS – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 13
5 Ai Ogura JPN – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 11
6 Celestino Vietti ITA – SKY Racing Team VR46 – 10
7 Raul Fernandez SPA – Red Bull KTM Ajo – 9 points
8 Somkiat Chantra THA – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – 8
9 Xavi Vierge SPA – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 7
10 Marcel Schrotter GER – Liqui Moly Intact GP – 6
11 Jake Dixon GBR – Petronas Sprinta Racing – 5
12 Lorenzo Dalla Porta ITA – Italtrans Racing Team – 4
13 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – 3
