Despite completing a long lap penalty loop, Iván Ortolá came back to secure his first Moto2 race win at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Czechia. The #4 managed to hold onto second behind David Alonso for the entire race before taking the lead on the final corner. It was also a celebration for Filip Salač, finishing in third on home soil. Catch up on all the exhilarating action of the weekend at the Automotodrom Brno.
González Takes Top Spot in FP1
There was a mix of riders returning and riders missing this Moto2 weekend at the Czech GP. Jacob Roulstone, who was once again taking Mario Suryo Aji’s spot, was back on the IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia bike. Adrián Huertas returned after undergoing arm pump surgery. And it was a warm homecoming for Salač, donning a new helmet design for the occasion.
Green lights switched on as riders streamed out of the pit lane, with 40 minutes counting down. Within a few minutes of the session, Celestino Vietti was already experiencing technical issues down at Turn 11. The Free Practice 1 session was also a hard start to the weekend for Collin Veijer. The #95 rider tipped the front end of the Red Bull KTM Ajo machine and slid into the gravel at Turn 3.
Several riders took a turn in the top spot of the session. In the end, it was Manuel González who had the fastest lap time of the session. The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP rider was only two-tenths of a second off the all-time lap record with a time of 1:58.585.
Alonso Sets the Pace to Beat in Practice
With only the top 14 riders heading directly to Q2, the riders were locked in and ready. Alonso went straight to the top in the early stages of the Moto2 Practice. Unfortunately for Barry Baltus and REDS Fantic Racing, disaster struck when the #7 rider crashed at Turn 13, prompting red flags. The session was stopped as Baltus was taken to the medical centre. While the Belgian rider was conscious, Baltus had to withdraw from the rest of the Czech GP weekend with a left shoulder dislocation and tendon damage.
The session eventually resumed with riders returning to the Automotodrom Brno circuit with one goal in mind. José Antonio Rueda looked on point with his lap times. But the Moto2 rookie came down at Turn 11, sliding fast off the bike and somersaulting into the gravel. In the final minutes, the top 14 continued to change on every lap.
As the checkered flag waved, Alonso wrapped up the session on top and led a pack of 13 riders along with him to Q2.
Salač Pulls Out All the Stops to Start Saturday
With the announcement of Baltus’ unfit status for the weekend, that left REDS Fantic Racing with only Tony Arbolino in the garage. Alonso López also pulled out of the Czech GP weekend after a statement was released that the Italjet Gresini Racing rider had injured his hand in a training session. Milan Pawelec stepped up to take their place.
As the lap times continued to roll in, it looked inevitable that the all-time lap record would finally be broken. Daniel Holgado got close, but Joe Roberts was the first to do it with a time of 1:58.207. Things were heating up as Salač closed in on Ortolá between Turns 11 and 12. Rueda had his second incident of the weekend, almost saving the bucking bike before riding into the gravel, and falling on his side.
A few minutes later, Salač put in the first lap in the 1:57s and broke the all-time lap record with a 1:57.978.
Double Front Row Starts for CFMoto Aspar Team
The first qualifying session of the Moto2 got underway with little nonsense, though Baltus was missing due to his crash. All the other riders focused on the top four spots that would advance to Q2.
Ayumu Sasaki was the first to go to the top of the timesheets, followed by David Muñoz, Luca Lunetta, and Sergio García. The four battled it out for the entire Q1 session, swapping positions. But it was García who took the top spot, with the rest following him into Q2.
Another 15 minutes on the clock, and the intensity picked up. Alonso set the latest all-time lap record before losing the front end and tumbling between Turns 1 and 2.
The #80 rider made it back to the box with half the session remaining before rejoining. Meanwhile, all the other riders still on the circuit did what they could to beat Alonso’s time.
González had a small moment before pulling back out of his lap. But the front row was too close for anyone to break up, with Alonso becoming the eighth polesitter in Moto2 and the first Colombian to do so in the class. Fellow CFMOTO Aspar Team rider Holgado qualified in third, while home hero Salač split the two in P2.
Ortolá Makes Comeback to Become a Moto2 Grand Prix Winner
There was a bit of housekeeping to get through before the race began. Ortolá was to serve a long lap penalty for causing a crash at the Hungarian GP. But it was González who had the biggest penalty for his second offence of riding excessively slow during qualifying. The current leader in the Moto2 championship standings was handed a 9-place grid penalty as a result.
Ortolá got the holeshot off the line when the lights went out, while Alonso held onto the lead and Salač went backwards. The direction came up for Ortolá to serve the long lap penalty within three laps. But the #4 was the fastest rider on the Brno circuit following Alonso. Holgado made a small error that allowed Izan Guevara to overtake, as did Senna Agius a moment later. Ortolá served his penalty on a tight margin, but held onto second with a train forming behind the MOTOR-GALFER-MSI rider.
Unfortunately for Arón Canet, his afternoon ended early as he came down on Turn 8 on Lap 8. At the front of the pack, Alonso was still fending off Ortolá while Agius tried to make a move, but left the gap open for Salač to come up. The two continued to battle, with Agius missing one knee slider as he did it.
Salač managed to break away from Agius, closing in on the top two. It came down to the three at the front, with little knowledge of the battles going on behind them. Aguis was still hunting Salač for third, and González was fighting with Guevara for fifth. It came down to the final lap as Alonso hit every apex to deny Ortolá the win. The #4 twitched as he tried to find a way through past Alonso. At the final corner, Ortolá finally pulled it off and secured his first Moto2 race win.