Moto2: Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) has become the first Australian in Moto2™ history to come out on top Down Under.
12 months on from his first-ever World Championship podium, Agius gave the home crowd plenty to cheer for – and so did the battle behind between David Alonso (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). Although forced to settle for third, the Brazilian took seven points out of Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) with the Spaniard coming home in P7 after a big group battle behind Agius. It’s now just two points that split them overall.
Storming into the lead at Turn 1, home-hero Agius got a dream launch to lead through the opening lap ahead of polesitter Moreira and Championship leader Gonzalez, with the title heavyweights right in contention. Alonso was in fourth ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) in a closely packed lead group. At the start of Lap 3, Agius went deep at Turn 1, just about holding on to the lead from Moreira, who was then shuffled back to fourth behind Gonzalez and Alonso. Sasaki was next up to have a go at the Brazilian but wasn’t able to make it stick into Miller corner.
At the start of Lap 8, Alonso got through into second ahead of Gonzalez, who now had his chief title rival Moreira right behind him but not for long; the Brazilian got ahead of the Championship leader at Turn 4 and the roles were now reversed. At Turn 10 on Lap 10, Alonso ran wide, allowing Moreira and Gonzalez through into P2 and P3 and the two were now head-to-head, the battle we’d wanted to see now being played out. They were now more than two seconds behind Agius though, with the Australian pulling clear on home soil.
Into the second half of the Grand Prix at Turn 1, Gonzalez slipstreamed his way into second, ahead of Moreira whilst behind, there was chaos as Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) charged through at Turn 4 on Alonso but ran wide. He then got his gloves off with Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) through Turns 8 – 10. In the title fight, Moreira briefly took P2 out of Gonzalez’s hands on Lap 13 before the Spaniard snatched it back a lap later. Everywhere you looked, battles and friendly fire in the top ten.
Lap 15 and the battled continued to rage, this time Moreira coming through on Gonzalez at Turn 2 and a lap later, the #18 had his hands full of Alonso as the reigning Moto3™ World Champion was knocking on the door of the podium. Dixon was still trying to deal with Arenas, successfully doing so at Turn 10 for fifth place. With six laps to go, Alonso got himself into P3 and wasn’t done there as he pulled the same move at Turn 1 a lap later, now into second. Gonzalez was dropping back, now behind Dixon before being barged out the way by Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team), making a late play for the podium and getting into P4 at the start of Lap 20, ahead of Dixon.
Three laps to go and it was still all to play for; Holgado’s hard work had been undone with a mistake at Turn 2 whilst with Moreira in P3 and Gonzalez P5, the provisional gap between them in the standings would be just four points. The #18 lost another place, this time to a recovering Holgado and was now under attack from Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing).
Last lap time and with Agius clear out front, it was dreamland for the #81. Cruising home, he became the first Australian rider ever in Moto2 history to win their home Grand Prix. Alonso held on for second behind with Moreira making it P3, making serious in-roads into Gonzalez’s Championship lead. Holgado was strong in fourth ahead of Dixon, whilst Baltus took a vital point of Gonzalez to claim sixth. He remains Championship leader but ‘Manugas’ reaction said it all when he returned to the box. Arenas claimed eighth ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), whilst Sasaki just held off Adrian Huertas (Italtrans Racing Team) for the top ten.
Two points, three rounds remain and the Championship remains wide open! Sepang awaits next week for the Moto2 title fight.
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