Wet or dry? That was the question asked of the Moto2™ field after a red-flagged stoppage in Japan – and the answer, eventually, was dry.
Emerging as a Grand Prix winner for the first time was Manuel Gonzalez as the Spaniard’s slick tyre gamble worked a treat, with the QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™ star beating World Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) by 2.5s as the Japanese home hero’s risky gamble also pays off in a big way. Filip Salač (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was another rider to choose the right tyres as the Czech star powered his Triumph-Kalex to a first podium of the season.
The intermediate class race began with a threat of rain looming in Motegi, but it was dry when the lights went out and pinching the holeshot was polesitter Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), as the Briton’s teammate Izan Guevara and Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) made contact at Turn 1 and 2, causing both riders to lose several positions. However, the rain had arrived at the top end of the circuit and before the opening lap could be completed, the red flags were waved. This meant the race would restart with original grid positions.
Following a short delay, a restarted race of 12 laps was declared as the riders and teams tried to work out whether to head out on wet or slick tyres. And dramatically, World Championship leader Ogura opted for slicks! At the end of the sighting lap, the Japanese star didn’t pit, so his choice was locked. The majority of the other riders chose wet tyres.
Was it a masterstroke from Ogura? We were about to find out. Dixon got the holeshot again as Guevara made it an Aspar 1-2, with Ogura dropping to P14 at Turn 2. van den Goorbergh, from P2, dropped to P22 on the opening lap as Ogura lost more places. At the end of Lap 1 of 12, Ogura was P14, 3.2s away from race leader Dixon.
Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) passed Guevara for P2 on Lap 2 as Ogura began to make progress. P7 was now the #79’s position, and that was soon P4. Then it was P3 at Turn 10, then it was P2 at Turn 11, then it was P1 at Turn 1 on the next lap. Stunning from Ogura. With nine laps to go, the slick tyre risk was paying off handsomely.
Gonzalez was another rider on slick tyres, and the Spaniard was P2 on Lap 5. Dixon’s lap was over four seconds slower than Ogura’s as the slick tyre runners powered on through. The next of those was Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Racing Team), and the other two were Salač and van den Goorbergh as the Czech and Dutch riders sailed into the top five.
With six to go, Gonzalez was taking huge chunks out of Ogura’s lead. The Spaniard was 0.9s quicker on the previous lap, and while that battle was starting to fizz up, Salač, Alcoba and van den Goorbergh were jostling for the final podium spot.
With four laps to go, Gonzalez was swarming all over the rear tyre of Ogura. A move came at Turn 9 and it was a clean one too. The #18 passed the #79 as Gonzalez stared down the barrel of a maiden Moto2™ win, with Ogura clinging onto a massive 20-point haul.
On Lap 11 of 12, the gap between the leading duo was a second. Gonzalez wasn’t streaking clear as the pre-pass pace suggested, but heading onto the last lap, the gap was 1.1s despite Ogura setting the fastest lap of the race. Would Gonzalez hold on for a dream debut Grand Prix victory? Yes he would. The slick tyre gamble paid off as Gonzalez led home title chase leader and home hero Ogura, as Salač fended off Alcoba to bag his first podium since the 2023 French GP.
Alcoba was just 0.137s away from his first intermediate class podium in P4, as van den Goorbergh earns a career-best P5. Xavier Artigas’ (Klint Forward Factory Team) dry tyre gamble handed the Spaniard his first points of the season in P6, with Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) the first of the wet tyre riders to cross the line in P7.
Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), Lopez and Guevara closed out the top 10, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp), Dixon, Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) the final point scorers, as that P14 for Garcia sees Ogura take a commanding 60-point lead into Phillip Island. That means it’s match-point territory for the Japanese star next time out.
A dash of unexpected drama is thrown up in Japan, as Ogura’s incredible gamble sees him now sit firmly in pole position in the Championship chase heading to Australia.
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