Moto2: Following a disappointing couple of Grands Prix ahead of the summer break, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) bounced back with a huge 25-point haul in a dramatic Moto2 race that saw Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) forced to retire with a radiator issue.
Second place went the way of Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) as the rookie clinches his debut Moto2 podium, while Celestino Vietti (Sync SpeedRS Team) collected P3 despite being handed a Long Lap penalty.
Starting from pole, Holgado grabbed the holeshot ahead of Moreira and Gonzalez, as both Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) ran straight on at Turn 2A. Then, Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed heavily on the exit of Turn 2B but thankfully, the Australian was able to walk away from the incident.
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) was almost down at the start of Lap 2 at Turn 1 in a big front-end moment. The Spaniard was running in P10, with his title rival Gonzalez sitting in P4 behind Moreira, Holgado and Vietti.
But then, he wasn’t. Gonzalez was touring with some form of issue and that cost the Championship leader 10 places, because a few corners later, he was back up to racing speed. The situation now read that he was P14, and six seconds further down the road than he initially was. Bizarre.
However, two laps later, it was game over in Austria for a furious Gonzalez. A real kick in the teeth for Gonzalez’s title charge, especially having looked so strong all weekend, as we then learned it was a stone piercing through the radiator that caused the problem. A luckless Sunday for the #18.
Back at the front, it was Moreira still leading from Holgado and Vietti, with David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) building up some pace in P4. It was those four in the victory fight, and Alonso passed Vietti for P3 with nine laps to go. The Italian grabbed that position back though, but this little battle cost them both time as race leader Moreira and second place Holgado lapped untroubled just up the road.
With seven to go, Vietti was handed a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits, so that left Moreira, Holgado and Alonso in the fight for P1. Then, more drama at the front. Alonso, pushing hard in P3, crashed at Turn 9 with five laps to go to leave us with a two-horse race for victory, and that crash for the Colombian promoted Vietti back into P3.
With drama unfolding behind, the blissfully unaware Moreira eventually strode to an important victory by 2.3s over the impressive rookie Holgado, as Vietti earns another Red Bull Ring rostrum in P3.
Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) crossed the line in P4, half a second away from Vietti, with Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) rounding out the top five. Another rookie in the form of Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI) finished sixth and held off Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) in the closing stages, with Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) earning his best Moto2 result to date in P8.
Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) was ninth ahead of tenth place Canet, as the Spaniard cuts the gap at the top to 19 points ahead of a trip to Hungary. Moreira, meanwhile, drags himself back into the title frame and sits 35 points adrift of Gonzalez before we land at Balaton Park next weekend.
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