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2024 Japanese Moto2 Grand Prix – Race Results | Moto2
Round sixteen of the Moto2 championship, the Japanese Grand Prix, began with a red flag as the rain returned with the riders who took the slick tyre gamble coming out on top over the revised twelve lap distance, with Manuel Gonzalez victorious for the first time.
The QJMotor Gresini rider apologised for taking a home first away from the Japanese fans, but gave a masterclass in risk taking to come home the winner.
From 14th on the grid, his slick tyres took a few laps to come into their own, which saw a drop to 23rd .
Gonzalez was soon back in action and cutting through the pack, reaching leader Ai Ogura on lap nine after setting three fastest laps of the race in a row, taking the lead through Victory Corner.
Once ahead Gonzalez pulled a gap as quickly as he had caught Ogura aboard his Kalex, leaving him 2.535s behind for a first Moto2 win for the Spaniard as the ninth different winner this season.
The risk was much higher for championship leader Ogura, who also took the slick gamble, and cut to the front much faster, using all of the kerbs to rapidly pass MT Helmets – MSI teammate Sergio Garcia moving al the way forward to early leader – while the weather allowed – Jake Dixon, passing him on lap four.
With the title at stake, the Japanese rider did not try to keep pace with a flying Gonzalez, taking second on the Boscoscuro in front of his home crowd.
The podium was completed by a very emotional Filip Salac.
The Elf Marc VDS rider was in a class of his own topping practice on Friday, but an issue in qualifying with his Kalex bike saw the Czech rider miss the key window before the rain arrived and left him last in the session for 18th on the grid.
Salac fought through after convincing his mechanics that a slick tyre gamble was the way to go, and it paid off – collecting his first podium of the year since joining the team.
Jeremy Alcoba is in the hunt to find a Moto2 seat for next season, and improved his chances with the right tyres, moving from 22nd on the grid to finish fourth for Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, his equal best result.
Zonta van den Goorbergh came through Q1 for a career best second on the grid. His race began with a severe dip back after early contact on the first lap, dropping to twelfth. The Netherlands rider also had the right rubber underneath him, so was able to stage a comeback for fifth, his best result to date.
| 2024 Moto2 Japan – Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | QJMOTOR Gresini (Kalex) | 22m 52.521s |
| 2 | Ai Ogura | JPN | MT Helmets – MSI (Boscoscuro) | +2.535s |
| 3 | Filip Salac | CZE | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Kalex) | +9.103s |
| 4 | Jeremy Alcoba | SPA | Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team (Kalex) | +9.240s |
| 5 | Zonta van den Goorbergh | NED | RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP (Kalex) | +14.758s |
| 6 | Xavier Artigas | SPA | KLINT Forward Factory Team (Forward) | +35.812s |
| 7 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +45.847s |
| 8 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +54.847s |
| 9 | Alonso Lopez | SPA | Beta Tools Speed Up (Boscoscuro) | +56.863s |
| 10 | Izan Guevara | SPA | CFMoto Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +58.933s |
| 11 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Kalex) | +59.290s |
| 12 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | Beta Tools Speed Up (Boscoscuro) | +59.692s |
| 13 | Jake Dixon | GBR | CFMoto Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +59.952s |
| 14 | Sergio Garcia | SPA | MT Helmets – MSI (Boscoscuro) | +1m 03.215s |
| 15 | Darryn Binder | RSA | Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) | +1m 03.495s |
| 16 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +1m 09.280s |
| 17 | Deniz Oncu | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +1m 09.280s |
| 18 | Barry Baltus | BEL | RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP (Kalex) | +1m 09.863s |
| 19 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) | +1m 10.570s |
| 20 | Senna Agius | AUS | Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) | +1m 10.713s |
| 21 | Ayumu Sasaki | JPN | Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team (Kalex) | +1m 19.924s |
| 22 | Albert Arenas | SPA | QJMOTOR Gresini (Kalex) | +1m 25.875s |
| 23 | Alex Escrig | SPA | KLINT Forward Factory Team (Forward) | +1m 26.875s |
| 24 | Jaume Masia | SPA | Preicanos Racing Team (Kalex) | +1m 29.205s |
| 25 | Xavi Cardelus | AND | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +1m 46.126s |
| 26 | DennisFoggia | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +1m 48.126s |
| 27 | Joe Roberts | USA | OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) | +1 lap |
| 28 | Mario Aji | INA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) | DNF |
| 29 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) | DNS |
There was one final rider taking a slick gamble – Xavier Artigas. The Klint Forward racing rider has endured a tough season with the unfancied chassis, with a previous best of 20th. The weather and tyre situation allowed the Spaniard to display his race craft had not left him, coming from 26th on the grid for a best result of sixth for rider and team.
Celestino Vietti was the best of the wet weather tyre riders, finishing seventh for Red Bull KTM Ajo, but over fifty seconds behind the race winner.
Diogo Moreira was the top rookie in race trim for Italtrans in eighth, four seconds ahead of Alonso Lopez, who was the best of the Speed Up riders after frantically waving to stop the original start when then in second as the rain poured, finishing in ninth.
Izan Guevara tucked in behind his Inde Aspar teammate as the race got underway for a second time. He went on to be the teams top placed rider, completing the top ten.
He had competition for the position, with Tony Arbolino forced to settle for eleventh on the second Marc VDS bike, while Fermin Aldeguer fought his way back into the points for twelfth for Speed Up.
Jake Dixon started from pole -twice – after managing the tricky weather of qualifying best, with the fastest banker lap but his luck ran out in the race, losing three places in a feisty final lap to place 13th for Aspar.
Sergio Garcia was 14th with the final point on offer going to Darryn Binder for the Liqui Moly Intact GP team.
Form rider, Indonesia race winner Aron Canet was moved up to 16th for Fantic racing after Deniz Oncu was demoted a place for exceeding track limits on the last lap on the Red Bull KTM Ajo bike.
The second Japanese rider in the class, rookie Ayumu Sasaki finished 21st.
Albert Arenas went for slicks then second guessed himself and returned to his Gresini mechanics for a tyre change, leading to a pit lane start. He finished 22nd.
Joe Roberts gambled on exits and risked a tyre change in the race when he realised his wet tyres were not competitive. The risk didn’t pay off, leaving the American Racing rider 27th.
Crashes, injuries and replacements
Daniel Munoz had a fast crash on Saturday and was later declared unfit with a right ankle fracture.
2023 race winner Somkiat Chantra was checked on arrival at Motegi and given the all-clear to rider following his injury, picked up in Indonesia after contact from Aldeguer. The Honda team Asia rider missed his teams home race after picking up the illness that has been doing the rounds in the paddock.
Their second rider, Mario Aji, was the only bike to retire.
Championship Standings
Ogura remains in charge overall, with second taking him to 228 – a gap of sixty points offing his first shot at taking the title at the next round in Australia.
Garcia remains second overall, despite picking up just seven points in the last six rounds, now on 168.
Lopez is third on 163 while Canet finishing our of the points leaves him on 156.Mathematically everyone down to Dixon can theoretically still win, with Arbolino officially out of the hunt after the trip to Motegi.
In the rookie standings Senna Agius leads, staying on 47, with Moreira moving on to36 points, while Oncu did not score remaining on a total of 34.
