More than five months later, Tony Arbolino has returned to victory in the Moto2 World Championship. The rider was the strongest in the Australian GP at Phillip Island, a race that was declared over with 14 laps remaining due to weather conditions, particularly strong winds.

Before the race, during the warm-up lap, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) suffered a significant setback. He fell at turn four and, unable to return to the pit lane before it closed, had to start from the back of the grid.

Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) made a good start to take the lead but was quickly overtaken by the riders from Boscoscuro Beta Tools SpeedUp, Fermín Aldeguer, and Alonso López. López fell in the first lap, which also hindered Aldeguer. Sergio García (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) took advantage to lead.

Meanwhile, Aldeguer continued to lose positions, while Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) and Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) moved into podium positions. Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) was also there briefly before being overtaken by Arbolino.

At the front, García began to pull away, and with 22 laps to go, he already had approximately a one-and-a-half-second lead. However, on the fourth lap, he and Salac both fell at the same time.

This left Arbolino in the lead, Dixon in second, and Aldeguer in third. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) was threatening to fight for the podium but also fell on the same lap. By the fifth lap, Dixon had fallen, and Canet moved up to third.

With the various falls of the front riders, Arbolino found himself with a significantly large lead, more than ten seconds. Aldeguer and Canet finished in second and third.

This was the podium situation when 14 laps from the end, the marshals displayed the red flag due to unmanageable conditions. At the time, Jeremy Alcoba (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) was fourth, and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team/Kalex) was in fifth place. Acosta had already recovered to ninth.

Despite two-thirds of the original race distance being completed, the initial intention of race direction was to resume the race, but this ultimately did not happen.

In this way, Arbolino was declared the winner, with Canet in second and Aldeguer in third. Alcoba and Roberts completed the top five, with Izan Guevara (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) achieving his best result to date. Acosta finished ninth, relinquishing points to Arbolino for the first time since the French GP.

Results:

O conteúdo Tony Arbolino returns to winning ways in a shortened Moto2 race at the Australian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Pedro Acosta experienced a setback just before the start of the Moto2 Australian GP. The rider crashed during the sighting lap at Phillip Island.

In wet and windy conditions, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider lost control of his Kalex during acceleration. Fortunately, he didn’t sustain any injuries, but the bike had to be retrieved.

After the incident, Acosta couldn’t get his bike started. However, the motorcycle was eventually brought to the pit lane, and the championship leader’s participation in the race was not in jeopardy. Nevertheless, he would have to start from the back of the grid.

O conteúdo Pedro Acosta, a «victim» of the challenging conditions at Phillip Island, crashed during the sighting lap aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Fermín Aldeguer continues to make strides in Moto2 and show why many regard him as one of the emerging stars in motorcycling, and proof of his talent was on display once again today at Phillip Island, where he secured pole position.

At the end of the first lap of the session, Pedro Acosta was the fastest on the track, 0.046s ahead of Arón Canet.

On the following lap, the third, Joe Roberts beat Darryn Binder to third place in the session, on the same lap that Acosta again improved his time, now to 1:32.633s.

With six minutes to go, Roberts showed that he wasn’t coming “just” to be among the best, but to be the best, and so he moved into first, but… for a short time: Fermín Aldeguer was the next to lead the session, with Canet taking second place and Alonso López rising to third.

Towards the end, Sam Lowes crashed in turn 4, but without seriousness.

The session ended shortly afterwards with Aldeguer confirming pole position on Australian soil.

O conteúdo Fermín Aldeguer sped to pole position in Moto2 at Phillip Island aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Fermin Aldeguer is in great shape a secured the fastest ever in Moto2 at Phillip Island on the Practice Nr.3, earlier today in Australia.

The Beta Tools SpeedUp rider was the fastest overall in the class and even went further to take the all time lap record at Phillip Island after a 1:32.128s lap. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) finished second with more than four tenths of a difference for the #54.

Sergio García (Pons Wegow Los40) was the third and took then the last place of the podium on the practice, beating the championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was fifth, in front of his teammate Sam Lowes.

Stay with the results of the session:

O conteúdo Dominant Aldeguer takes lap record in Practice3 of Moto2 in Australia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Fermín Aldeguer «repeated» what he did in the morning and led the second practice session of the Australian GP. There was hardly another rider to be at the top of the standings during the afternoon session at Phillip Island.

Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) was the first leader of the session, ahead of Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex). The Spaniard continued the strong work he had already done in the morning session.

After Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) briefly moved into third, there was some stability in the top positions. With 25 minutes to go, everything remained the same at the front when the session was interrupted with a red flag due to the presence of two large geese on the track.

The interruption was brief, but when the session resumed, lap times did not immediately drop. Close to the last quarter of an hour, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) moved into second place, while Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) settled in fifth.

Within the last ten minutes, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team/Kalex) surprised by moving into third. Aldeguer and Acosta were still in the top two positions.

However, shortly after, Acosta was overtaken by Canet and Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex). The session entered the stage where riders focused on setting fast lap times. Within the last five minutes, Acosta had a crash that, although not resulting in an injury, kept him off the track in the final moments.

Until the checkered flag, nothing changed. Aldeguer confirmed his lead, 0.138s ahead of Canet, with Dixon in third and Acosta in fourth. Manuel González (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team/Kalex) completed the top five. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex), second in the championship, posted the 12th fastest time.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo Fermín Aldeguer dominated the second practice session of the Moto2 Australian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

An unusual but not unprecedented situation occurred during the second practice session of the Moto2 Australian GP. The session had to be interrupted with a red flag with 25 minutes to go due to local wildlife.

Two large geese had invaded the track, making the conditions unsafe for the riders. The animals showed no fear of the passing bikes and didn’t attempt to move out of the way.

Fortunately, all the riders safely passed the geese without any incidents, and the organizers quickly removed the animals from the area before resuming the action.

O conteúdo Video: Bizarre red flag in Moto2 practice at Phillip Island caused by… geese aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Moto2 Australian GP began this Friday, with a surprise by Fermín Aldeguer. The Spanish rider led for a significant portion of the session and ended up as the fastest.

With temperatures not reaching 18ºC, Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) led the timesheets after the initial flying laps. He was quickly overtaken but managed to regain the lead with his second lap before Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) took the lead for the first time.

Dixon reclaimed the lead and held it until Aldeguer assumed control after 11 minutes, and he remained at the top. The Spanish rider even improved his time twice in the final phase of the session, ultimately setting a time of 1m32.794s.

As the only riding in the 1m32s, Aldeguer outpaced Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) by a significant 0.209s. Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) finished third, while the top five was completed by Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team/Kalex) and Alonso López (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro).

Dixon, who led early in the session, finished in seventh place, and the second-place rider in the championship, Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex), ended in eighth.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo Fermín Aldeguer surprised by dominating the first Moto2 practice session in Phillip Island aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

It is the rider number #18 the last piece of the puzzle for Team QJMOTOR GRESINI MOTO2, who for 2024 decided to gamble on a completely new and 100% Spanish speaking line up. The new arrival is none other than Manuel Gonzalez, a talented rider with a history in the WorldSSP class (and had won the WorldSSP300 back in 2019) and that in less than two seasons was able to show great speed also in Moto2 – as he finished very close to the podium positions on several occasions already. 

Gonzalez now hopes to make another step forward aboard the light-blue-liveried Kalex machine ran by Gresini Racing, in order to compete for top positions in the intermediate class. With Gonzalez and Arenas as standard bearers, Team QJMOTOR GRESINI Moto2 aims at returning to the status of reference team in the category in 2024. 

Here is the rider’s reaction on the move to Gresini Team in the intermediate class: ‘I can’t wait for the next season to begin! After two years with the same team, it will be a big change for me, a new experience. We will try to find a good feeling as soon as possible: it will be crucial to be competitive from the first round, that is my main goal. I will give my all and bring home the best possible result’.

Nadia Padovani Gresini and Luca Gresini:

– For the 2024 season we wanted a strong line-up, to bring the QJMOTOR GRESINI Moto2 back towards the top: this is why we decided to pair an experienced rider like Arenas, with a young athlete who is eager  to grow, and that’s exactly what we chose Manuel Gonzalez, another Spaniard, which was born in 2002. He has already shown his potential in Moto2 and we are sure that in Gresini he will find the right environment to best exploit it.

O conteúdo Manuel Gonzalez joins Gresini in Moto2 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Without any break, the MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 World Championships head to Phillip Island this weekend for the Australian GP. It’s another crucial round in the battle for the titles in all categories.

After returning to winning ways last Sunday, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) leads in the MotoGP class. He holds an 18-point lead over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), who is his main opponent. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) is looking to close the gap, although the point differences make it difficult to re-enter the title race. In Phillip Island, races are usually highly competitive and intense, with small gaps between the riders, so a larger group at the front is expected.

In Moto2, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) can leave Australia very close to the title. With a sequence of four consecutive podiums, the Spaniard leads by 65 points, and after this round, there will be 100 points left to be awarded. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) is his main pursuer, while the third-place rider is Jake Dixon (GasGas Aspar/Kalex), who is 40 points behind the rider immediately in front.

The Moto3 championship battle is more balanced. Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) leads with a 16-point advantage over Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who failed to score points for the third time this year in Indonesia. Right behind in third place is Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3), 17 points behind the leader, and 12 points ahead of the best rookie, David Alonso (GasGas Aspar).

Below are the complete schedules (CET) for the Australian GP.

Friday, October 19 (dawn)
00:00-00:35: P1 Moto3
00:50-01:30: P1 Moto2
01h45-02h30: FP1 MotoGP
04h15-04h50: P2 Moto3
05h05-05h45: P2 Moto2
06h00-07h20: Treino MotoGP

Friday, October 19 (night)
23:40-00:10: P3 Moto3

Saturday, October 20
00:25-00:55: P3 Moto2
01:10-01:40: FP2 MotoGP
01:50-02:05: Qualifying Q1 MotoGP
02:15-02:30: Qualifying Q2 MotoGP
03:50-04:05: Qualifying Q1 Moto3
04:15-04:30: Qualifying Q1 Moto3
04:45-05:00: Qualifying Q1 Moto2
05:10-05:25: Qualifying Q2 Moto2
06:00: Sprint race MotoGP (13 laps)

Sunday, October 21
00:40-00:50: Warm-up MotoGP
02:00: Race Moto3 (21 laps)
03:15: Race Moto2 (23 laps)
05:00: Race MotoGP (27 laps)

O conteúdo MotoGP heads to the Oceania: The schedule for the Australian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Pedro Acosta delivered a commanding performance at the Moto2 Indonesian GP in Mandalika, securing another victory. This result further solidified his path toward the title.

Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) made a strong start, taking the lead in the opening meters of the race before being overtaken by Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex). Manuel González (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp/Kalex) occupied third place, while Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) sat in fourth.

By the third lap, Acosta had reclaimed the lead. Shortly afterward, Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) moved into podium positions, overtaking González and Arbolino.

In a relatively uneventful race in the top positions, Acosta managed to build a gap of around one second over Canet, who, in turn, created a lead of over two seconds ahead of Aldeguer.

The battle for fifth place heated up about ten laps from the end, with Arbolino coming under pressure from Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex). Dixon eventually executed a successful overtake but made a mistake, relinquishing the position.

With just two laps to go, Dixon reclaimed fifth place from Arbolino, capitalizing on a moment when the Italian nearly lost control of his bike.

At the front, the order remained unchanged until the finish. Acosta celebrated his victory with an impressive lead of nearly two seconds over Canet, with Aldeguer completing the podium. Dixon managed to secure fourth place, overtaking González on the final lap.

Results:

O conteúdo Pedro Acosta took a commanding win at the Moto2 Indonesian GP and keeps getting closer to the title aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.