MotoGP Germany: Fernandez on fire in Moto2

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez claimed his second Moto2 victory of the season at the Sachsenring in dominant style.

Fernandez met the flag nine seconds clear of his rookie teammate Pedro Acosta with Elf Marc VDS’s Sam Lowes completing the podium celebrations with a hard-fought third in the intense conditions.

Britain’s Lowes lined up at the head of the Moto2 grid for his first pole position of 2022 - the last coming at the Emilia–Romagna race, the scene of his most recent victory. Jake Dixon sat behind his countryman in fourth, the Aspar rider suffering the effects of his FP3 crash but hopeful of a strong performance from the second row. Teammate Albert Arenas and KTM’s Fernandez in between the pair and completing the front row.

The 28-lap race fired up with Lowes maintaining his advantage from former teammate Fernandez before local hero Marcel Schrotter slipped into second from fifth. Dixon bettered by Italtrans Joe Roberts for fifth and sixth with Arenas running fourth after the opening corner.

The Aspar Spaniard was back in podium contention as he made a move on the KTM ahead, the pattern reversed further back as Pedro Acosta demoted Dixon to seventh with Marc VDS’ Tony Arbolino, Speed Up’s Fermín Aldeguer and Flexbox HP40’s Aron Canet completing the top ten in the initial stages.

Lowes and Schrotter began to check out, the duo split by a quarter of a second with a further half separating them from Arenas and the advancing KTMs. Fernandez back in third with four laps dispatched as Acosta ran fifth.

The KTM Ajo was up to second next time around as the German dropped to third. Jorge Navarro crashing the second Flexbox out at turn 13 as Dixon dropped to ninth and Fernandez made his strike for the lead with another