MotoGP Motegi: Moto2 race preview

Fernandez is now seven points clear in Moto2, but next up it’s Mobility Resort Motegi and Ogura is looking to fight back on home turf.

MotorLand Aragon saw Red Bull KTM Ajo’s rookie sensation Pedro Acosta back on the top step, Flexbox HP 40’s Aron Canet gain a little more ground and Augusto Fernandez increase his lead over his closest rival, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), by three points heading into the flyaways. But that lead remains only seven, and now it’s time to race on Ogura’s home turf.

The Japanese rider is now an established presence at the front in Moto2, and he’ll be keen to hit back and use experience to his advantage. Like the majority in the field, he hasn’t ridden Motegi in the intermediate class, but he knows his way around the track better than most with that home circuit knowledge. Can that make a key difference this weekend?

For many on the grid like Acosta, however, the track may also prove a clean slate. The likes of Canet and Mooney VR46’s Celestino Vietti have ridden there in Moto3, but many on the grid never have so it’s a race to get up to speed. But not for everyone: Idemitsu Honda’s Somkiat Chantra has scored points there in the class, while Inde GasGas Aspar’s Jake Dixon and Italtrans’ Joe Roberts have experience there. Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) was the top finisher of the returning Moto2 field in 2019, in P5… but Fernandez was no slouch either with a top ten result. So will the duel with Ogura continue, or will the pack shuffle again?