Manuel González secured his first Moto2 victory by emerging victorious at the Japanese GP. The Spaniard was among six riders who took a gamble on slick tyres after the race was interrupted due to rain, a strategy that included championship leader Ai Ogura, who leaves Motegi on the verge of clinching the title.
Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar/Kalex) had a strong start from pole position to maintain the lead, while Ogura (MT Helmets-MSi/Boscoscuro) moved up to the front. Alonso López (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) was second, and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team/Kalex) third.
During the first lap, heavy rain fell on parts of the circuit. Since flag-to-flag rules don’t apply in Moto2 and riders cannot switch bikes, the race was red-flagged and restarted with the original grid. The race distance was shortened from 19 to 12 laps.
RED FLAG 🚩
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 6, 2024
The #Moto2 race has been red-flagged due to weather conditions 🌧️
The race will be restarted with original grid positions #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/wAwr6QZrTG
Despite the race being declared wet, riders were free to choose between slick and wet tyres. Ogura was one of the few to take the risk on slicks – a decision that would only pay off if the rain stopped and the track dried quickly.
And indeed, before the restart, the rain ceased. Dixon made another strong start from pole, as did his teammate Guevara, who moved into second, with Arón Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) in third. Ogura dropped back in the order.
The two leaders built a gap, while Canet lost positions to López, Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex), and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex). López moved up to second on the second lap, passing Guevara, who also lost ground to Vietti.
Further back, Ogura began to make his slick tyres work, rapidly climbing into the top five after being 14th. His decision to run slicks appeared to be spot-on, and by the end of the third lap, Ogura was leading. His grip advantage was so superior that his rivals couldn’t keep up.
WHAT A LAP 🔥@AiOgura79 started the lap 8th and now LEADS 🤯#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/3AL9yyEtQV
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 6, 2024
But Ogura wasn’t the only one on slicks. González (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) and Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) had made the same tire choice and were also carving through the field, reaching the front.
With eight laps to go, Ogura had built a lead of more than four seconds, while González moved into second. Soon after, Alcoba reached the podium spots. Although Ogura led, González was clearly faster, closing in on the Japanese rider.
Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) and Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP/Kalex) were also on slicks and broke into the top five. González caught Ogura, while Salac, Alcoba, and van den Goorbergh battled for third.
On the ninth lap, González made his move and passed Ogura for the lead. The Spaniard then pulled away to win by 2.535s over Ogura, who still gained valuable points over his title rivals, making significant strides towards the championship. Salac completed the podium ahead of Alcoba, who set a new lap record during the race.
Here comes @18ManuGonzalez 🚨
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 6, 2024
He's lapping much much quicker than @AiOgura79 ⏱️#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/VDrwFpeytm
Van den Goorbergh finished fifth, while Xavier Artigas (Klint Forward/Kalex) was sixth. Vietti, the top rider on wet tires, ended up seventh, ahead of Moreira and López.
Sergio García (MT Helmets-MSi/Boscoscuro), second in the championship, finished only 14th, while Canet was 16th and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) placed 27th. After the race, Ogura left Motegi with a 60-point lead and can secure the title in two weeks in Australia.
