Aldeguer Breaks Away for Second Win of the Year –

Round nine of the 2024 Moto2 World Championship brings the series to the Sachsenring for the German Grand Prix. Sergio Garcia arrives at the Moto2 Germany round off the back of a third place at the Moto2 Dutch TT, and with the championship lead. The victory was taken by Fermin Aldeguer, his second win of the year.

Race

Fermin Aldeguer secured victory in commanding style at the German Grand Prix, winning by over two seconds in his second triumph of 2024.

It was Jake Dixon who made the holeshot, although pole sitter Celestino Vietti returned to the lead between turns five and six. The early phase of the race was a pure battle at the front, with Vietti, Dixon, Aldeguer, and Tony Arbolino all vying to assert themselves at the front of the field.

It wasn’t until lap 15 that Aldeguer got decisively to the front. On this occasion he was able to impose his pace, and he dragged Arbolino slightly away from the main pack. This proved to be to the detriment of the Italian, who had run out of grip by lap 18 and began his descent back to ninth place, where he would finish, with a rear slide at turn seven that cost him position to Vietti, Dixon, and Senna Agius who was in the hunt for a maiden World Championship podium.

Aldeguer encountered no such troubles, and increased the 1.3-second lead he was handed by Arbolino’s to over two seconds by the end of the race, taking victory comfortably in the end.

Behind, Dixon held onto his tyres better than Vietti, and got through on lap 20 at the first turn. Vietti, who is without a podium in 2024, then had to contend with Ai Ogura and Diogo Moreira, both of whom were lingering towards the bottom end of the top 10 during the first half of the race before making respective charges forward in the closing stages.

Ogura clearly had more grip than Vietti, who by the end of the race was spinning the rear tyre from the moment he touched the throttle, but was unable to find a way through on the Italian who was still able to brake late despite his lack of rear grip.

The arrival of Moreira to the battle complicated things further for Ogura, who had to re-pass the Brazilian rookie after he came through on the penultimate lap. Ogura took advantage of Vietti toughing it out with Moreira through turn three to pass the Brazilian at turn eight, and then held a tighter line through turn 10 than Vietti to open up turn 11. He was on the outside for turn 12, but Vietti was on the inside, and his shallower angle for the entry of the penultimate corner meant he ran slightly wide on the exit. Ogura took advantage of this to get to Vietti’s inside for the final corner, and the Italian had no way to fight back.

Ogura took third place, ahead of Moreira who out-drove Vietti from the final turn to secure fourth, while Vietti’s wait for a first 2024 podium goes on after fifth place for the #13.

Somkiat Chantra qualified 17th, but came through to sixth by the flag, ahead of championship leader Sergio Garcia who seemed to be having a similar race to his MT Helmets MSI teammate, Ogura, until the Japanese rider’s late charge. Garcia was seventh at the end, ahead of the injured Joe Roberts, the aforementioned Arbolino, and Alonso Lopez who once again proved the worst of the Boscoscuro riders in 10th.

Qualifying

Celestino Vietti is not a stranger to going from Q1 to pole position, and he did it once again in qualifying for the Moto2 German Grand Prix.

The Italian had almost got himself into Q2 directly in P2, but had his best lap cancelled for yellow flags. There were no such dramas in Q1, though, as the Italian was fastest on his way into Q2, where he took pole position with a 1:22.778. Not enough for a lap record, but enough to seal his first pole of 2024, and his first since Misano last year.

Jake Dixon took second place to make it a Pierer Mobility Group, and therefore WP Suspension, 1-2, while Fermin Aldguer ensured some Boscoscuro presence on the front row.

Unusually, though, Aldeguer was the only rider from the Italian manufacturer in the top six, as the second row was locked out by Kalex with Senna Agius, Manuel Gonzalez, and Tony Arbolino.

The second Boscoscuro rider was Ai Ogura, who will have to come from seventh on the grid if he wants to make back-to-back wins after his Moto2 Dutch TT triumph last weekend. Diogo Moreira and Marcos Ramirez join the Japanese ride on the third row, while Alonso Lopez, Joe Roberts, and Sergio Garcia make up row four – Garcia after a late crash in Q2.

P2

Somkiat Chantra was the fastest Moto2 rider on combined times at the end of P2 in Germany, but Aron Canet was fastest in P2 itself.

Chantra was the only rider in the 1:22s on Friday afternoon, and over 0.3 seconds clear of the field. That advantage was reduced to 0.046 seconds on Saturday morning by Aron Canet, after Chantra crashed on his first timed lap of P2 which put him out of the rest of the session.

Canet ended P2 0.009 seconds ahead of championship leader Sergio Garcia, while Manuel Gonzalez, Jake Dixon, and Tony Arbolino confirmed Kalex’s strong performance at the Sachsenring by completing the top five.

Joe Roberts was sixth-fastest despite his recently broken collarbone, and ahead of Alonso Lopez and Moto2 Dutch TT winner Ai Ogura Fermin Aldeguer and Diogo Moreira completed the top 10.

Izan Guevara and Marcos Ramirez made it to Q2 in 11th and 12th, respectively, as did Bo Bendsneyder, despite finishing P2 in 17th, thanks to his P1 time. Chantra, of course, was the final rider into Q2 despite missing P2 almost entirely.

P1

Somkiat Chantra was the only rider to lap in the 1:22s during Moto2 P1 on Friday afternoon, the Thai rider finding an advantage of 0.351 seconds on the shortest lap time of the year.

Second place went to Jake Dixon, while Fermin Aldeguer was third-fastest, ahead of Bo Bendsneyder and Aron Canet who rounded out the top five.

Marcos Ramirez, Sergio Garcia, Ai Ogura, Manuel Gonzalez, and Tony Arbolino completed the top 10, while Celestino Vietti, Albert Arenas, Izan Guevara, and Alonso Lopez took the final four provisional Q2 positions.

FP

Marcos Ramirez topped Moto2 Free Practice at the Sachsenring, taking the top spot late on from Somkiat Chantra.

The Thai rider ended the session in third place, just under 0.1 seconds adrift of Ramirez, and with Fermin Aldeguer ahead of him in second place, too.

Dennis Foggia was a surprise in fourth place, ahead of points leader Sergio Garcia who rounded out the top five. Bo Bendsneyder was sixth, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez, Tony Arbolino, Jake Dixon, and Moto2 Dutch TT winner Ai Ogura who completed the top 10.

Xavi Cardelus, who missed the Dutch TT through injury, has been replaced this weekend at the Fantic team by Roberto Garcia, who is currently leading this year’s European Moto2 Championship.

Joe Roberts, winner of the Moto2 Italian Grand Prix, crashed out of the Dutch TT in practice last weekend, with a resultant broken collarbone requiring surgery for which Roberts was placed under general anaesthetic. The American rider is back for this weekend, and opened his German Grand Prix with a 26th place in FP.