A tale of a foreseen victory – that’s how the Moto2 Japanese GP race could be described. Somkiat Chantra closed out a weekend of dominance in Motegi with a clear-cut victory, after leading all the sessions from the beginning of the weekend.

Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) had a good start to keep the lead, with Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) taking the second position. Alonso López (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) settled into third. After starting fourth, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) dropped to seventh.

On the second lap, Dixon was overtaken by López and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex). At the front, Chantra quickly opened up a gap of more than a second, while Ogura closed in on him.

López stayed in the podium positions until the fifth lap when he started serving his two Long Lap penalties, imposed following an infraction in the Indian GP. Acosta then moved up to third, while his compatriot dropped to seventh.

At the front, Chantra remained solidly in the lead without major challenges, while Ogura also secured the second position. Acosta consolidated third place, with Dixon in fourth and Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) in fifth.

These positions remained unchanged for much of the race until the end. Chantra secured his second career win with a 1.237s margin over Ogura in a weekend he completely dominated. Acosta completed the podium in third, followed by Dixon and Salac. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) once again lost significant ground to Acosta in the title fight, finishing only 11th. After serving his Long Lap penalties, López dropped gradually in the standings and finished 13th.

Results:

O conteúdo «The icing on the cake»: Somkiat Chantra confirmed a superior performance in Motegi with the win aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia was unstoppable in the Moto2 Japanese GP qualifying. Somkiat Chantra confirmed their dominance in practice with pole position and a new lap record at Motegi, beating teammate Ai Ogura to secure the one-two for the team at its home.

Not all riders completed their first flying laps right away, but after five riders had done so, Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) led the way ahead of his teammate Alonso López.

After dominating practice, Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) took the lead in qualifying on his first attempt, while Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) moved into second place. The Spaniard was later overtaken by Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex).

The leader was already below category’s lap record at Motegi. Jake Dixon climbed to second ahead of Acosta, but Chantra remained out of reach. Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) became the fourth fastest.

Within the final minute, Ogura returned to second place. He finished 0.120s behind Chantra, and nothing changed further, meaning the Thai rider secured his third career pole position. Dixon moved ahead of Acosta to take third, and Salac completed the top five. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex), second in the championship, finished 13th in a challenging qualifying session where he couldn’t contend for top positions.

Q2 results:

Overall qualifying results:

O conteúdo No one can stop Somkiat Chantra, who clinched pole position at Motegi with a new lap record aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Somkiat Chantra’s outstanding performance continues in the Moto2 Japanese GP. The rider from Idemitsu Honda Team Asia was also the fastest in the third practice session, leading all the sessions at Motegi so far.

The Thai rider was already leading after the first flying laps but was later overtaken by Marcos Ramírez (Onlyfans American Racing/Kalex). The Spanish rider took turns at the front with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) in the following laps, but #37 took command after the first ten minutes.

In the final five minutes, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) briefly took the top spot, but Chantra reclaimed it in the closing moments, finishing 0.277s faster. Acosta was third, followed by Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) and Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro).

In the combined standing after the three practice sessions, Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) finished fourth, being one of the few riders not to improve compared to yesterday, and Lowes ended up in fifth place. Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) secured the last direct spot in Q2 with the 14th fastest time, while Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team/Kalex) missed out by just 0.018s. Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex), in 16th place, is another rider who will have to go through Q1.

P3 timesheet:

Combined standings P1 + P2 + P3:

O conteúdo Somkiat Chantra completes the «hattrick» in Moto2 practice for the Japanese GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Somkiat Chantra achieved a perfect day on the first day of the Japanese Moto2 Grand Prix. The rider was once again the fastest in the second practice session, which he led for most of the time.

At the end of the first flying laps, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) was leading ahead of Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) – who continued to show his speed after leading in P1. The Thai rider took the command 31 minutes from the end, while his teammate Ai Ogura moved up to second.

For a long time, the changes in the timing sheet only occurred behind Chantra… until Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) dethroned him with seven minutes to go. This was an important phase of the session, as riders were looking to set fast times to secure direct qualification for Q2 in case of rain during the third practice session tomorrow.

After being beaten, Chantra didn’t give up and returned to the top of the timing sheet, passing Lowes. Acosta improved but not enough to pass the two riders ahead of him. In the end, Chantra improved once again to set the fastest lap of the day (1m50.396s), finishing 0.037s ahead of Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex), who beat Lowes.

Acosta and Ogura completed the top five. In the combined timesheet, Alonso López (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) holds the last direct qualification spot for Q2 in 14th place with a 0.058s margin over his teammate Alonso López.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo Perfect Friday for Somkiat Chantra in Moto2 at Motegi aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

There was a surprise in Motegi during the first practice session of the Japanese Moto2 GP. Somkiat Chantra was the fastest rider of the session, beating the championship leader, Pedro Acosta.

After the initial flying laps, Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) was the leader, but he was overtaken shortly afterward by Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex). The Italian also couldn’t hold onto the position for long. With just over 12 minutes elapsed, Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) became the first rider to establish himself at the front.

The Thai rider led for nearly 20 minutes before being overtaken by Manuel González (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp/Kalex). In the following six minutes, two more riders took the lead: Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) and Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex).

Two minutes from the checkered flag, Chantra set a lap time of 1m50.477s that proved unbeatable. Acosta finished 0.140s behind, with Salac in third and González in fourth. Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) completed the top five.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo Somkiat Chantra surprised by setting the pace in the first practice of Moto2 Japanese GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Somkiat Chantra was the fastest of the first ever practice session of a Moto2 Indian GP. Competing not that far from home, the Thai rider posted the best lap of the morning session right at the end.

In a session that was longer than usual to allow the riders to adapt to the Buddh International Circuit, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) was the early leader. Filip Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex) passed the Japanese rider before Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) moved into first place.

Chantra improved his lap time twice but was eventually overtaken by Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex). The Italian held the top spot for about ten minutes before being beaten by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex).

The final ten minutes were frantic, with constant changes at the top. In the end, Chantra secured the top position with a 1m52.596s. Acosta finished 0.282s behind, while Ogura settled for third place. Jake Dixon (Inde GasGas Aspar/Kalex) was fourth ahead of Salac, with Arbolino in sixth.

Timesheets:

O conteúdo Somkiat Chantra set the pace in the first practice session of the Moto2 Indian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Somkiat Chantra led the first qualifying for the Moto2 Catalan GP, thus securing a spot in the battle for pole position, alongside Sergio García, Filip Salac, and Barry Baltus.

After most of the riders had posted their first lap times, García (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex) was in the lead. Salac (QJMotor Gresini/Kalex), Baltus (Fieten Olie Racing GP/Kalex), and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team/Kalex) were also in qualifying positions.

Bendsneyder moved up to second place, while Salac dropped to fourth after being overtaken also by Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Kalex) on the second flying laps. Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia/Kalex) took the lead with about six minutes remaining, pushing Salac out of the qualifying zone.

With several riders returning to the pits, the timesheet remained stable for a few minutes. In the final laps, Chantra and García held onto the top two positions, while Salac and Baltus overtook Bendsneyder to secure their spots. The Dutch rider missed out on Q2 by just 0.003s.

O conteúdo Somkiat Chantra leads the quartet Advancing to Moto2 Q2 at the Catalan GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Ai Ogura ended the opening day of the Moto2 Catalunya GP with the fastest lap. Not all riders improved from the first to the second practice sessions, contrary to what usually happens.

Riding an Kalex for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, Ogura was consistently one of the fastest throughout P1, eventually setting the fastest lap time towards the end: 1m44.804s. With that, he beat Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) by just two thousandths of a second. Alonso López (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) was third, ahead of Arón Canet (Pons Wegow Los40/Kalex).

The top four from the first practice session correspond to the top four in the combined standings since none of these riders improved their lap times, and no one else overtook them. Manuel González (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp/Kalex) finished fifth overall, thanks to his best time in P2, where he was 0.019s faster than López.

Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex), the second in the championship, only managed 11th fastest overall on the day. The Italian was one of several riders who didn’t improve from the first to the second practice session on this Friday.

Timesheets:

O conteúdo Ai Ogura was the fastest in the Moto2 Catalunya GP Friday practices aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.