Italian Moto2: Dominant performance leads Acosta to first win

The Italian Moto2 Grand Prix was dominated by Pedro Acosta, who was already leading when Aron Canets’ crash handed him a sizeable gap, which he maintained to win round eight of the championship.

From second on the grid, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider slipped past his compatriot at the first corner. Pressured all the way by the Flexbox HP40 bike, the rookie returned the favour by picking up the pace.

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Struggling to stay in touch, the #40 pushed too hard, leading to a horrible spinning crash out of contention at the end of lap thirteen, leaving Acosta a 1.6 second gap, which only increased as the battle for position behind intensified.

Leading over the line by 4.051s, Acosta’s maiden Moto2 win sees him also become the youngest winner in the middle class - at 18 years and 4 days he takes over from Jorge Lorenzo.

With Canet out for the second time in a race where he claimed pole, the battle for third became one for second.

Joe Roberts has been making huge chunks of progress from his grid position to race finish over the last few rounds, but from an improved seventh on the grid today his launch through the pack saw him able to finish on the podium.

Fourth in Mugello last year, the American gave his Italtrans team a superb second for their home grand prix after a big battle with Tony Arbolino, who was leading the chasing goup as Canet crashed, which was when when Roberts made his move to hit the front.

Ai Ogura was in the mix too, and kept his consistent season on track with an equally hard earned third, well clear of Arbolino who was gapped by his own long lap penalty, but remianed the top Italian on home soil.

That came for his move on his team-mate at Elf Marc VDS, Sam Lowes. The pair were fading off the back of the group together leading to frustration as their tyre gamble didn’t pay off, leaving them battling each other on track. Lowes was a little wide but Arbolino’s shaking bike was out of control as he passed underneath, sending the Brit into the gravel at turn two with just three laps remaining. An angry Lowes was waving his hands madly in the gravel at the Italian.

At the same point in the race Celestino Vietti, who had fought his way back into the race after dropping from fourth on the grid to tenth on the last lap, saw his comeback be all in vain as he succumbed to a mechanical issue.

That allowed Arbolino to rejoin fourth, but under pressure from Augusto Fernandez and the group he was leading around the track.

Fernandez, who had completed his own rallying performance from 14th on the grid on the Red Bull KTM Ajo bike took the position, but the Italian snatched it back right at the finish line.

Jake Dixon was close behind. After leading the way on Friday the Inde GasGas rider seemed to lose his way, and could only hold his own at the beginning of the race, before getting into his groove and taking advantage of the falls ahead to move up to a soild sixth.

Cameron Beaubier sat at the front of the mid-pack train for much of the race but was shuffled back to seventh for American Racing by the chequered flag.

Alonso Lopez eclipsed his previous best finish of twelfth with an eighth placed finish for MB Conveyord Speed up.

The Spaniard was clear of the battle for ninth which went all the way to the chequered flag. Marcel Schrotter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), who spent the opening laps outside the top fifteen after qualifying down in 20th, raced hard to move up to ninth by the chequered flag, crossing the line just ahead of Inde GasGas Aspar rider Albert Arenas, who also made up places from 13th on the grid.

Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) won his fight with Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40) to claim eleventh.

Filip Salac was next to finish in 13th for gresini. Fermin Aldeguer was given a trip around the penalty loop, which dropped him from eleventh to 14th on the second MV Conveyors Speed Up Boscoscuro.

Pasini in the points.

Mattia Pasini is more at home commentating for Italian tv in 2022, but his wildcard appearance at home saw him pick up a point despite not racing since 2020, with his last full racing season back in 2018.

The Italian increased the Inde Aspar GasGas team by one and showed he had lost none of his pace, qualifying fifth.

It wasn’t quite a fairytale performance, but the Rimini rider held his own despite a lack of practice and only faded in the second half of the race after holding his own in the top ten initially, on his way to picking up a point on his return.

Marcos Ramirez, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Simone Corsi and Somkiat Chantra all also failed to finish.

Where does the result leave the championship standings?

With the paddock on it’s way to Barcelona next for the Catalunya Grand Prix it will be with two riders on the same points.

Leading ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Vietti remains top thanks to his strong start to the season. His bike issue means he made no gains - still with 108 points to his name.

Joining him on the same total thanks to consistency and a third place today is Ai Ogura, with the same total.

Aron Canet also didn’t pick up any points so remains on 89. Secoond in the race for Roberts sees him just three points behind the Spaniard.

A race win sees Acosta climb into the overall top ten, now 63 points behind Vietti and Ogura.