2024 Qatar Moto2: Lopez holds off Baltus in exciting run to the line for victory

Alonso Lopez quickly hit the front and held off all who attempted to challenge to finish victorious in the Moto2 season opener in Qatar.

A strong start saw the Sync Speed Up rider able to sit in first briefly as pole man Aron Canet went the opposite way before fighting back to take over the lead again.

As Canet faded away Lopez was able to hold the front spot, but came under pressure - first from Manuel Gonzalez, then later in the race from Barry Baltus.

The Belgian kept close behind all the way to the line, but the Boscoscuro rider made his bike wide and shut the door at every opportunity, stepping out of the shadow of his team mate Fermin Aldeguer with a statement ride, to pick up his third win.

Many factors played their part in the Moto2 race, with the new surface, new Pirelli tyres and floodlights at Lusail all playing a part in the result.

Lopez celebrated his win by punching the screen of his bike off in excitement before running off into the gravel towards the Spanish flags.
 

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All change on the Qatar podium

In November it had been Aldeguer, Gonzalez and Canet filling the rostrum spots but this time around, those riders were nowhere to be seen.

Instead it was Baltus who made sure the race was full of fire all the way to the chequered flag, with a stellar performance. The RW Idrofoglia rider made the most of his good start and really came into his own, close all lap but pulling right behind Lopez every time they rounded turn fifteen.

A victory was not to be with the #7 having to settle for second on the Kalex, -1.103s behind  - and dedicating his performance to his mother on Mothers Day.

Baltus was 18th when the last Qatar race happened at the end of last season, with then rookie Sergio Garcia just ahead of him in 17th.

This time Garcia was just behind Baltus as he too enjoyed a turnaround in fortunes in the desert. The MT Helmets - MSI rider had not qualified well, down in 18th on the Boscoscuro, but worked slowly through the field. 

Garcia stated post-race that his tyre was totally degraded due to the work required to visit the rostrum, for his first podium finish.

Ai Ogura was another rider making up for a difficult time in Q2. The MT Helmets rider was 13th on the grid but found his way forward before his teammate Garcia, only to see progress halt, leaving him fourth.

Gonzalez faded back to fifth on the QJMotor Gresini Moto2 entry, with a small lead over Marcos Ramirez on track as he fought back for sixth for American Racing.

That meant overtaking his teammate Joe Roberts, who had built into the weekend after bike issues to start practice, with the duo both swooping past early leader Canet at the same time.

Celestino Vietti spent much of the race outside the points before he too got to grips with the conditions and tyres, finding late race pace to also pass the Spaniard for ninth with Red Bull KTM Ajo.

The gap back to the next set of riders on track ensured Canet a top ten finish for Fantic Racing.

Somkiat Chantra was five seconds adrift of the Spaniard in eleventh for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia. The Thai rider enjoyed his own cushion over twelfth placed Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp).

The remaining points on offer went to Zonta van den Goorbergh in 13th for RW Racing, Bo Bendsneyder in 14th (Pertamina Mandalika Gas Up Team) and top performing rookie Deniz Oncu in 15th for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

No points for 2023 title fighters

Oncu had made an easy pass late in the race to claim the final point.

That move was on Aldeguer, the winner in November.

Widely regarded as the pre-season favourite after being the standout rider in testing, following his dominant end to the season where he picked up four wins in a row - including at Lusail - it was fair to say the Sync Speed Up rider did not start the season as planned.

Recovering to seventh in the final moments of qualifying, the Boscoscuro man was later handed a penalty by race direction. Having been judged to have disturbed rider #75 (Arenas) and accused of slow riding in Q2, the Spaniard was handed a the place grid demotion, moving him back to tenth.

From there  the Speed Up rider never looked as if he was going to feature, despite other riders initiating climbs through the pack from similar positions.

The  #54 cut a frustrated figure, staring at and tapping his bike,  but in a very different way to his race wining teammate.

It was also a race to forget for Tony Arbolino.

Initially at the sharp end and battling for the podium spots , the Elf Marc VDS rider was pushed wide by Canet as they jostled for position and from that moment on the Italian slipped further and further back.

Last seasons runner-up crossed the finish a lowly 20th.

Crashes, injuries and replacements

There were very few falls with only Ayumu Sasaki and Izan Guevara failing to go the distance.

Jake Dixon was declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend on Saturday after his huge highside in practice saw him taken to hosptial for a CT scan. He has since been released and diagnosed with fluid on his lungs.

Championship standings

The first round sees the overall standings reflect the race result. That sees Lopez take an early advantage after securing the full 25 points, with Baltus securing 20 and Garcia third overall.