Moto2 Italy, Race: Roberts Beats Gonzalez in Last Lap Mugello Fight

Sergio Garcia arrives at the Moto2 Italy round with the championship lead, despite being beaten late on by MT Helmets MSI teammate Ai Ogura in the Moto2 Catalan Grand Prix a week ago.

Grand Prix

Joe Roberts won a shortened Moto2 Italian Grand Prix ahead of Manuel Gonzalez after a multi-rider lead battle.

The race was shortened from 19 laps to 12 laps after the Moto3 Italian Grand Prix was red-flagged and delayed.

Roberts made the holeshot, and led the early stages but was unable to break away from a leading group of six.

Several riders had chances at the front, including Alonso Lopez, Aron Canet, and Manuel Gonzalez, but, like Roberts, none were able to get away from the group.

Battling with Lopez on lap nine sent Roberts back to fourth, as Gonzalez and then Canet hit the front. The American recovered to third by the end of the lap, a retook the lead from Gonzalez at turn one on lap 10.

Roberts and Gonzalez were then able to break away by around half-a-second onto the final lap. The Spaniard’s attempt at the win came at turn one, but Roberts immediately responded at turn two.

From there, it was a big push from Roberts, who was never again within reach of Gonzalez. A strong exit from the final corner sealed the deal for the American, who won his second Grand Prix.

Gonzalez secured second place, ahead of Lopez whose third place keeps him in championship contention.

Championship leader Sergio Garcia was fourth, but saw his points lead cut to seven by Roberts. Ai Ogura finished fifth.

Aron Canet rounded out the top six, ahead of Celestino Vietti who had the pace to run at the front but left himself with too much ground to make up. It was seventh for Vietti, while Izan Guevara took eighth with similarly strong pace to Vietti. Somkiat Chantra and Marcos Ramirez completed the top 10.

Fermin Aldeguer started the race despite not taking part in qualifying due to neck pain, but didn’t finish after an incident with Jeremy Alcoba.

Qualifying

Joe Roberts scored his first pole position of the 2024 Moto2 World Championship in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. The American was ahead of Sergio Garcia, the two of them the only riders in the 1:49s.

Alonso Lopez was third, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez, Darryn Binder, and Marcos Ramirez. Binder and Ramirez both came through Q1 to land on the second row.

Mattia Pasini is wildcarding for Team Ciatti – the Boscoscuro-running team that competes in the European Moto2 Championship – and qualified seventh, ahead of Somkiat Chantra and Aron Canet on row three.

Celestino Vietti completed the qualifying top 10, and will line-up alongside Jeremy Alcoba and Catalunya winner Ai Ogura on the fourth row.

Fermin Aldeguer did not take part in qualifying due to neck pain.

Practice 2

Alonso Lopez set a new Moto2 lap record for the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello at a 1:49.926, as he became the first rider in the intermediate class to dip below the 1:50 mark. It’s a time that would have put Lopez 10th on the 2006 MotoGP grid.

Fermin Aldeguer was second, just ahead of Ai Ogura and Sergio Garcia, who made it a Boscoscuro 1-2-3-4 in P2. Celestino Vietti and Manuel Gonzalez were the first two Kalex chassis’ in fifth and sixth, respectively, while Joe Roberts was seventh. Mattia Pasini, wildcarding this weekend, made it five Boscoscuro chassis’ in the top eight, while Aron Canet and Deniz Oncu rounded out the top 10.

Izan Guevara, Tony Arbolino, Somkiat Chantra, and Jake Dixon took the final four Q2 spots.

Practice 1

Somkiat Chantra was second-fastest on Friday morning in Italy, but the Thai rider went one better in Moto2 P1, topping the session by 0.010 seconds.

Joe Roberts was second, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer – fastest in Free Practice – while Alonso Lopez was foruth.

Aron Canet rounded out the top five and Barry Baltus the top six, while Filip Salac was seventh, championship leader Sergio Garcia eighth, Tony Arbolino ninth, and Manuel Gonzalez 10th.

Free Practice

Fermin Aldeguer bounced back from his Catalan disappointment one week ago to top Moto2 Free Practice in Mugello, although Somkiat Chantra was less than 0.1 seconds behind in second place.

Tony Arbolino was almost 0.3 seconds further back in third, while Jake Dixon and Izan Guevara were the final two riders under the 1:52 mark in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Barry Baltus was sixth, ahead of reigning Moto3 World Champion Jaume Masia, Manuel Gonzalez, Catalunya winner Ai Ogura, and Aron Canet who rounded out the top 10.