Ogura takes over the Championship lead despite fellow Honda Team Asia rider Chantra’s last-minute challenge
Ai Ogura has moved into the Moto2™ World Championship lead with victory in the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, even if Idemitsu Honda Team Asia team-mate Somkiat Chantra seemingly ignored team orders and attacked on the final lap. Chantra went down the inside at Turn 9, the second-last corner of the race, but Ogura re-passed him immediately at Turn 10 to collect 25 crucial points. There was similar drama in the battle for the final podium place, Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) passing Pedro Acosta for third at Turn 10 also. Acosta therefore finished fourth on his return from a broken femur, one position up on now former Championship-leading Red Bull KTM Ajo team-mate Augusto Fernandez.
Ogura settles into the lead as Fernandez loses ground
Ogura made a good start from pole position and took a clear lead to the first corner, while Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) wrested second place from Fernandez at Turn 2a. Fernandez came under further attack in the opening stages, shuffled all the way back to eighth when Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) went past at Turn 3 on Lap 2. Ahead, Chantra ran in third, from Dixon, Acosta, and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team).
Lopez overtook Ogura for the lead later that lap at Turn 9, but handed it back when he ran wide on Lap 4 at Turn 4. The Spaniard also ceded second place exactly two laps later when Chantra came in hot under brakes, making contact on his way through as he barely kept control of his bike. Meanwhile, Vietti had taken fifth spot from Acosta after an error from #51 on Lap 5 at Turn 5.
On Lap 7, Dixon ran long at both Turns 3 and 4, dropping all the way back to eighth position and hence promoting Fernandez back to seventh. The Briton’s first ‘moment’ also gave Vietti a look at Lopez, but those two drifted to 1.5 seconds behind the leading Honda Team Asia duo before the VR46 pilot assumed third spot when the Speed Up rider ran wide at Turn 4 on Lap 10.
Acosta passed Lopez for fourth on Lap 13 but when they both had messy runs through the chicane on Lap 14, bottling up the pack, Fernandez capitalised with a double pass up the hill at Turn 3 to take up fifth spot, from Canet, Dixon, and Lopez. However, the KTM Ajo rider lost…