The Spanish rookie scores his first victory since coming back from a broken femur
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta has secured a special victory in the Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon. The Spanish rookie not only picked up his second career win in the intermediate class on home soil at MotorLand Aragon, but the first since breaking his left femur in a training accident in June. Flexbox HP40 rider Aron Canet took the chequered flag 2.612 second back in second position after 21 laps while, on the other Red Bull KTM Ajo entry, Augusto Fernandez extended his World Championship lead by grabbing the final podium place.
At the start, Fernandez got the jump from pole position and led the Shimoku GASGAS Aspar Team duo of Jake Dixon and Albert Arenas through the opening corners. San Marino GP winner Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) launched well, but perhaps he was too quick – when the Aspar riders checked up through Turn 2, he had to clamp on the brakes and crashed out of the race then and there. Mayhem unfolded behind as Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) hit the deck as well, with Keminth Kubo (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), Niccolo Antonelli (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW Racing GP), and Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing) all spraying off the track too.
As Dixon gave chase to Fernandez, Canet passed Arenas on Lap 1, as did Acosta at the start of Lap 2. Hopes of a fightback were dashed just half a lap later when Arenas crashed at Turn 12 – with both Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) and Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) joining him on the floor there just moments later in a separate incident.
Acosta and Canet close in on Fernandez
Fernandez pulled a second clear of Dixon on Lap 3 as Canet and Acosta traded third position amongst themselves. In a flash, Dixon dropped from second to fifth on Lap 4 when Acosta went past at Turn 12, Canet at Turn 14, and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) through the sweeping Turn 16/Turn 17 left-hander. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – who started eighth – tried to join the party on Lap 6 at Turn 1, and while he could not make the move stick at that point in time, the Japanese rider was not going to let the Briton off the hook.
Meanwhile, Acosta was catching Fernandez at a good clip, reducing…