Guevara Takes Final Corner Spanish Moto3 Win As Ogura Takes Maiden Moto2 Victory

Grid Talk Reporter 12:54 01/05/2022

Aspar’s Izan Guevara won an enthralling Moto3 Spanish Grand Prix, as LCR Honda MotoGP-linked Ai Ogura claimed his first victory in the Moto2 race at Jerez.

The Spanish GP saw a return to the normal Sunday race schedule, with Moto3 and Moto2 taking place before the main MotoGP grand prix. The 22-lap Moto3 race kicked off with Aspar GasGas rider Guevara starting from pole. The early stages of the race was a four-rider battle for victory, with the Aspar pair of Guevara and championship leader Sergio García trading spots ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masià and MT Helmets - MSI KTM rookie Diogo Moreira. But the quartet got stuck into each other and allowed the lead group to swell to nine riders at one point, before a group of six broke away by over three seconds in the closing stages. Deniz Öncü on the Tech3 KTM led with six laps to go ahead of Masià, Guevara, García, Sterilgarda Max Racing Husqvarna rider Ayumu Sasaki and Prüstel GP CFMoto’s Xavi Artigas. Sasaki came from the back of the grid and serving a long lap penalty for irresponsible riding in qualifying to get into the lead group.

Öncü led the field across the line to start the final lap having recovered from an earlier moment when he ran wide through Turn 12. Masià carved up the inside of the Tech3 KTM rider into the Dani Pedrosa corner at Turn 6, but was pushed back to second into Turn 8. But it would be Guevara - fourth coming into the final sector - who would snatch the lead on the outside of the final corner to score his second career victory ahead of García to lead an Aspar 1-2 on the team’s home turf. Masià completed the podium, muscling Öncü out of podium spots to fourth ahead of Artigas and Sasaki, with CIP Green Power KTM’s Kaito Toba, Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets - MSI), Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Daniel Holgado and Moreira. Championship favourite Dennis Foggia had a nightmare afternoon at Jerez on his Leopard Honda, with the Italian finishing out of the points in 18th.

In the 23-lap Moto2 race, Ai Ogura led from start to finish from pole to claim his first grand prix victory.

The Japanese youngster - linked to a MotoGP move with LCR Honda in 2023 - was kept in close attention by the injured Arón Canet, who broke his left arm a week ago in Portugal, and Elf Marc VDS’ Tony Arbolino for much of the race. Flexbox HP40 Pons rider Canet gritted through the pain barrier to keep the pressure on Ogura up until the closing stages, until the Honda Team Asia rider broke away. Ogura took Honda Team Asia’s second win of the year by 2.5s from Canet, with Arbolino a further 1.160s adrift in third.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernández was a lonely fourth as teammate Pedro Acosta finished 20th after an early crash out of the top 10. Marcel Schrötter on the Liqui Moly Intact GP Kalex was fifth after muscling his way through on championship leader Celestino Vietti on the VR46 Kalex late in the race. SAG Racing rider Bo Bendsneyder was seventh ahead of Portimao race winner Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing), Aspar’s Albert Arenas and the sister Flexbox HP40 Pons Kalex of Jorge Navarro. Elf Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes crashed out at around mid-distance, as did the sister Honda Team Asia bike of Indonesia winner Somkiat Chantra. Vietti continues to lead the championship, but his advantage has now been cut from 34 to 19 ahead of Ogura.