One of the greatest Moto2 races of all time was served on a plate to us at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain, and rising highest from the relentless battle for the very first time was Czechia’s Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team).
A stunning, and in the end highly dramatic 17-lap thriller played out that saw World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) celebrate a lap early, then sustain damage to his bike, dropping the title race frontrunner from P1 to P14. Emerging from the drama in second place was Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Biolec – MSI), and in third for his debut Moto2 podium was Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) as the Spaniard profits from Daniel Holgado’s (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) last-lap highside save.
Off the line it was side-by-side for Lopez and polesitter Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), with the #28 just keeping it early on before the duel reignited around the rest of the lap. It settled into Guevara leading Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) leading Ortola by Lap 2, but it stayed close – with Daniel Muñoz (Italtrans Racing Team) and Holgado leading the chase. Holgado was soon past to take up the mantle, though, the fastest of four fastest laps set by the top four by the end of Lap 2 and then into second by Lap 3. That shuffle gave Guevara some breathing room at the top.
After a troubled weekend to date, things didn’t get any simpler for David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team). A Long Lap penalty was handed to the Colombian for causing a crash; seemingly that’s what saw Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) hit the deck on Lap 1.
Things weren’t much better for title-chasing Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) in the early laps too. The Australian was P19 at the start of Lap 8 after an off-camera mistake or incident, with Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) the latest rider to pick off Agius.
Right, Lap 9. And a move at the front. Holgado gobbled up a healthy slice of slipstream down the Hangar Straight and made a lovely move up the inside of Guevara stick at Stowe, with the top six now locked together at Silverstone with Gonzalez, Tony Arbolino (REDS Fantic Racing) and Salač now within touching distance of the podium places.
This was a ferocious fight at the front. With six to go, Arbolino led for the first time and within a couple of laps, Ortola went from P1 to P4 behind Holgado and Gonzalez. Guevara was now P5, Salač was still right in the hunt in P6, and then disaster struck for Arbolino. A fine ride ended with a front-end crash at the Vale chicane with just over four laps left, which left Holgado, Gonzalez, Ortola, and Salač fighting for P1. Guevara, just behind the Arbolino crash, ran wide to lose crucial ground – the polesitter was now 0.8s adrift of the top four, and then soon behind Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team).
With two laps to go, it was a four-way fight for the win. And for the first time in the race, Gonzalez led. But not for long. Holgado bit straight back on the championship leader and heading onto the last lap, huge – and rare – drama then unravelled.
Gonzalez, crossing the line in the lead, the #18 began celebrating a lap later! Unbelievable. And in thinking he’d taken a stunning victory, standing on the footpegs, Holgado had to take avoiding action, and in doing so clipped the exhaust pipe of Gonzalez, causing damage to the latter’s bike.
This meant Gonzalez was out of it and had to nurse his Triumph-Kalex home on the final lap, and after Holgado managed to gather up a huge rear-end moment on the exit of Luffield, which handed Escrig P3, it was Salač vs Ortola for the win.
The Czech rider led and despite the best efforts of Ortola behind, the former defended and held his nerve brilliantly to clinch a debut Moto2 victory by 0.3s. Ortola’s P2 means he moves up to P4 in the standings, and a first rostrum did come the way of Escrig, who in the end was only 0.6s away from the win.
Holgado’s huge moment on the last lap saw the Spaniard bring it home in P4, with Guevara’s fifth ending up being a result that sees the rider second in the championship claw more points back on Gonzalez. Lopez was a very solid P6 on his return, Muñoz crossed the line in P7 ahead of Deniz Öncü (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing), and Sergio Garcia (ITALJET Gresini Moto2).
In the end, Gonzalez limped over the line in P14 behind Ayumu Sasaki (Momoven Idrofoglia RW Racing Team), Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team), and Celestino Vietti (GT Trevisan SpeedRS Team). Two points are better than zero, but how costly could that error turn out to be the deeper we go into this championship?
What a Moto2 Grand Prix at Silverstone. Congratulations to Salač on his first win, who is now just eight points behind Alonso and the championship top six. The gap at the top? 42.5 points in Gonzalez’s favour, with Agius now 61 points back in P3 after his disappointing day.
Next up: Aragon.
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