Somkiat Chantra is the winner of Moto2 2023 at the Motegi circuit

Chantra achieved her first victory of the season after Indonesia in 2022 and the second victory of her sports career, ahead of her Japanese teammate. Ai Ogura (Kalex) and the world leader, Spanish Pedro Acosta (Kalex), who increased his advantage in the world championship provisional rankings. 39 points came with him to Motegi, reached 50, and set out for Indonesia in fifteen days.

Spaniard Alonso López (Boscoscuro) started from the second line of the starting lineup with the following penalty: double “long turn” He had to oblige as he introduced Englishman Jake Dixon (Kalex) into the Indian race and this forced him not to give up trying to lose as little time and ground as possible to his rivals at that moment.

Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra (Kalex), the fastest in the Moto2 class, did not fail at the start and took command of the test; There was some action at the first corner, including world championship leader Pedro Acosta making a good start. (Kalex) was about to take second place, but the Spaniard brutally “sneaked” into his own line Aron Canet (Kalex).

Back, Alonso LopezHaving started sixth, he was already in second place by the second lap, more than a second behind Somkiat Chantra, who was already driving alone, with the obvious goal of trying to gain maximum advantage before having to complete the double “long lap” sanction. .

Chantra came to the fore and was firmly in the lead with a time of 1:50.679 (previously Franco Morbidelli’s 1:50.788 in 2016), which included the new absolute fastest lap record, eight behind him, including Ai. A group of drivers was created. Ogura, Alonso López, Jake DixonPedro Acosta, Sam Lowes, Filip Salac, Manuel González and Sergio García Dols.

On the fourth lap, Alonso López served his first “long lap” penalty and returned to the race behind Sam Lowes in seventh, but he still had the obligation to make the second “long lap” and did so on the next lap to take tenth place. after the american Joe Roberts and in front of the Italians Tony Arbolino (Kalex) never showed signs of being “involved” in the race.

Somkiat Chantra continued to lead the race with her fast pace much better than its competitorsThis gave him a two-second advantage over his own teammate Ai Ogura, who was riding alone, with just over a second ahead of the group containing world championship leader Pedro Acosta.

Acosta had some uncomfortable rivals, England’s Jake Dixon. first day of training but Czech Filip Salac and Englishman Sam Lowes made significant progress in second place, one second clear compared to the next group led by Spaniard Sergio García Dols.

Race conditions were in Alonso López’s favour. which saw American Roberts exit the track before him and Lowes crash out, allowing him to move from tenth to eighth.

Like if the lead of the race had been clearly defined by Somkiat Chantra, his teammate Ogura would have taken second place behind interest was increasing Mistakes and overtakes in the form of crashes or leaving the track led to many changes in the standings, but Pedro Acosta effectively retained third place against Dixon’s attacks.

Alonso López gained a new place with the loss of Sergio García Dols, who crashed at turn three on the ninth lap of the nineteen laps that all drivers had to complete, and he also finished just short. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro), but the effort and some driving errors caused him to lose a number of positions.

López qualified seventh but gradually fell back to eleventh with three laps remaining. finished thirteenth after holding off Tony Arbolino and Joe Roberts in the final two rounds.

Somkiat Chantra managed his advantage superbly and found himself a break in the final laps, taking a comfortable third place after escaping the pressure of Pedro Acosta, with Ai Ogura getting a little closer but not troubling him. Jake Dixon.

Further back and alone, with a very tense group, Jake Dixon, Filip Salac, Manuel González, Marcos Ramírez, Arón Canet, Zonta Van der Goorbergh and Darryn Binder in the top ten positions.