Thai racer Somkiat Chantra, riding for Kalex, extended his dominance at the Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, claiming a commanding victory. He set both the fastest lap of the race and the absolute circuit record after securing pole position, underscoring a standout performance on race day.
Chantra achieved the season’s first win and the second of his career in Grand Prix competition. Following a strong 2022 campaign, he again leads his Kalex team alongside teammate Ai Ogura, with Pedro Acosta, the current world championship leader, maintaining a solid points cushion as the standings tighten. Motegi serves as a stepping stone before the next round in Indonesia, with the title fight still very much alive.
Spaniard Jaume Masiá wins the Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix
Spanish rider Alonso López, aboard a Boscoscuro machine, began from the second row after taking a double long-lap penalty in the build up to the race. English competitor Jake Dixon, riding Kalex, was also pushed into a challenging position, forcing López to push hard to minimize time loss and keep himself in contention.
Somkiat Chantra, the fastest in Moto2, did not waste any moment and moved to the front early. At the opening turn, world championship leader Pedro Acosta mounted a strong start before being overtaken inside by Arón Canet, who inserted himself decisively into the mix on the inside line.
Alonso López, starting sixth, found himself in second place by the end of the second lap, albeit a second behind Chantra, who already looked to dominate. Chantra pushed ahead with a clear objective to extend his advantage before incurring any further penalties on the long lap.
At 1:50.679, Chantra delivered a new absolute fastest lap, eclipsing the previous record of 1:50.788 set by Franco Morbidelli in 2016. A group formed behind him, including Ai Ogura, López, Dixon, Acosta, Lowes, Salac, González, and García Dols, all chasing the leading pace.
On the fourth lap López received another long-lap penalty, dropping back as Lowes moved up to seventh. A second long lap followed for López, who finished behind Joe Roberts and ahead of Tony Arbolino, who struggled to stay in the race rhythm.
Chantra maintained the lead, with a steadily increasing gap while Ogura started to chase solo, just over a second behind the group led by Acosta. Acosta faced pressure from Dixon and Salac, with Lowes making a determined push to close the gap, while Canet remained in strong contention in the chasing pack.
Conditions favored the front runners as López saw Roberts exit the track before him and Lowes suffer a crash. López benefited from the mayhem by moving up into a stronger position as the race unfolded, even as the front line remained clearly led by Chantra.
Ogura and Acosta traded places in the battle for second as the race pressed on, and the overall order remained closely watched as the day developed. Dixon, Salac, González, Canet, Ramírez, and a number of other riders filled the top ten, with occasional overtakes shaking the standings and altering positions in a tense, dynamic battle.
In the closing laps, Chantra extended his margin, while Ogura and Acosta tried to reduce the gap. López, who had started outside the front row and endured penalties, finished in a competitive position but slipped down the order as the final laps approached. Garcia Dols experienced a crash on turn three during lap nine, while Aldeguer also faced a challenging day but managed to finish the event, underscoring the difficulty of the course and the competition.
López concluded in seventh place, gradually dropping to eleventh before the final stretch. With two laps to go, he surged to thirteenth after overtaking Arbolino and Roberts in the closing moments of the race.
Somkiat Chantra defended his lead with precision, soaking up late pressure from Ogura as Acosta maintained third, having weathered the attacks from Dixon. In the chasing group, riders such as Salac, González, Canet, and others battled for position, each pushing for valuable points in a race that tested both skill and nerve. The day highlighted the intensity of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes at Motegi, with teams and riders plotting their next moves ahead of the following rounds and the upcoming challenges on the calendar.
At the Moto2 event, Chantra’s performance stood out as a clear example of technical mastery and consistent pace, while Ogura’s strong ride underscored the depth of the Kalex lineup. The race produced memorable moments, strategic penalties, and a demonstration of how quickly fortunes can change in the world championship—elements that captured the attention of fans across Canada and the United States who follow the international series closely. Attribution: race reports and governing body communications provide the official context for results and penalties.