Thai racer Somkiat Chantra, aboard Kalex, stamped his dominance on the Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi circuit. He mashed pole position, set the outright lap record for the venue, and clocked the fastest lap in the race, underscoring a dominant weekend.
Chantra claimed his first win of the season in the land of the rising sun, the first since 2022, and propelled himself into second place in his sport’s career victories, finishing ahead of his Japanese Kalex teammate Ai Ogura. World championship leader Pedro Acosta (Kalex) extended his lead in the standings, widening the gap in the provisional rankings. Acosta carried 39 points into Motegi and left with a wider cushion as the next round heads to Indonesia in two weeks.
Alonso López (Boscoscuro) began from the second row but carried a penalty, a double long-lap, and he had to apply himself by catching up to English rival Jake Dixon (Kalex), who was trying not to lose more ground to the leaders as the race unfolded in India’s context and to stay in touch with the front pack.
From the start, Somkiat Chantra led the field, the fastest rider in Moto2 on the day, and took control of the race. Early action at the first corner saw Acosta make a solid start as well. It looked like López might challenge for second place, but Spaniard Aron Canet (Kalex) moved aggressively into his line to defend his position.
Lopez, having started sixth, quickly rose to second by the second lap, but Chantra built a clear gap while pushing hard to maximize his advantage before serving the two long-lap penalties. The race moved to a rhythm where Chantra led with rapid pace, while Ogura rode in a solid second, and a chase group formed behind them including Acosta, Dixon, Salac, Lowes, and Canet.
Fourth-lap drama arrived when López began his first long-lap penalty and dropped behind Lowes in seventh. He would serve a second long lap the following lap, slipping to tenth as the drama continued with American Joe Roberts and others in the mix, while Italian Arbolino showed limited signs of contesting the front.
Chantra maintained the lead with a pace that put him roughly two seconds ahead of Ogura, who rode alone in second, while the battle behind him kept the group within striking distance of the championship leader Acosta. The Spaniard found himself facing pressure from mixed packs including Dixon, Salac, and Lowes, while Acosta navigated a path through a shifting order that kept him in third place as the race progressed.
Conditions played to López’s advantage at times, with Roberts exiting track early and Lowes suffering a crash, which allowed López to move up to eighth. The race unfolded with many exchanges, but Acosta held firm in third against Dixon’s late attacks, and the front-runner Chantra seemed unfazed as the laps dwindled.
Lopez gained another position when García Dols crashed at turn three on the ninth lap of the nineteen-lap race, preventing him from breaking into the top tier. The crash ended Dols’ challenge, and López’s day saw a gradual retreat as the final laps approached. By the end, López found himself down to thirteenth after fending off Arbolino and Roberts in the late stages.
Chantra managed the race cunningly, tightening his control as the finale neared and finally breaking free to secure a comfortable third-place cushion in the closing laps, fending off the pressure from Acosta. Ogura inched closer but did not threaten the leader or endanger the second position, while Dixon remained in the chase pack behind the main contenders throughout the run.
Toward the tail of the field, a tense group formed behind the leading trio, featuring Dixon, Salac, González, Ramírez, Canet, Van der Goorbergh, and Binder, all fighting for top-ten positioning as the checkered flag loomed.