Diogo Moreira claimed a crucial Moto2 victory at Portimao to bolster his title chances, taking the championship fight to the season finale in Valencia.
The Brazilian rider converted pole position into victory, with Colin Veijer and David Alonso joining the Moto2 championship leader on the podium.
Pole sitter Moreira stormed into the lead down into Turn 1 as he got off to the best possible start in Portimao.
Veijer and Jake Dixon swapped places in the first lap as the KTM rider overtook the Marc VDS rider into Turn 1.
Moreira managed to stretch a 0.4s gap by the end of the first lap, while championship rival Manuel Gonzalez couldn’t gain any ground after starting in seventh.
The Spaniard overtook CFMoto rider Daniel Holgado to take sixth place, with Holgado’s team-mate David Alonso next in Gonzalez’s sights.
As a result, he joined the lead group as he produced an impressive lunge on Celestino Vietti for fifth.
Veijer found rapid pace on the third lap and he used it to his advantage as he overtook Moreira for the lead on Lap 3.
Further back in the lead group, Alonso passed Dixon for third into Turn 1, but the most significant moment came when championship contender Gonzalez saved a highside, dropping him back to seventh.
Once again, Gonzalez gained ground on Vietti, and this time he overtook Dixon after the Briton lost fourth place to Canet.
Barry Baltus entered the battle, and he managed to overtake both Dixon and Gonzalez to claim fifth, but the following laps saw the lead group hold station.
Out front, Moreira regained the lead with a smooth yet impressive move on Veijer at Turn 10, with Alonso closing in on the lead duo.
He fended off Veijer and Alonso successfully on the final lap to claim his fourth race win of the season.
Veijer’s second marked his first podium finish in the intermediate class, closely followed by old Moto3 rival Alonso.
Canet and Baltus secured fourth and fifth for Fantic Racing, but Dixon’s crash on the final lap put him out of contention altogether.
Gonzalez crossed the line in sixth place, meaning he has to claw back a 24-point deficit heading into the season finale on Sunday.
Holgado finished close behind in seventh, fending off Alberto Arenas, Senna Agius and Izan Guevara all race,
Daniel Munoz secured 11th place, finishing ahead of Alex Escrig after both defeated Vietti who previously occupied the higher positions.
Filip Salac and Zonta van den Goorbergh claimed the final two points for Marc VDS and RW-Idrofoglia Racing.
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