Alex Escrig suffered late heartbreak just two laps from the chequered flag, handing Izan Guevara his third straight Moto2 win in a dramatic, red-flagged race that leaves Manuel Gonzalez holding a 5.5-point title lead.
Izan Guevara inherits Indonesian GP victory
Izan Guevara scored his third victory in a row in Mandalika, finishing ahead of Manuel Gonzalez. The future MotoGP rider now trails the championship leader by just 5.5 points following a superb recovery drive from P10 to P2 in the Indonesian GP for the Intact GP rider.
Both riders capitalized on a chaotic race to maximize their points haul. Alex Escrig suffered late heartbreak when a mechanical issue forced him out of the lead with just two laps remaining, handing Guevara the win. Should he claim victory at Phillip Island next time out, the Spaniard will equal Fermin Aldeguer’s record of four consecutive Moto2 wins.
Red flag in Mandalika Moto2 race
The drama began at the original start when Daniel Holgado made a costly error into Turn 1, braking far too late. The mistake triggered a massive incident involving his Aspar team-mate David Alonso, Joe Roberts, and Colin Veijer.
Alonso was visibly shaken after taking a heavy impact and was unable to take the restart. The tearful Spaniard was therefore forced to watch the race from his garage, whereas Holgado was able to rejoin the grid. Surprisingly, neither rider was immediately taken to the medical centre, returning straight to their pit boxes from Turn 1 instead.
The red flag was a frustration for Gonzalez, who had already gained five places on the opening lap. The championship leader had to do the work all over again for the second start, which was reset to original grid positions.
Cruel late blow for Alex Escrig
Shortened to 14 laps from the scheduled 22, the restarted race was initially led by Escrig, who grabbed the holeshot from the line. However, the Forward Team rider’s charge came to a bitter halt in the closing stages.
Holgado eventually took P3 behind Guevara and Gonzalez, followed by Senna Agius in fourth and David Munoz in fifth. Ivan Ortola secured sixth ahead of Filip Salac in seventh, while Alonso Lopez placed eighth. Tony Arbolino and José Antonio Rueda completed the top 10 ahead of Veijer, Luca Lunetta, Ayumu Sasaki, Taiyo Furusato, and Zonta van den Goorbergh.
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