Austria Moto2: Ogura keeps Chantra at bay for victory as Vietti tumbles

Ai Ogura lead an Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 1-2 over the line, with Jake Dixon fighting his way to third in an all action final lap of the Moto2 Austria Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Lisa Lewis

21 Aug 2022

Ai Ogura, Moto2, Austrian MotoGP, 20 August

Ai Ogura lead for most of the Moto2 Austrian Grand Prix and held off a late attack from team-mate Somkiat Chantra to win the race on the last lap, at the battle for third also went to the line in round thirteen.

Ai Ogura started on pole and finished the Moto2 Austria Grand Prix first after a dominant display, pushed all the way by team-mate Somkiat Chantra.

The Japanese rider lead his Idemitsu Honda Team Asia around after getting a great start with only the Thai rider able to keep pace after Celestino Vietti slipped out of contention trying to keep in touch.

With a huge lead for much of the race, Chantra had fought to right behind the #79 on the final lap, and had a final lunge for the win but ran wide.

It is just Ogura’s second win of the season, having not won a race before this season.

Chantra finished 0.135s behind for the teams second double podium, but first time on the first and second steps.

The #35 had Vietti for company for much of the race, in full Sunday rider mode, as he pulled away from the chasing group. His race came to an end abruptly when forced wide on the Mooney VR46 Racing Team bike, tipping into the chicane he found Chantra right ahead and ran wide to avoid his back wheel, leading to his fall.

It is Chantra’s first podium since Le Mans, having not graced the top ten in between, marking a superb return to form.

The battle for third was just a fiery with Jake Dixon staging a massive recovery to claim the spot in the run to the line.

The Zinia GasGas rider had struggled with his bike after a solid start, running wide twice and dropping back to eighth.

From the back of that pack on track, Dixon worked hard and found himself in a race long duel for the final podium spot, along with Pedro Acosta, Augusto Fernandez and Aron Canet after the quartet dropped early race leader Alonso Lopez.

Dixon’s position winning overtake came at turn ten, right at the end of the final lap. Acosta was ahead riding a defensive line, allowing the #96 to place himself perfectly for a late overtake, which he held to the run to the line.

It is the third podium in a row for the British rider, and his fourth of the season.

That meant Acosta missed out on a rostrum visit, but his race still marked a strong return to track for the rookie on his return from injury for Red Bull KTM Ajo, after not being decared fit ahead of the Silverstone weekend on his arrival at the track.

In a close finale for the group, Fernandez took fifth behind his team-mate, with Aron Canet the last of the riders to see the chequered flag in sixth for Flexbox HP40.

Lopez was next to reach the finish line as the top Boscoscuro rider for CAG Speed Up, with another gap back to eighth placed Marcel Schrotter, who did well to avoid the strewn bikes of Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Tony Arbolino, when they crashed at the new chicane.

The Liqui Moly Intact GP rider enjoyed his own small advantage over ninth placed Albert Arenas (Zinia Gasgas Aspar), while Schrotter’s team-mate Jeremy Alcoba did enough in the race for a top ten finish.

He made a late pass on Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40) to take that spot, with the Spaniard eleventh.

Barry Baltus hit the finish in twelfth for RW Racing. The remaining points finishers were fairly close on track and despite their tussling with each other all held position over the final laps.

That meant Cameron Beaubier took 13th for American Racing, fellow American Joe Roberts was 14th for Italtrans and Bo Bendsneyder finished 15th for Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team.

Sam Lowes replacement at Elf Marc VDS racing as he recovers folloeing his Silverstone crash, Senna Algius, was 17th in his first grand prix start.

Rory Skinner returned for his second Wildcard with American Racing and again found himself racing against class veteran Simone Corsi on track. Corsi finished just ahead, with Skinner 21st.

Austria DNFs

There were plenty of crashes from the race on top of Vietti’s exit and Arbolino and Dalla Porta’s bikes on the track.

Gresini’s Alessandro Zaccone was the first to fall, needing a stretcher to leave the track.

Keminth Kubo and Sean Dylan Kelly both fell together after just a handful of laps, with Manuel Gonzalez only lasting one lap longer.

Filip Salac crashed out with 15 laps remaining, with Fermin Aldeuger the last to exit.

Where does that leave the championship?

Ai Ogura takes over at the top with 183 points to his credit after collecting another win.

The Japanese rider moves just one pint ahead of former leader Augusto Fernandez, while Celestino Vietti’s non-finish sees him third and 27 points off the top position he held for so long.

Aron Canet remains fourth with 137 points.