San Marino Moto2: Lopez delivers Misano Masterclass for first win

Alonso Lopez controlled the race from the front to win the Moto2 San Marino Grand Prix.

04 Sep 2022

Alonso Lopez, Moto2 race, San Marino MotoGP, 4 September

Nobody could stay with the relentless pace of Alonso Lopez, who took his first world championship win in the Moto2 San Marino Grand Prix, round fourteen of the championship.

From third on the grid the +Ego Speed Up rider immediately found his way to the front of the race after a lightning start which allowed him to make a huge lunge for the lead.

Once ahead the rookie never looked back, crossing the line 1.253s clear after a string of constant, relentless laps all in the 1m 36s bracket.

The number 21 had only ever graced the podium twice before today’s dominant win, once back in Moto3 with the other coming earlier in the year after he joined the paddock mid season when he was second at Silverstone.

With Kalex dominating the championship it is also the first time Boscoscuro have secured a win since Fabio Quartararo stood on the top spot in Moto2 for the team back in 2018.

A first win still eludes Aron Canet as he gave chase and reduced the gap slightly but always looked as if second was the most he could hope for, which is where he finished for Flexbox HP40, though crossing the line was an achievement in itself in a race that saw just 17 riders reach the chequered flag.

Augusto Fernandez was pleased with third after a tentative qualifying following crashes in earlier sessions saw him start ninth. The best racing in the class came from his long battle for position with Albert Arenas, with the duo swapping position for much of the duration before the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider pulled away for the final podium spot as grip faded.

That left Arenas, who also had his sights on a first win after securing a front row start, fourth - the only Inde GasGas Aspar rider to complete race distance.

Ai Ogura was initially battling them for position but soon slipped back for fifth which is where he stayed for most of the race for Idemitsu Honda team Asia.

Pedro Acosta made up places late on to take sixth on just his second race back since he returned from injury for Red Bull KTM Ajo, completing a solid day for the team.

The Spaniard held off Tony Arbolino in the run to the line, the top Italian on home soil on his Elf Marc VDS bike.

Somkiat Chantra took eighth from Joe Roberts with nine laps remaining and held firm on the second Idemitsu entry, with the American forced to settle for a distant ninth for Italtrans after the Thai rider pulled away.

There was a further wait for Jeremy Alcoba to reach the line and complete the top ten for Liqui Moly IntactGP.

Marcel Schrotter (Liqui Moly IntactGP) was eleventh after a trip around the long lap loop for exceeding track limits.

The German wasn’t the only rider in the points after receiving a penalty - Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG) had a lap to serve after he got in the way of Joe Roberts in FP3 - he finished twelfth. Barry Baltus exceeded track limits late on so also needed a trip around the loop - he dropped back to 13th for RW Racing.

Cameron Beaubier started down in 24th but got his head down, and survived all the falls around and ahead of him for 14th with American Racing.

The final point went to Gresini’s Alessandro Zaccone, but only two other riders finished the race - he was followed over the line by Marcos Ramirez on the MV Agusta (Forward Racing) in 16th while Taiga Hada (Pertamina Mandalika SAG) was 17th after a long gap.

A race of many crashes

The most significant fall came when polesitter Celestino Vietti flet the curse of a special home round paint job and couldn’t save his bobbling Mooney VR46 Racing bike, sliding out of contention for the race - and perhaps also the championship - while battling to stay fourth after being passed for the podium places by Aron Canet.

Three riders failed to make it to the end of the first lap. Jake Dixon qualified down in 18th and his Sunday didn’t go any better - he was first out at the second corner as the field bunched up, highsiding out of contention and holding his right arm after landing on it.

Keminth Kubo and Manuel Gonzalez only lasted two turns further into the race.

Jorge Navarro and Filip Salac fell in quick succession, swiftly followed by Sam Lowes’s replacement at Marc VDS, Senna Algius.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta was hunting for a top ten spot when he fell. Simone Corsi and Zonta VD Goorbergh both exited with 16 laps remaining. Niccolo Antonelli crashed out shortly after.

Fermin Aldeguer had just been handed a long lap penalty after runnig wideand taking a shortcut early in the race, he never got to serve his run around the loop as he ended up in the gravel.

Mattia Pasini had swapped the commentary box for a wildcard with the Inde GasGas Aspar team. He was in sixth and looking to better his point in Mugello when he was the next rider to have the front end fold on him at turn four.

Sean Dylan Kelly also failed to finish.

Where does that leave the championship?

A third place finish was enough to pull Augusto Fernandez back into the overall championship lead, with a total of 198. Ai Ogura’s fifth place finish sees him drop to second, now four points behind.

Second sees Aron Canet move into third, 41 points off of Fernandez’s total. His DNF sees Celestino Vietti one point behind that in fourth overall.