Moto 2 Sunday Australian GP

Aldeguer wins Island classic, Agius claims dream podium as Ogura extends title lead

The Moto2™ race at Phillip Island delivered a last-lap showdown for the ages, with Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) emerging victorious after an intense battle with Aron Canet (Fantic Racing). Aldeguer made a decisive move at Turn 10 on the final lap to secure his first win since the German GP, with Canet finishing just 0.194s behind. The pair treated fans to an unforgettable contest, while local hero Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) delighted the home crowd by claiming his first Grand Prix podium in third place. Meanwhile, Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) extended his lead with a solid P4 finish, bringing him closer to the 2024 title.

Early on, a lead group of four riders formed at the front, with Aldeguer, Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp), Canet, and Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™) breaking away. However, Gonzalez’s Long Lap penalty dropped him into a battle with Ogura and the chasing pack. By Lap 10, the leading trio had opened up a 4.3-second gap over Ogura, Agius, Gonzalez, and Barry Baltus (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP), as Aldeguer began to stretch his lead to 0.6s over Canet. But with limited dry track time over the weekend, tire management was expected to play a critical role in the outcome.

The fight for fourth place was also heating up, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) joining Agius, Ogura, and others in a six-rider scrap. Agius held onto P4 as the laps ticked down, and with eight laps to go, Lopez dropped back, leaving Aldeguer and Canet to duel for victory. Both riders were lapping consistently in the 1:30s, four-tenths faster than anyone else on track, and with seven laps remaining, Canet took the lead with a daring move at Turn 10.

As the race neared its conclusion, the lead remained unchanged with three laps to go. But on Lap 21 of 23, Canet went wide at Turn 4, allowing Aldeguer to retake the lead. Moments later, Lopez crashed at the same corner, promoting Agius to P3 and putting him in line for a home podium.

On the final lap, Aldeguer held a narrow 0.3s lead over Canet, while Agius maintained a comfortable gap over Ogura in the fight for the final podium spot. Canet made a bold move from a long way back at Turn 4, but Aldeguer responded with a perfectly timed attack at Turn 10. As Aldeguer dived up the inside, minimal contact occurred as Canet tried to close the door. Both riders ran wide, but Aldeguer made the move stick and held off Canet in the run to the line, clinching the win. Agius completed a remarkable ride to take his debut podium in front of the ecstatic Phillip Island crowd.

Further down the order, Ogura’s P4 finish extended his Championship lead to 65 points, meaning a top-five finish in Thailand could secure him the 2024 Moto2™ crown. Ogura narrowly beat Moreira to the line by just 0.012s, leaving the Brazilian in P5. Gonzalez won the battle for sixth place, ahead of Baltus in seventh and Arbolino in eighth.

Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) now occupies fourth in the overall standings after finishing ninth in Australia, while Canet and Aldeguer leapfrog him in the Championship. Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing) rounded out the top 10, with Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Albert Arenas (Gresini Moto2™), Filip Salač (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), and Mario Aji (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) completing the points scorers.

This Phillip Island Moto2™ race will be remembered for the thrilling Aldeguer vs. Canet battle and Agius’ maiden podium. But all eyes are now on Ogura as the Moto2™ paddock heads to Thailand, where the #79 could clinch the title.

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Official MotoGP Press Release