Moto 2 Sunday Race Malaysia

Vietti victorious on injury comeback, Navarro and Guevara claim emotional podiums

Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed a stunning victory at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia, showcasing unmatched pace to secure the win by a comfortable 1.486 seconds. Vietti dominated the Sunday race, crossing the finish line in P1 ahead of Jorge Navarro (OnlyFans American Racing Team), who put in an impressive performance as a substitute for the injured Joe Roberts. Navarro took a well-earned second place, while Izan Guevara (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team) managed to snatch third, capitalizing on a late error by teammate Jake Dixon just before the final lap.

At race start, Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) launched off the line with an impressive move to take P1 heading into Turn 1. But Vietti quickly countered, seizing the lead at the first corner, while Ramirez and Navarro pursued him closely. Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) joined the early action, moving up to P2, which briefly dropped Ramirez to third.

Ramirez wasted no time regaining his spot, engaging in a close battle with Ogura and reclaiming second position at the end of Lap 1. Meanwhile, Vietti began to pull away, stretching his lead to over a second with a relentless pace, only to make a minor error at Turn 1 that closed the gap between him and the chasing pack. Now, with Ramirez tight on his heels, Ogura and Navarro also began trading moves, with Navarro overtaking Ogura on Lap 7 to claim third, his first podium position since 2022. Navarro then continued his push forward, passing Ramirez on Lap 9 to set his sights on Vietti.

Ogura responded on Lap 10, reclaiming third position, but was forced to retire on Lap 11 due to a technical issue. This opened the door for Jake Dixon, who took over in third place, widening his gap over Ramirez. Vietti, meanwhile, reestablished his lead, pulling away from Navarro as he settled into a strong rhythm.

Further back, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) charged forward from a P13 start, working his way up to ninth and eventually passing Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™) to reach eighth. He then aimed for Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P7, showing impressive recovery speed.

On the final lap, Vietti’s lead remained unchallenged, allowing him to claim his third victory of the season. Navarro delivered an excellent ride to finish second, with Guevara clinching the final podium spot after Dixon’s pace briefly faded at the start of the last lap.

Dixon managed to secure fourth, holding off Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who rounded out the top five. Ramirez ended up in sixth, unable to keep his earlier momentum. Öncü maintained his grip on P7, comfortably ahead of Canet, while Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) completed the top 10. Gonzalez finished in P11, just ahead of teammate Albert Arenas. Alonso Lopez (Sync SpeedUp), Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI), and Filip Salač (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) rounded out the point-scoring positions.

This exhilarating race marked another high point in Vietti’s season, setting the stage for an exciting finish as the Moto2™ season nears its conclusion.

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