Manu González Falls as Moto2 Takes a Turn

The Moto2 riders faced an unusually atypical race. Firstly, due to the timing, as an accident involving Moto3 riders José Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler delayed the entire schedule, pushing the intermediate class race to the end of the program, with the last rays of sunlight. Then, another red flag appeared shortly after the start due to a fall by American Roberts, which was not serious but left his bike in the middle of the track. This meant the Moto2 riders had to race at a different time than their practice sessions, with the track conditions altered by the rubber left by the MotoGP bikes, and with the race distance shortened by six laps.

It was a full-fledged sprint race, where Manu González had a golden opportunity to gain an advantage over his rival Moreira, who had faltered in qualifying and started 16th. However, the Brazilian made a great start and climbed to 11th place within just one lap, while Manu remained stuck in fifth place, unable to move, although he kept his rival in check behind him.

Up front, Dani Holgado made a strong start and broke away on the first lap, but he paid for that impulsive start as he began to lose positions over time and eventually finished off the podium. From the third lap, Jake Dixon took the lead and never relinquished it, securing his third victory of the season. Behind him, the podium was completed by the Spanish-Colombian David Alonso and the Belgian Barry Baltus, who snatched third place from Holgado with three laps to go.

Behind them, the title fight tightened as the Spanish rider struggled with the front end of his bike; he even nearly crashed in an attempt to overtake Baltus. Meanwhile, Moreira regained positions to sit just behind his rival with four laps remaining. There was no on-track battle for the title because just one lap later, with three laps to go, Manu González crashed at the last corner of the circuit; although he rejoined the race, he finished at the back of the field and handed the lead to the Brazilian, who now holds a 9-point advantage with two races remaining. In the next round in Portugal, he will have his first title shot. "I lost this race, but I still depend on myself and will give it my all until the end," commented the Spaniard, who will be champion if he wins the remaining two races, regardless of his rival's performance.