That is now two wins in the last three races for Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – R.O.M.E.A – MSI), and what a stunning drive it was. The polesitter nailed his start to grab the holeshot, ultimately digging deep to fend off a relentless challenge from compatriot Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team) in a brilliant Sachsenring battle.
Behind the leaders, the opening lap already brought some drama. Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) held onto P2 by hanging it around the outside of Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) at Turn 1. Unfortunately for the World Championship pacesetter, it was a rough start; Gonzalez was shuffled down to P5 by the end of the opening lap behind Holgado and teammate Senna Agius, and then dropped further when David Alonso (CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team) made a move into P5 at Turn 1 on Lap 2.
Things settled into a tense rhythm at the front. By Lap 8 of 25, Ortola led from Holgado, who had passed Guevara a couple of laps prior, with Agius and Alonso keeping their powder dry in P4 and P5. Gonzalez found himself 0.9s away from Alonso’s rear wheel in P6, with the top six split by a couple of seconds.
Then came the heartbreak on Lap 17. Alonso carved up the inside of Agius at Turn 1 to jump into P4, but just a lap later at Turn 3, his podium hopes came to a violent end. The Dutch GP winner suffered a highside when the bike lit up the rear and chucked him off out of the race. Thankfully, Alonso was up on his feet and OK, but it is a massive hammer blow to the #80’s title charge.
With four laps to go, the fight for the win narrowed down to Ortola versus Holgado. Guevara’s pace was dropping off in P3, leaving the gap at 1.3s to Holgado, while Agius and Gonzalez could not get themselves into the podium equation. Instead, rookie Taiyo Furusato (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) began reeling in the frontrunners with incredible speed.
Down to the final two laps, the pressure was immense. Holgado piled on the pressure, but no move materialized on the penultimate lap. Pushing their machines to the absolute limit and crying out for a bit of rear grip, the duo crossed the line for the final time with Ortola successfully fending off Holgado, who simply could not hook up a move at the final corner.
Guevara took a lonely P3 to pick up 16 crucial points, while Agius clinched P4 by the skin of his teeth. A phenomenal final few laps from Furusato saw the Japanese star fly past World Championship leader Gonzalez and finish just 0.059s behind Agius, collecting his best Moto2 result to date. Gonzalez pocketed his worst result of the season in P6 as his pace dropped off a cliff at the end, though he still remains the dominant championship leader.
Further down the order, Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) finished just 0.2s away from Gonzalez in P7. He led home Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer in P8 and P9, with rookie Luca Lunetta (MB Conveyors SpeedRS Team) picking up his second top 10 of the season in P10.
Gonzalez now heads to Silverstone with a 51.5-point lead over Guevara, setting up the UK leg for a brilliant continuation of the Moto2 title fight.
