Moto2 Italy Mugello Race: Arón Canet cracks, Pedro Acosta triumphs!

Arriving at the Mugello circuit for the Italian Grand Prix, Celestino Vietti (Kalex, Mooney VR46 Racing Team, #13) is 16 points ahead of Ai Ogura (Kalex, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, #79) and 19 on Arón Canet (Kalex, Flexbox HP40, #40), the others already being more than one race behind.

 

With three different leaders, the free practice sessions in Tuscany did not allow a favorite to be identified, at least until qualifying in which Aron canet won for the third time in his career in the intermediate category despite a still painful hand. The Pons team driver precedes the rookie and 3 champion of the Moto2021 category Pedro Acosta (Kalex, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #51) who has not yet scored any podium in the intermediate category, as well as the experienced Sam Lowes (Kalex, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, #22), the two being currently very far apart in the championship.

The favorite for this eighth round of the championship is therefore called Aron Canet, even if the tattooed man has never won in Moto2 and will also have to know how to contain a second row made up of Celestine Vietti, 16th last year at Mugello, stainless Mattia Pasini wild card for the Aspar team whose last victory dates back to Argentina in 2018, and Ai Ogura winner in Jerez, while Joe Roberts (Kalex, Italtrans Racing Team, #16), Tony Arbolino (Kalex, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, #14), Jake dixon (GasGas, GasGas Aspar Team, #96) and Barry Baltus (Kalex, RW Racing GP, #7) complete the top ten.

The race will take place over 21 laps of a track that is now dry after the storms of the night, when it is 22° in the air and 29° on the asphalt, when the 30 drivers (Gabriel Rodrigo (Kalex, Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team, #2) unfit) are preparing on the grid.

The tires chosen: hard front and soft rear.

Here are the past references:

Mugello Moto2™	2021	2022
FP1	1'51.746 Joe Roberts	1'51.966 Jake Dixon
FP2	1'51.385 Sam Lowes	1'52.350 Somkiat Chantra
FP3	1'50.616 Raúl Fernández	1'51.761 Arón Canet
Q1	1'51.710 Fermín Aldeguer	1'51.673 Mattia Pasini
Q2	1'50.723 Raúl Fernández	1'51.121 Arón Canet
Warm up	1'51.152 Raúl Fernández	1'54.627 Tony Arbolino
Course	Gardner, R. Fernandez, Bezzecchi	Acosta, Roberts, Ogura
All time lap record	1'50.616 Raúl Fernández 2021

 

When the lights go out... Aron Canet made a good start but Peter Acosta takes the advantage at the first corner while Tony Arbolino jumped from eighth to fourth position.

 

 

A few turns further, Sam Lowes also takes the best of Aron Canet. Conversely, Celestine Vietti is only in ninth position.

Aron Canet regains the advantage over Sam Lowes and joined Peter Acosta. He must release the gas so as not to leave the track at the exit of Arrabbiata 2 and Aron Canet takes command in the third round.

 

It only lasts for a while and Peter Acosta regains leadership in the straight line.

The peloton is still quite compact but Somkiat Chantra (Kalex, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, #35), who had moved up to second position, made a minor mistake.

The leading group is slowly starting to stretch out quite a bit, particularly with 6 drivers starting to break away in front Celestine Vietti : Pedro Acosta, Arón Canet, Tony Arbolino, Ai Ogura, Sam Lowes and Joe Roberts. We clearly have the impression that Aron Canet is in a waiting position and prefers to stay behind Pedro Acosta...

 

 

Ai Ogura grabs third position a little halfway through the race but Tony Arbolino regains his property in the next round.

We then realize that Celestine Vietti managed to leave the peloton now led by Jorge Navarro (Kalex, Flexbox HP40, #9) to join the leading group…

In the latter, while Ai Ogura, Tony Arbolino, Sam Lowes and Celestino Vietti fight, the duo Pedro Acosta/Arón Canet manages to gain a good second lead.

Unfortunately, nine laps from the checkered flag, Arón Canet part in the fault, leaving Pedro Acosta alone in the lead with 1,7 seconds ahead of his direct opponents.

 

 

As the Aki Ajo driver increases the pace at the front, the suspense shifts to the battle for the other two steps of the podium, occupied by Joe Roberts et Celestine Vietti five laps from the finish.

 

 

Sam Lowes fell two laps later, propelled to the ground by his own teammate! Rififi in perspective in the Marc VDS box…

In the process, a new twist occurs when Celestine Vietti obviously has a mechanical problem with his clutch.

Tony Arbolino is penalized with a Long Lap for his action on Sam Lowes, leaving Joe Roberts et Ai Ogura heading towards the podium...

First victory of Peter Acosta, youngest winner in Moto2 history!

 

 

In the championship, Celestine Vietti is joined by Ai Ogura, 19 points ahead Aron Canet and 22 ahead Joe Roberts.

Result of the Italian Moto2 Grand Prix at Mugello:

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com