Moto2 Italy – P2: Alonso Lopez sets the lap record

After a Catalan Grand Prix made difficult by the need to demonstrate excellent tire management, Moto2 is heading towards the technical Mugello track, to compete in the Italian Grand Prix. In the championship, Sergio Garcia took advantage of his victory in Barcelona to widen the gap over Joe Roberts. The American is now nineteen lengths behind the lead, while he sees the return of Ai Ogura, whose last races were successful.

Before we begin, here is a summary table of the known facts: 

P2:

P2 begins in the dry, and offers Moto2 riders one last opportunity to qualify directly for Q2. To do this, it is imperative to rank in the top-14 at the end of this driving session.

Marcos Ramirez is the first to claim the lead with a lap of 1:50.770, which already knocks down the mark set by Somkiat Chantra in P1 the day before. The No. 35 is then not far away, since it blocks the provisional second place from the first moments, 70 thousandths from the lead.

After everyone's first attempts, most of the drivers who took possession of the front positions this weekend are safe, with the exception of Tony Arbolino who is in fifteenth place.

The second part of the session, however, will see the hierarchy be completely shaken up. From the outset, the MT Helmets – MSI pilots put themselves in front with times much faster than those established since the start of the weekend. Thus, Ai Ogura completed an attempt in 1:50.160, a tenth ahead of his teammate, Sergio Garcia.

The wave of improvement that followed knocked drivers such as Barry Baltus, Fermin Aldeguer and Albert Arenas out of the top 14, while in the space of four minutes Marcos Ramirez went from first to fourteenth.

The future MotoGP rider, however, kept his calm, and set a time of 1:50.146 three minutes from the end of the time limit, to put himself in the lead. Everything can still be at stake in this P2 where the first 23 are held within a second.

In front of the checkered flag, Alonso Lopez made everyone agree and set the best time of the session thanks to a time of 1:49.926, making him the first rider in the history of Moto2 to reach this milestone. .

The first four positions of this session are occupied by the SpeedUP drivers, and MT Helmets – MSI, who will certainly be counted on in the fight for pole position this afternoon.

Tony Arbolino manages to get a place in the top-14 in the final moments to secure a Q2 at home, this is also the case for Celestino Vietti who ends the session with fifth position.

Barry Baltus was unable to keep up the pace at the end of the session, and finished outside the top-10 for the first time this weekend. The Belgian will, however, have a chance to redeem himself this afternoon in Q1.

Results from P2 of the Italian Moto2 Grand Prix at Mugello:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com