Moto2 Malaysia P2: Albert Arenas, leader of a very tight classification

Moto2 heads to the Sepang circuit for the penultimate round of its 2024 season. The title is now sealed, as Ai Ogura secured the world crown in Thailand, leaving Buriram with a lead of over fifty points over his closest challenger, Aron Canet. The stakes are high, however, as the latter is battling for the vice-world champion title with some of the top riders. This Friday, the Moto2 riders' weekend began in Malaysia with P1. Now it's time to fight for P2, to see who will be the first 14 to secure a ticket to Q2.

Here is a table that summarizes the known facts :

Moto2™ Malaysia, Sepang	2023	2024
FP	2'06.183 Fermin Adleguer	2'06.255 Jake Dixon
P1	2'06.293 Ai Ogura	2'05.576 Manuel Gonzalez
P2	2'05.316 Fermin Aldeguer	2'04.775 Albert Arenas
Q1	2'05.724 Tony Arbolino
Q2	2'05.288 Fermin Aldeguer
Course	Aldeguer, Acosta, Ramirez (See here)
All time lap record	2'04.769 Brad Binder (2019)

Before the start of Q2, Ayumu Sasaki's absence for the rest of the weekend was announced. Following a crash the day before, the Japanese suffered a fracture that prevents him from continuing in Malaysia.

Moto2 P3 saw the white flags with red crosses waved around the track, hinting at the arrival of the first drops of rain. However, the Moto2 riders will be spared by the weather. If the rain makes a very brief appearance on the track, the riders are still quite capable of improving on their times from the day before.

In terms of timing, it was Izan Guevara who struck first, dislodging Manuel González from first place in the standings by a tenth at the start of the session. However, the lap times evolved very quickly, and the gaps were very tight.

Throughout the last quarter of an hour, the top 14 were separated by just half a second. Five minutes from the end of the session, Albert Arenas was in the lead, in 2:04.775, while the time set by Izan Guevara in the first moments of P2, in 2:05.291, placed him in provisional fourteenth position.

Before the checkered flag, many drivers improve, but no one is able to catch Albert Arenas who succeeds his teammate, Manuel González, the fastest in P1.

With the time that allows him to reign in the lead, Arenas moves to within five thousandths of the Moto2 lap record, held by Brad Binder since the 2019 season.

Note the fall of Barry Baltus at turn 2 at the start of the session. The Belgian finally finished P2 in twentieth position, just over a second from the leader of the classification.

Alonso Lopez and Sergio Garcia are trapped, and will both have to go through Q1 after having signed the 16th and 17th positions. An important fact for the title of vice-world champion of Moto2, which Aron Canet can offer himself this weekend. The Fantic rider finishes sixth.

Results from P2 of the Moto2 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Moto2 Malaysia P2