Let's talk MotoGP: What was this crazy race?

The first weekend of the 2024 season is behind us. With him, three winners. If the public's eyes are turned towards the MotoGP, we should not forget the other categories, absolutely essential to the sustainability of our ecosystem. This is why I absolutely want to talk about the crazy race in Moto2 before turning to Portugal.

 

Weird

 

For quite a long time now, Moto2 represents the low time of a GP weekend. Little action on the track, overtaking too, and solo rides which reward very good drivers. I have difficulty dating the start of the purges, but let's say that since 2018-2019, the category has lost something. A priori, nothing to do with the change of manufacturer or displacement, made in 2019, which saw the 600cc Honda replaced by 765cc Triumph. Under Johann Zarco's era of domination (2015-2016), we were already seeing races that were as boring as possible, but often saved by the talent of the main protagonists and the leveling of the board.

 

 

Let's just say that the advent of Red Bull KTM Ajo as a team running a Kalex chassis, the best, didn't help the show at all.. At the time of writing, the last three winners of the championship were starters in this team. Remy Gardner won the 2021 title, followed by Augusto Fernandez in 2022 and Peter Acosta in 2023. In a category where everyone is supposed to compete on equal machines (except the Forward, who are lagging behind), it's a bit strange but it's also the genius of Aki Ajo which is rewarded.

In Qatar we had a sensational race, one of the best in recent years. A major change was to be noted; Pirelli is now the exclusive supplier in the category, replacing Dunlop. During the Grand Prix, many drivers, including favorites, were plagued by strange drops in pace, others were going faster, others were stagnating after closing in on the lead. It was both disconcerting and fascinating because for the first time in a long time, a Moto2 race was completely unpredictable.

 

 

Tony Arbolino and Fermin Aldeguer completely collapsed, while Aldeguer's teammate at Speed-Up, Alonso Lopez, won. It's as if the cards were reshuffled.

 

The Renaissance ?

 

This reminds me of the heyday of Moto2, I'm talking here about the early 2010s with, as a highlight, these excellent seasons 2010 and 2013. Since the fall of Suter, Kalex reigned supreme in the intermediate category. But recently, Boscoscuro/Speed ​​Up has come back very strong. The new MT Helmets MSi team, on the third step of the podium thanks to Sergio Garcia, chose the Italian frame. The winner was also equipped with it.

 

 

I didn't expect to say this, but I can't wait to see what Moto2 has in store for us in Portugal, a circuit which has always left me skeptical – and where I have only seen one good race : the 3 Moto2021 Grand Prix with this mowing of Dennis Foggia by Darryn Binder. Once is not custom, it would seem that the intermediate category is gaining intrinsic interest, and that it does not only serve to supply the MotoGP grid with talents programmed since their birth. We must not get carried away, because it is only one Grand Prix, and we have had rare but very good races with the 765cc even on Dunlops.

But I can't say why, this round made me dream. Dreaming of a battle between formidable destinies – the stories of Alonso Lopez, Barry Baltus, Fermin Aldeguer and others are quite exciting and unconventional, breathtaking races and twists and turns seems legitimate to me.

In any case, unlike Moto3, the Pirelli tires seem to have changed something, brought an additional element which had disappeared at this level of competition. If Moto2 manages to make a comeback after all these years of average racing at best – overall, then it would become the biggest surprise of the year.

Did you follow the Moto2 race at Lusail? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: MT Helmets MSi