Alonso Lopez has put on one of the most dominant displays in the recent history of Moto2 racing by taking out a dramatic Grand Prix.
Lopez took his second win of the season, but all the talk post-race was about former points leader Augusto Fernandez, who was sitting comfortably in third place when he crashed at Siberia on Lap 17 of the 25-lap race.
Advertisement
Lopez faced a tough Sunday at Phillip Island, carrying a Long Lap penalty into the race after a clash with Celestino Vietti in Friday's opening Practice session. But Lopez, who only joined the SpeedUp team mid-season, howled away from the field and by the time he served the penalty around the outside of Miller Corner on lap 4, was nearly 2.7s clear of the pack.
Lopez resumed in the lead, and his Italian Boscoscuro chassis was far too fast for the chasing pack of Kalexes. At the flag, Lopez sealed his second win of the year by a convincing 3.5s. He has taken four podium finishes in seven races since joining the Moto2 grid in France in May.
The fight for second place featured both Red Bull Ajo riders, Fernandez and Pedro Acosta, putting on a great battle until Fernandez's mistake. In his rookie season, Acosta took a solid second ahead of British rider Jake Dixon, who battled his way through from 14th on the grid.
Polesitter Fermin Aldeguer was fourth from Manuel Gonzalez and Jeremy Alcoba, with American Cameron Beaubier taking seventh place.
The man Fernandez is battling for the Moto2 crown, Ai Ogura, had a terrible day. In the cool conditions, his Kalex struggled for grip, running more than a second a lap slower than the leaders.
But the Japanese rider salvaged 11th place and now carries a small gap of 3.5 points in the final two races of the season, in Malaysia next weekend and two weeks later in Valencia, Spain.
