Sometimes gambles don’t pay off. But Ai Ogura and MT Helmets – MSI’s slick tyre roll of the dice in Japan led to a monumental 20 points landing in the 79’s hands, as the Japanese star took a giant leap towards becoming a Moto2 World Champion on home turf.
Ogura may have been disappointed to lose out on a home GP win to the brilliant first-time victor Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2), but the former’s lead over teammate Sergio Garcia now sits at 60 with four races to play. That means if Ogura boasts anything above a 75-point lead on Sunday afternoon, the crown will be his.
While Ogura gambled on slick tyres, none of his chief title threats did the same. Garcia’s P14 keeps him second overall, as Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) leapfrogged Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) back into P3 after a P9 finish. The latter, meanwhile, finished outside the points.
18 points split second to seventh in the Moto2 Championship, but Garcia, Lopez, Canet, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing), Gonzalez and Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) need to start carving huge chunks out of Ogura’s healthy lead before it’s too late. Can he wrap it up Down Under? We’re about to find out!
