Celestino Vietti finishes in seventh position, with Deniz Öncü seventeenth.

The Mobility Resort Motegi enjoyed a thrilling race in the intermediate class, reduced to 12 laps after a red flag stopped proceedings due to rain. Tyre choice was key, and Celestino Vietti kept up the pace to cross the line in seventh position. Deniz Öncü finished in seventeenth position after fighting for points until the last lap.

Vietti made a great second start, opting for full wet tyres after the race was declared wet. The Italian was up into the podium positions in just three laps and tried to maintain his position and manage tyre wear. However, after the first part of the race he began to lose positions as the riders on slicks came through. Vietti was able to keep up his pace as long as possible and remained in the Top 10, coming home in seventh position.

Öncü also opted for wet tyres for the resumption of the Moto2 race. After the rain stopped and tyre management became even more difficult, he battled to stay in the points. On the final laps, Öncü was involved in an intense tussle with several other riders, with constant changes of position. Unfortunately, after moving into sixteenth, he was forced to give up a position for exceeding the track limits on the last lap and was awarded seventeenth.

After a very positive weekend for both riders, the Moto2 team will return to work in two weeks’ time, with the Australian Grand Prix from October 18-20th at Phillip Island.

Results Race
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex)
2. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) +2.535
3. Filip Salac (Kalex) +9.103
4. Jeremy Alcoba (Kalex) +9.240
5. Zonta van den Goorbergh (Kalex) +14.758
7. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +53.847
17. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1:08.863

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2024
1. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 228 points
2. Sergio García (Boscoscuro) 168 points
3. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 163 points
4. Aron Canet (Kalex) 156 points
5. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 153 points
8. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 140 points
19. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 34 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2024
1. MT Helmets – MSi – 396 points
2. Beta Tools SpeedUp – 131 points
3. OnlyFans American Racing Team – 232 points
4. QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 – 218 points
5. ELF Marc VDS Racing Team – 184 points
6. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 174 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“It has been a challenging weekend in Moto2 due to the weather. We felt during the whole weekend that both Celestino and Deniz were in a really good mood and had good pace, but unfortunately today was a very, very challenging race, as it started to rain. After the red flag, for the second start it was very tough to make the correct decisions -in part because of the quick grid procedure. We decided to go with wet tyres, as did most of the grid, but unfortunately the track was drying out and the riders with dry tyres were ahead of us. In any case, we had a strong weekend and we have confidence going into the next triple-header.”

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI
“Unfortunately today it was difficult to know which tyre would be the right choice. Maybe we didn’t get it correct, but anyway it was not too bad because we were the best of those who went for wets. Next time we will try to make a better choice. Thanks to the team for all the work they did during the weekend. With dry conditions we were strong, so we have confidence for the next few races. Now we have a week off to rest and we will take on the last races of the year in the best way.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ
“We’ve finished the Japanese GP and, honestly, the weekend was not bad for us. The forecast today hurt us a little bit and we gambled with our tyre choice. This time we didn’t make the right choice, as it didn’t work out and the right option was the slicks. Anyway, we are strong and I am confident that we will be even stronger in Australia.”