Moto2 Thailand P1: Canet makes life difficult at Ogura

Moto2 is taking part in the eighteenth round of its championship this weekend in Thailand, and this weekend's event could go down in history. After letting a first match point slip away in Australia, Ai Ogura has a more than serious opportunity to clinch the world crown in Buriram. To do so, he will have to fulfil a number of conditions, facing the last three opponents he has left. For now, the weekend continues with the P1 Moto2 in Thailand, the second session of the weekend which counts for qualifying.

Here is a table that summarizes the known facts:

Moto2™ Thailand, Buriram	2023	2024
FP	1'36.266 Pedro Acosta	1'35.897 Marcos Ramirez
P1	1'35.985 Pedro Acosta	1'35.192 Aron Canet
P2	1'35.297 Pedro Acosta
Q1	1'35.823 Filip Salač
Q2	1'35.371 Fermín Aldeguer
Course	Aldeguer, Acosta, Chantra (See here)
All time lap record	1'35.297 Pedro Acosta 2023	1'35.192 Aron Canet

After an intense FP session, during which he was hit in the knee by Zonta van der Goorbergh who was trying to pass him in the pit lane, Tony Arbolino is back. The Italian is forced to walk on crutches, but has been declared fit to drive.

An exercise that is not without pain given the Italian's face during the few breaks he takes in his box. His times remain nevertheless rather correct, like the top-6 that he defends at the middle of the session.

At the top of the scoreboard, Ai Ogura and Aron Canet put on a show. The Spaniard is stringing together the times, closely followed by the Japanese who, however, is unable to find the last hundredths needed to dislodge the number 44. At the end of the session, Canet is already running in 1:35.582, and is getting closer to Pedro Acosta's lap record (1:35.297). Ogura is then 62 thousandths from the leader of the classification.

Behind them, the in-form Izan Guevara continued his momentum after a promising FP. Fermin Aldeguer only joined the fight for the front positions in the second half of the session.

The threat will come from elsewhere, however, since five minutes before the end of the allotted time, Marcos Ramirez signs the best time of the session in 1:35.442, he who was already the fastest in the morning.

Aron Canet returns to the charge in 1:35.328, while at the same time Tony Arbolino completes an attempt that propels him into second place. An impressive effort given his difficulties in putting his foot on the ground.

Before the checkered flag, Canet added another layer with a time of 1:35.192, which definitively broke the lap record in Buriram for a Moto2 rider.

Ai Ogura finished the session in sixth position, and has just found himself a tough opponent, who will try to delay his title as much as possible by depriving him of a big result this weekend. Fermin Aldeguer is also in the running, and finishes just behind Ai Ogura. Sergio Garcia, for his part, finished P1 in 15th position, and is not yet safe for Q2.

Note the presence of Jorge Navarro, replacing Joe Roberts for the weekend, after the latter suffered a fracture in his right hand in Australia.

Results of P1 of the Moto2 Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Moto2 Thailand P1