Dramatic twist: Gonzalez in trouble on the grid! Moto2 reignites - what happened?

Manuel Gonzalez has no luck: a technical issue just before the start compromises his Japanese GP. And Guevara closes in in the Moto2 standings.

All ready to go after the sighting lap... And here’s the unexpected twist: Manuel Gonzalez raises his hand, something’s wrong with his KALEX and he’s forced to push the bike off the grid, taking it back towards the box. It looks like a clutch problem, the despair in Intact GP is obvious... Starting from the pit lane is a heavy blow, and things don’t improve afterwards: the Moto2 leader (five wins, the latest at Misano) struggles a lot, can’t do better than 22nd, and so comes a zero that really wasn’t needed. The points cushion, particularly over closest rival Izan Guevara, already down to 35.5 after the Austrian GP, shrinks further: the Spielberg victory and the immediate repeat in this race in Japan, signed by the Pramac Yamaha rider, reopen the fight at the top of the category even more decisively. With five GPs remaining, everything is still up for grabs.

-> VIDEO Manuel Gonzalez, the grid issue that compromises his race

Izan Guevara, on pole position yesterday, also takes the win in this race at Motegi. A hugely important result: he clearly saw what happened on the grid and made the most of it to significantly close back in on the Moto2 points leader. The future Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider continues to bring joy to the structure in Moto2 and also lifts Boscoscuro, which this year seems like the perfect bike for him alone. A mention for Tony Arbolino, quickly into second and always close to Guevara, though not enough to attack. He does, however, secure his first podium with Fantic Racing’s KALEX (which he’ll leave at the end of the year for Forward), a small spark in a difficult season for the Lombard. Third place goes to an increasingly solid Filip Salac, on his fifth podium of the season including the Silverstone win.