Manuel Gonzalez, the "not MotoGP" rider who dominates Moto2 testing in Catalunya

A unique day of Moto2 testing on the Catalan track at Montmeló has concluded—here’s how it went.

After the official MotoGP test, it was time for Moto2 to take to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A one-off day to fine-tune a few details ahead of the next rounds of the 2026 World Championship. Leading the way is Manuel Gonzalez, a rider perhaps not yet enough to warrant an immediate MotoGP call-up, but definitely strong enough to make his mark on this single official test day—slamming his fist on the table to warn rivals for the upcoming events of the season.

The rivals, however, aren’t far behind. Ivan Ortola claws his way to P2 just two tenths back, while Izan Guevara, the best Boscoscuro of the day, finishes third, only 55 thousandths off his fellow Spaniard from Msi Racing. And the Italians? On this Tuesday test, the best is Celestino Vietti, who nonetheless ends up 12th, seven tenths off the leader—who also happens to be the rival that snatched victory from him last Sunday. Comparing Sunday’s duel, Gonzalez’s time is about two tenths slower than the new lap record, a 1:41.076 set by Vietti in qualifying when he took pole for the Catalan GP.

In 18th place is Tony Arbolino, never particularly sharp over the Catalan weekend, and 21st is Luca Lunetta, who instead delivered his best GP since stepping up to Moto2. The Roman rookie had a personal reason—a person who passed away (details not disclosed)—to whom he dedicated his best finish since debuting in the intermediate class of the World Championship. Now it’s time for a short break: in about two weeks it’s the Mugello GP. In the meantime, here’s how this one-off test day unfolded.

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