Tony Arbolino shines at Motegi: first Moto2 podium with Fantic — confidence regained?

Tony Arbolino returns to the Moto2 podium at Motegi: it’s his first top 3 with Fantic and KALEX, over a year since the last time (with Boscoscuro).

His best race in a year, delivering the first Moto2 podium with Fantic. Tony Arbolino really stood out in the GP held yesterday at Motegi, even trying to trouble eventual winner Izan Guevara before making a mistake. But 2nd place at the finish is worth a lot: first podium since returning to a KALEX, first podium with the Veneto-based team, and first podium in over a year. It was late March 2025, at the GP of Austin, when he took his only podium with a Boscoscuro, and he hadn’t been able to repeat it since. It’s been another tough season for the Lombard rider, but this result certainly lifts the spirits.

“A great result after some difficult months. We never stopped working and this podium rewards the team’s sacrifices,” Arbolino told Sky Sport MotoGP after the race. A podium-worthy flash had already been seen, notably at the Silverstone GP: a great comeback from 13th, he had firmly moved into second and seemed to have the pace to fight the race leader too... But a heavy crash with 5 laps to go, in front of his friend Quartararo watching in despair from the pit wall, ruined everything. This time Arbolino wanted (and needed) to bring home a solid result, essential for him and for the team.

The mistake when he tried to attack Guevara fortunately wasn’t too costly, and the Lombard focused on consolidating second place. Now he needs to keep this up until the end of the season, to finish the adventure with Team Fantic in the best way and regain confidence before the challenge awaiting him in 2027, with a new bike and a new team. Before then, there are several Grands Prix to contest, above all to confirm that the podium in Japan wasn’t a fluke but the outcome of a path of renewed growth. The next round is already in a week—let’s see how it goes in Indonesia.

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