KUALA LUMPUR – Ai Ogura was within the grasp of the Moto2 World Championship, but a slip during the final lap while overtaking Tony Arbolino saw the Japanese rider heading to the last race in Valencia, Spain to fight for the title.
Racing for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, Ogura started in pole position, but by the time the pack had arrived at turn 1, Arbolino passed the championship leader and maintained his position throughout the race.
Ogura kept the pressure on the Elf Marc VDS rider, making an overtaking attempt in turn 9 of lap 13 and coming out ahead.
Both riders traded lead positions as the race progressed, but at turn 9 of the final lap, Ogura made a final lunge to regain the lead, but the effort proved too much when his front tyre met with the tarmac, leading to the fall.
Meanwhile, title contender Augusto Fernandez started the race in sixth place but struggled to climb up the grid as the race went on.
However, Ogura’s upsetting finish gave the Red Bull KTM rider the chance to move up to fourth place and bring home 13 crucial, seeing him become the championship leader by 9.5 points heading to the final race in Valencia.
A horrifying incident in the first lap occurred when Ogura’s teammate Somkiat Chantra tried to slot his bike into fourth place but made contact with Jake Dixon of Inde Gasgas Aspar.
With barely any space to avoid a collision, Red Bull KTM’s Pedro Acosta and his bike landed on top of Chantra. Fortunately, the Thai racer was able to get his bike moving again to head to the pits to retire.
In the Moto3 race, national racer Syarifuddin Azman came in 16th, a commendable result for a wildcard entry, as he started 21st on the grid with Vision Track Racing Team.
“I made up some spots at the beginning of the race, so I tried to keep going but I did not have the straight line speed needed.
“So I could only follow the bikes in front well in the corners, but would lose some time in the straights,” Syarifuddin, who is affectionately known as Damok, said.
On Friday, Damok was announced to be racing a full season in Moto3 with the MT Helmets-MSi team next year.
The race was won by British rider John McPhee, who found speed in all the right places to move from 22nd to top of the podium.
As the race went into the final laps, it saw five riders fighting for the win, with the leader board barely able to keep up with the position changes.
But it was McPhee who emerged in front at the end to win the race after his last win in 2020 at the San Marino GP.
The final race of the 2022 MotoGP season will take place in Valencia, Spain on November 6 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. – The Vibes, October 23, 2022
