The weather came into play for round 16 of the Triumph powered Moto2 World Championship in Motegi, Japan. Filip Salac topped both sessions on Friday in the dry and became the new all-time lap record holder with a 1m 49.716. The rain started to fall in Saturday’s qualifying however and the young Czech rider was unable to set a fast lap, ultimately lining up 18th on the grid. Jake Dixon was the rider who timed his qualifying to perfection to line up on pole from Zonta Van Den Goorbergh and Aron Canet.

The sun was shining at the start of Sunday but the clouds formed and the skies turned grey. Dixon got a perfect start to take the holeshot but just after lights out on the Moto2 race, rain started to fall. The race was red flagged and tyre choice would become the biggest talking point. After the sighting lap, some riders opted to change from slicks to wets and some changed from wets to slicks, but the majority went with wet weather tyres. Among those who stuck to their convictions was home hero Ai Ogura who had opted for slicks. 

The race was shortened to 12 laps and Dixon got a great once again but the British rider had opted for wets and as the rain stopped, he went backwards along with all those who’d made the same choice.

Ogura had made a steady start but soon started picking his way through the wet tyre clad riders to take the lead. Manuel Gonzalez was another rider who’d made the brave choice of slicks and was soon setting consistently fastest lap times until he caught, and then passed, the home-hero Ogura. 

Salac’s team had been preparing to change to wet tyres after the sighting lap to match teammate Tony Arbolino and the majority of the field, but the young Czech rider made the brave decision to stick to slick tyres which proved to be the right choice. His bad luck in qualifying with the rain was turned back around and he made up 15 places to go from 18th to third for his first podium since Le Mans, 2023.

Jeremy Alcoba and Van Den Goorbergh rounded out the top five and Xavi Artigas, the only other rider who had chosen slicks finished sixth for his best Moto2 result and his first championship points. Sergio Garcia finished 14th to hold onto second in the championship. Alonso Lopez was ninth in the race and he retakes third in the championship from Canet who crossed the line outside the points in 16th.

The Moto2 teams have a weekend off next week before heading to Phillip Island for the Australian GP, 18 - 20 October. 

Triumph Triple Trophy

Triumph and MotoGP announced a new format for the Triumph Triple Trophy for 2024, where the winner will take home a Street Triple 765 RS prize bike at the end of the season. 

This year, a judging panel picks a short list of three standout riders which will be published on MotoGP’s Instagram stories. Fans can then vote for their favourite. 

The points awarded are in reference to Triumph’s 765cc engine:

•  7 points for the rider with most fan votes
• 6 points for the rider with second most fan votes
• 5 points for the rider with third most fan votes

This week’s shortlist is:

•  Filip Salac - for topping both sessions on Friday, getting the lap record and making up 15 place in the race for his first podium in over a year.
• Ai Ogura for the brave to chose slicks in his position in the championship which paid off to extend his championship lead.
• Manuel Gonzalez for his first Moto2 victory, brave strategy and great race from 14th to beat Ogura at home.

Look out for the Instagram stories on MotoGP’s official Instagram account @motogp to vote for your favourite.