Aron Canet secured a remarkable victory in the rain-affected Moto2 race at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2024, while Ai Ogura clinched the 2024 Moto2 World Championship with a solid second-place finish, achieving the milestone with two rounds remaining.
The race began with Ogura in pole position, managing an excellent start to lead into Turn 1, closely followed by Canet and Marcos Ramirez. Canet soon overtook Ogura on the run to Turn 2, positioning himself as the race leader and signaling a strong performance. The initial laps, however, saw unexpected incidents as Fermin Aldeguer’s early error forced Tony Arbolino out of contention, ending the Italian’s difficult weekend prematurely. Arbolino’s teammate, Filip Salac, was also pushed wide in the mix-up, complicating Marc VDS Racing’s day further.
Alonso Lopez’s aggressive late-braking maneuver saw him claim third, moving past Ogura and Diogo Moreira. This early reshuffling left Ogura fighting to regain ground after briefly dropping to sixth behind Jake Dixon and Darryn Binder. Determined to secure his title, Ogura launched a charge through the field, overtaking Binder in a move that, though reviewed by stewards, resulted in no penalties.
As the rain intensified, Canet maintained his lead, signaling the need for a red flag to address the increasingly treacherous track. The race was subsequently halted with two laps remaining, and with no restart, Canet was awarded victory while Ogura, having claimed second place, officially sealed his world championship title. This historic moment marks Ogura as the first Moto2 champion to emerge from the Asia Talent Cup, showcasing the strength of regional talent development.
Ramirez rounded out the podium in third, followed by Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra, who charged up the ranks from a challenging qualifying session. Despite being close to a home podium, Chantra was visibly disappointed with the race’s premature end. Moreira finished fifth, with Izan Guevara and Dixon securing sixth and seventh positions.
Completing the top 10 were Gresini’s Albert Arenas and Manuel Gonzalez, followed by Deniz Oncu. Despite an early error, Lopez recovered to claim 11th, with Sergio Garcia in 12th. Ayumu Sasaki and Salac, who made an admirable comeback, finished 13th and 14th, while Jorge Navarro, substituting for the injured Joe Roberts, closed out the points in 15th.
With two races to go, Ogura’s triumph in Buriram underscores a stellar season and paves the way for an exciting close to the Moto2 championship.
Credit Photo : MTHelmets-MSI
