“A Few More Corners”: Agius eyes Island lift-off after Mandalika charge

Senna Agius misses podium by 0.4s in an Indonesian scorcher as Guevara takes third straight Moto2 victory

Senna Agius came within touching distance of the Moto2 podium at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, producing a stirring recovery ride from 13th on the grid to finish fourth after a race packed with incidents, setbacks and late heartbreak.

The Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP rider was one of the standout performers across the 14-lap contest, carving forward from the middle of the pack and already up to ninth by the end of the opening lap. The 21-year-old kept building from there, and in the closing stages was close enough to Daniel Holgado to apply heavy pressure in the fight for third. At the flag, Agius was fourth, only 0.4 seconds away from a podium result.

Out front, Izan Guevara of the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 team claimed victory for the third race in succession. Manuel Gonzalez, riding for Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, limited the championship damage by finishing second, trimming the gap by only five points. The margin now stands at 6.5 points. Third place fell to Holgado of the CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team after race leader Alex Escrig suffered cruel late misfortune.

The race was thrown into turmoil immediately. A four-rider crash at Turn 1 brought out the red flag, with both CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team riders, David Alonso and Holgado, caught up. Holgado struck the rear of his teammate at the opening corner, sending both down, and Alonso was launched violently into the air. Joe Roberts of the OnlyFans American Racing Team then had nowhere to go on the outside and collided with Holgado’s stranded machine, sliding out as well. Collin Veijer from Red Bull KTM Ajo was left with no chance to avoid Alonso’s tumbling, out-of-control Kalex-Triumph and also crashed at Turn 1.

All four riders made it back to pit lane and were relatively unscathed, but Alonso’s race was over before the restart. His machine had suffered major damage, including a ripped-out fuel tank, and he could not continue. Holgado, Roberts and Veijer did get back out in time to line up again, although Roberts peeled away into the pits before the second start because of a rear brake issue. Like Alonso, he was out through no real fault of his own.

When the race resumed, Escrig made the best launch and grabbed the holeshot ahead of Guevara. Holgado slotted into third, before Ivan Ortola of QJMOTOR – JP Financial – MSI found a way past the number 96. Gonzalez was on the move early too, advancing to sixth and then fifth by lap three.

By lap six, the leading group had begun to take shape. Escrig held an advantage of 0.8s over Guevara, while Holgado was another 0.8s behind in third. Ortola was running fourth, but Gonzalez was closing fast and took that position on lap seven.

Not long after, Gonzalez moved into third as Holgado began to lose touch with the pace needed to stay on the podium. With five laps left, the championship leader had climbed into the top three, while ahead of him Guevara was beginning to close down Escrig. A battle for victory looked certain.

Escrig responded by lifting the pace on lap 12 of 14, but just as the contest at the front was building, a technical problem ended his charge on the penultimate lap. It was a brutal end to what had been a superb weekend, and it handed the lead to Guevara.

From there, Guevara stayed composed and completed his hat-trick of wins. Gonzalez followed him home in second to collect 20 valuable points in the title fight after a disappointing Saturday, while Holgado salvaged third in a rollercoaster afternoon that had already included a Turn 1 crash.

Agius, however, was right there as well, his charge through the field putting him in contention for the rostrum by the closing laps. It was one of the classiest comeback rides of the race and underlined just how strong his pace was in Indonesia.

Daniel Muñoz of the Italtrans Racing Team completed the top five, followed by Ortola in sixth. Filip Salač, riding for the OnlyFans American Racing Team, crossed the line seventh, 1.6s clear of Alonso Lopez of ITALJET Gresini Moto2, Tony Arbolino of REDS Fantic Racing and Jose Antonio Rueda from Red Bull KTM Tech3, who rounded out the top 10.

Senna Agius – P4
“Today’s race was pretty decent. I would have liked a bit more to make it onto the podium, but I would have needed a few more corners to catch up to Holgado. Even though we didn’t make it onto the podium, I’m satisfied with our comeback in the race. It’s clear what we need to work on to be a bit better off the start. But today I was happy with my ability to overtake with the bike. That’s a positive. Fourth place after starting from 13th is a good result for us, even though I struggled a bit in the final laps. A big thank you to the team, we’ve had a few tough weeks, but we need this step as a springboard for Phillip Island, where we want to score more points to catch up in the championship. That will be the goal. I’m really happy for the guys, and let’s use this good result as motivation for Phillip Island and the upcoming races.”

Izan Guevara – P1
“It was a very tough race, and [Álex] Escrig made it really difficult for me. Honestly, he surprised me with his pace. The team had told me he was going well, but I didn’t expect him to be so strong throughout the race. I decided to keep a little distance rather than push too hard early on because I wanted to manage the tyres and save something for the final laps. “Towards the end, I was getting closer to him, and my plan was to try to make a move on the last lap. I knew he was very strong, so I had to be patient and choose my moment carefully. Obviously, the red flag had changed everything, but I’m still really happy with how I rode and with the pace we showed throughout the race. “To win again, especially after taking consecutive victories, is something I honestly didn’t expect. I’m very proud of the team and the work we are doing together. We are getting a little closer in the championship, so now it’s time to enjoy this result with the team and keep pushing.”

Manuel Gonzalez – P2
“I’m super happy, especially after yesterday’s poor qualifying session. That makes today’s result all the more fantastic. Still, it wasn’t easy, because the setup wasn’t optimal. But I was confident because I know the bike well and can just do my thing. Plus, the conditions were brutal due to the extremely high temperatures. It was incredibly hard to ride, almost like riding on ice. Everyone struggled with that. Before the race, me and the Team talked and pushed ourselves to give everything. If we finished in 5th or 4th place, okay, we’d take that. In the end, we pushed a bit harder and ended up in 2nd place. Considering I started from 10th place, that’s a fantastic result. It was a race full of passion, where I tried to pass others lap after lap without making any mistakes. Many thanks to the team and to everyone who supports me. Now I’m looking forward to Australia, where the track should suit our bike and our setup a bit better. So, we’ll continue to give it our all. Nothing has changed in our situation since the last few races. We’re still very fast, even though it’s true that our competitors are in better form. In the last few races, we just didn’t have the luck we needed. That’s why it’s so important that we achieved this success today to rebuild confidence in our pit crew. We keep fighting and will carry on as usual when we race next in Australia.”

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