Brno winner Ivan Ortola in high demand: “Many teams are interested in me!”

Finishing fourth overall in the 2024 Moto3 World Championship, Ivan Ortola secured promotion to the Moto2 class for 2025. There, the Spaniard initially struggled to adapt to the 765cc bike. This was followed by a number of top-10 finishes, and in the final race of the season in Valencia, Ortola claimed his first podium finish in the intermediate class.

In 2026, Ortola got off to a much better start to the season with a fourth-place finish at the season opener in Thailand. Third and fourth places at Le Mans and Barcelona respectively confirmed that he is in good form this year. This was followed by two retirements – Ortola failed to finish at Mugello and on the Balaton Park Circuit. Now, at the weekend in Brno, he has claimed his first Moto2 victory.

But first things first. Starting from the second row, Ortola got off to a perfect start. He moved into second place behind pole-setter David Alonso before the first corner. The pair managed to pull slightly clear of the rest of the field. On lap 4, Ortola completed his long lap, but lost only just over a second in the process and held on to second place. This gave Alonso a lead of around 1.3 seconds, but Ortola quickly closed the gap again.

With four laps to go, Ortola launched an attack at Turn 1, but Alonso countered. Ortola tried again at Turn 3 – and once more, Alonso had an answer ready. Alonso went into the final lap with a 0.059-second lead over Ortola. With a daring manoeuvre in the final corner, Ortola took the lead and crossed the finish line 0.096 seconds ahead.

“It was an incredible move, but at the same time the only way to overtake David, because it was very difficult under braking,” said Ortola. “I told myself I’d give it a go if he gave me the space to do so. I then spotted a gap and went for it. It was perfect for winning the race.”

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During the race, Ortola had to complete a long-lap penalty. Is the Brno circuit the best on the calendar for that? “I think so,” smiled the 21-year-old. “I practised the long lap a lot this weekend – about seven or eight times. Of all the tracks on the calendar, you lose the least time here. Only about 1.2 seconds, which isn’t very much. So it’s perfect.”

Switch from Boscoscuro to Kalex

In the World Championship standings, Ivan Ortola is in 7th place with 77.5 points following his victory in Brno. “My season has gone very well so far. It’s the first year for the team and me on the Kalex,” he explained. Last year, he and the MSi team were still riding Boscoscuro bikes. “We needed the first few races to understand how to ride this bike. And also to work out the set-up so that I feel more comfortable. From Jerez until now, the feeling has been incredible. I’ve been consistent in the races – that’s what I wanted. I want to carry on like this.”

Ortola secured his first Moto2 victory at just the right time. Contracts for next year are on the line. “Yes, this is the time for contract negotiations,” smiled the Valencia-born rider. “Winning here was perfect – not just for me, but for my manager too. I’ve given him a bit of work to do.” A number of Moto2 teams have already been in touch. “Yes, that’s true. Lots of teams are interested in me. But I’m not worried about that; I’m focusing on myself. I want to give it my all – just like I did here,” emphasised Ortola. Will he find it difficult to choose for next year? “There are lots of good Moto2 teams and it’s hard to make the right choice. But now isn’t the right time to decide. I’ll just get on with my job in the races.”