Izan Guevara keeps the pressure on: commanding Moto2 victory at Spielberg

In Moto2, it’s shaping up to be a head-to-head battle between Intact ace Manuel Gonzalez and Pramac rider Izan Guevara for the world title. At Misano, Guevara showed a moment of weakness by finishing sixth – Gonzalez took the win – and the 22-year-old knew he would have to come up with a fitting response at the Austrian Grand Prix. And he certainly did!

Starting fifth on the grid, the Pramac rider emerged from the first lap in second place behind Ivan Ortola. One lap later, Guevara was already in the lead and remained there until the end. The Yamaha-sponsored Spaniard confidently worked through his race plan and crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds ahead of the strongly riding Filip Salac. As Gonzalez finished fourth, Guevara made up twelve points on his compatriot, reducing the gap to 35.5 points.

Guevara wore down his rivals with remarkably consistent lap times. “I’d spoken to the team before the race, and the aim was to stay within the 1:32 to 1:33 minute range on every lap, which I managed to do brilliantly,” explained the Spaniard. “There was one point where I had a bit of a scare, but fortunately I managed to recover and keep my focus on the race.”

Guevara was referring to an incident on lap 17, when his front wheel buckled and he nearly crashed. With a bit of luck and a great deal of skill, the eventual winner got his motorbike back on track. “We’d decided to use the development front tyre,” explained Guevara. “I had a really good feeling with it all weekend. Compared to the standard tyre, it gave me more stability and good performance over the full distance. That was important because it meant I had a tyre that was still working well in the final laps.”

There are still seven races to go in Moto2, with five overseas races coming up first. Given his position in the standings, Guevara cannot afford to play tactical games. “We can enjoy this moment now and then we need to keep picking up points in the championship. I really like the upcoming circuits, so my aim is to carry on like this, enjoy the races and keep fighting,” said Guevara, addressing the Intact rider.

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02.10.2026 - 01:55