Moto2, Misano: Jubilation & drama at Intact, Gonzalez wins – Agius taken out

The scene on the starting grid for the Moto2 race bore a striking resemblance to that of the smaller World Championship class, a good hour earlier. The rider from the German Intact GP team led by Jürgen Lingg was also preparing from pole position for round 14 of the 2026 campaign. Senna Agius had clinched pole with a fabulous time, and with Dani Holgado (2nd), a rider from the Spanish Aspar team was also among the frontrunners here.

Whilst rookie Angel Piqueras had secured third place, championship leader Manuel Gonzalez was ‘only’ fifth, sandwiched between Dani Munoz and Ajo hopeful Collin Veijer. Championship runner-up Izan Guevara faced a tougher challenge. The Spaniard had qualified eighth at Boscoscuro, but was handed a six-place grid penalty for lazing about – starting from 14th on the grid. Guevara had recently been closing the gap in the World Championship standings, but with a 32.5-point lead, it was clear that Gonzalez would leave the Adriatic as the championship leader.

Following mixed conditions in the free practice sessions, the Grand Prix got underway with an intense 22-lap race in fabulous conditions, with an air temperature of 25 degrees. It began with a drama of the highest order. Unbelievable: the entire front row went down at Turn 1 – triggered by Piqueras and Holgado braking on the inside. Agius, who entered the corner level with them on the racing line, didn’t stand a chance; the Aussie was wiped out. Fortunately, the trio emerged unscathed and the race did not have to be stopped.

Drama mit 3er-Crash von Agius, Holgado und Piqueras

Foto: Gold and Goose

The beneficiaries were Collin Veijer and Manuel Gonzalez. The duo, who had started from 5th and 6th, now had a clear run ahead of Ivan Ortola, Barry Baltus and Filip Salac. At the front, Veijer set the fastest lap times with Gonzalez in his wake. Only Ortola was able to keep up, half a second behind, whilst a significant gap had already opened up behind them.

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On lap 5, World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez took the lead. The Madrid native confidently overtook Veijer at the front and immediately put a few tenths between himself and the Dutchman. Izan Guevara was running in eighth position at this point.

Meanwhile, there was some discussion in the Intact pit. Piqueras, who had caused the crash, had come over to apologise to Senna Agius. On the track, his team-mate was focused on his job. Whilst Baltus, Salac and Ortola were chasing Veijer, Gonzalez pulled away. After Salac braked too late, another of the leader’s pursuers had dropped out.

Guevara had moved up to sixth place, but after ten laps was still just under four seconds behind Manuel Gonzalez. Even before the start of the second half of the race, the action became thrilling again, as Veijer refused to give up and closed the gap to 0.4 seconds once more. Also worth noting: several drivers, including the leader Gonzalez, received warnings for running wide; Baltus and Munoz were even sent off for a long lap as a result.

Baltus’s penalty also meant the race developed into a two-horse race between Gonzalez and Veijer. Guevara was consistently four seconds behind the leader. The race remained thrilling – because if Gonzalez were also to receive a penalty, the race and his duel with Guevara would once again be completely up for grabs. Whilst Guevara had moved up to fifth place, the group received reinforcements from behind: Arbolino and Vietti had fought their way up the field.

At the front, Manuel Gonzalez kept his nerve. The Intact rider not only held his line but also pulled away from Veijer once more. With three laps to go, his lead had grown to 1.6 seconds. In the final stages, Gonzalez cruised to an unchallenged victory. The number 18 rider won 2.5 seconds ahead of Collin Veijer and Barry Baltus. Ortola finished fourth, whilst Arbolino overtook Guevara in the final laps to take fifth place. Veteran rider Aron Canet secured the final World Championship point.

In the World Championship standings, Gonzalez regained some breathing space with this crucial victory, whilst Guevara, in sixth place, also found some breathing space. The Intact rider now holds a 47.5-point lead. A bitter blow: following his crash, Senna Agius not only lost his chance of victory at Misano, but also saw third place slip away to Ivan Ortola.