Chantra chants perfect notes in Mandalika

March 22, 2022

Moto2 Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia: Mandalika.

Quali:

This qualification saw Jake Dixon take his first pole in the class, with Augusto Fernandez P2 and Sam Lowes P3. So, it was a good day for the Brits in the tropical conditions which are never easy because of the intense humidity. More in his comfort zone was Somkiat Chantra, the Thai rider in P4.

The Race:

Maybe due to impending rain or the condition of the surface of the track, the race was cut from twenty-five to sixteen laps, quite a cull!

Somkiat Chantra shot away from P4 to take the lead from Sam Lowes in P2 and Jake Dixon, P3, with a feisty Simoni Corsi P4 heading off Celestino Vietti P5. Corsi pulled a hard move on Vietti, which turned out to be bad race craft, as Aron Canet and Albert Arenas took advantage of the aggro move and pulled ahead into P4 and P5 respectively.

Fourteen laps to go in what amounted to a sprint race where the riders were all riding hard from the get go, with tyre wear not an issue, Pedro Acosta had to take a long lap penalty which put him down to P15, the Moto3 world champion finding Moto2 a bit more demanding. It is early days though for El Tiburon, and as he settles in, we are sure his tenacity will shine through. Meanwhile, Somkiat Chantra was making a statement in the lead, with Sam Lowes now P2 and Jake Dixon P3, Vietti now having shaken off Corsi was P5, with Canet in P4.

With twelve laps to go, Jake Dixon set the fastest lap of the race and went into P2, Chantra still leading with Sam Lowes now P3. Then disaster, as Dixon low sided on to the tarmac, and down. There had been some spots of rain, whether that contributed to the crash is unsure, and although Jake was quick to get the bike up, it was a DNF for him in Mandalika. This left Somkiat P1, Aron Canet P2 and Lowes P3 with Vietti P4.

Nine laps to go with Somkiat Chantra now over two seconds up the road, Celestino Vietti pulled a hard but fair move on Aron Canet to take P2, Canet P3 and Sam Lowes P4. From here on there were no changes in the top four that affected the result. So, not the most exciting of races, but it was a masterclass from Somkiat Chantra, the 23-year-old Thai rider taking his first win in Moto2 and the first Thai rider ever to win in premier class racing, quite the accolade.