Izan Guevara secured his second career win in Moto2 and his first of the season at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans. The rider from the Balearic Islands was the dominant force throughout the weekend, claiming pole position on Saturday and never relinquishing the lead during the race, despite two separate starts.
He was joined on the podium by fellow Spaniards Manuel González, known as “ManuGasss,” and Iván Ortolá, completing a Spanish triple that continued with Alonso López finishing fourth and David Alonso taking fifth. The race was initially scheduled for 22 laps but was shortened to 14 due to rain that had not appeared during practice sessions. It was further reduced to a nine-lap sprint after a red flag was shown at the start of lap three, following a crash by Jorge Navarro on the main straight.
In the nine-lap sprint, Guevara was untouchable, leading from start to finish and managing a comfortable one-second advantage over González in the closing stages. González retains the championship lead with his second-place finish, now holding a 9.5-point advantage over Guevara. While the top two had plenty to celebrate, third-placed Ortolá also had reason to be proud, as he climbed from 14th on the grid to secure his first podium of the year. His impressive performance suggests more highlights are to come.
A special mention goes to Dani Holgado, who finished 11th on track but was later disqualified. After crashing on the first lap of the initial race, Holgado was on his way to the medical clinic when the race was stopped. Thanks to his determination and the rapid work of his Aspar mechanics, who prepared his bike against the clock, he was able to take the restart. However, his bike went out without a front fender, and after an investigation, Race Direction decided to exclude him from the results.
Both Holgado and David Alonso were physically struggling post-race. Holgado had to be helped to remove his helmet by Pol Espargaró, his representative and the same man who arranged his MotoGP move with Gresini Racing for next year. Alonso, the Colombian-born rider from Madrid, was hampered by a right shoulder injury sustained during training before traveling to Le Mans. Given his condition, his fifth-place finish was a remarkable achievement.
Rounding out the top ten were Vietti (sixth, despite serving a long-lap penalty for causing a crash involving Baltus), Agius (who had won the previous two races), Roberts, Salac, and Canet. Further back, Holgado was 11th, García 12th, Ferrández 16th, Rueda 18th, Huertas 19th, Ramírez 20th, Escrig 21st, and Muñoz 24th.
