Raul Fernandez completed his rookie Moto2 season with his eighth victory while Remy Gardner became World Champion at Valencia on Sunday.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo celebrations were in full force after a dramatic race day brought red flags, a restart and a pack full of determined rides throughout. Fabio Di Giannantonio signed off his own Moto2 career from second as Augusto Fernandez completed the podium, with Sam Lowes and Jake Dixon coming home in seventh and 16th respectively.
The Moto2 race saw Tom Luthi line up for his 318th, and last, Grand Prix start from sixth on the grid as the Pertamina Mandalika SAG rider bowed out of a 20-season career in the World Championship. Hafizh Syahrin bidding his own farewell to the championship ahead of a move to WorldSBK with MIE Honda.
Another stalwart, Simone Corsi sat on pole - his second in Moto2 and his first since 2012 - with rookie Celestino Vietti alongside for the first time. Augusto Fernandez completed the front row with Marc VDS teammate Lowes starting the 25-lap race from 10th.
Red Bull KTM title rivals Gardner and Fernandez lined up eighth and fifth respectively with Gardner needing to place 13th or higher to secure the championship fight.
As the lights released, Corsi maintained his advantage through the opening corners, Di Giannantonio claiming second before Raul Fernandez swept through. Drama seeing Marco Bezzecchi, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Xavi Vierge crash out, with Dixon dropped to the back of the field in the aftermath and the red flags deployed due to an oil spill.
The quick restart saw the pack regroup for a 16-lap dash. Bezzecchi unable to rejoin the grid from his expected 11th place due to the work needed to repair his Sky VR46 machine but released from pitlane for the warm up lap to start from the back.
Disaster struck Corsi as he pulled into the pitlane as the lights prepared, Augusto Fernandez taking the holeshot as the action began with his namesake close behind for second. Di Giannantonio claimed third from Aron Canet, Luthi and Marcel Schrotter with Vietti leading Vierge, Gardner and Lowes in the top 10.
Vietti battled with Luthi for position as the opening laps unfolded, the Fernandez duo doing likewise out front. The KTM took charge as lap two concluded, Lowes dropping to 13th at the final corner before regaining one position as the new lap began.
Vietti launched to fifth and immediately fought with Canet before making a move stick next time around. Di Giannantonio was up to second with Canet striking back to fourth before the Gresini rider took control overall.
Cameron Beaubier entered the points positions as an inter-team battle developed with fellow American Racing rider Marcos Ramirez. Lowes in his own scrap with Gardner on the edge of the top 10. Dixon running 18th after five laps on track.
Di Giannantonio held a three-tenth lead from the Fernandez pair as lap six played out, Gardner dropping to 11th and into the clutches of a tight group behind as Lowes progressed to ninth.
A recovered Vierge circulated sixth from Jorge Navarro after his earlier fall, Canet and Vietti narrowly ahead as he maintained his grip on the top five.
Lowes was up to eighth after eight laps, Navarro six-tenths ahead but running similar pace as his progression continued. Gardner’s race going in the opposite direction as he dropped precariously close to the danger zone, after a move from Tetsuta Nagashima, in 12th.
Lowes captured seventh midway round lap 10, with Gardner bouncing back to 10th one lap later. Vierge bettering Canet for fifth with five laps to go as Raul Fernandez sat on the wheels of Di Giannantonio out front.
Hector Garzo crashed out of 13th as the race wound down, Beaubier down to 21st with Dixon on the fringes of the points positions.
Fernandez took the lead with four to go but with Gardner running 10th the championship was still in the hands of the Australian by just four points.
Lowes continued to eat into the gap to Canet in sixth, reducing the 1.5s he inherited down to six-tenths by the close of lap 14. Vierge becoming the target as the duo ahead switched places.
The final lap found Fernandez half a second free out front with Gardner defending hard from Nagashima back in 10th. The rookie claimed his eight intermediate class victory as he concluded the season in impressive style. Di Giannantonio and Augusto Fernandez completing the podium celebrations while Australia rejoiced their Moto2 World Champion.
Vietti recorded fourth from Canet and Vietti with Lowes securing a strong seventh place finish as he battle the pain due his injured foot. Navarro and Schrotter came home ahead of the victorius Gardner with Nagashima, Luthi, Stefano Manzi, Ramirez and Syahrin denying Dixon the final points.
