An electric last lap saw Jorge Martin victorious in Valencia this afternoon after the KTM rider stole the Moto2 lead from a seemingly-dominant Marco Bezzecchi.
The final-sector drama saw the Sky rider further demoted, to third, at the flag as Hector Garzo found his way through for a stunning second. A valiant performance rewarded an injured Sam Lowes with a points-scoring-position, in 14th, with the plucky Brit sitting just 14 shy of Championship-leader Enea Bastianini heading into the final round.
Stefano Manzi headed the grid - the first time for an MV Agusta in 44 years coming during the Italian company’s 75th anniversary - as the lights went out for the Moto2 contest. It was Martin, however, who swept through to take charge as the first lap got up to speed. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi chased down Manzi before the the Speed Up rider advanced to second as the second lap began with Garzo battling Marcel Schrotter for fifth. The duo repeatedly swapped positions as the race unfolded with Luca Marini sitting calmly behind, Bo Bendsneyder and Bastianini for company as Marcos Ramirez completed the early top-10.
Further back, a battered Sam Lowes circulated in 22nd as he found his rhythm with his swollen hand, Joe Roberts, Tetsuta Nagashima and teammate Augusto Fernandez narrowly ahead on the fringes of the top-20.
Bezzecchi began to make his presence known at the head of the field as the fifth lap got underway, pushing past Di Giannantonio for second as Manzi dropped to fourth, with Bastianini keeping Marini in check for seventh and eighth. Bezzecchi took the lead across the line with 20 laps to go, DiGi seeing his chance to outdo Martin half-a-lap later as the trio looked to gap the poleman but Manzi held on. Ramirez crashing out at turn six on the next revolution.
Lap nine saw Garzo on a charge as the fastest man on track, the Flexbox rider challenging and advancing on the MV for fourth before heading quickly after Martin’s KTM. Andi Izdihar finding the limit at turn 12 shortly after.
Martin, Garzo and Di Giannantonio began to swap positions as the podium battle intensified, Manzi’s stunning weekend ending early as the Italian succumbed to turn two with 15 laps still to go.
Lap 12 saw a heroic effort from Lowes as the Brit matched the front-runners’ pace, advancing his Marc VDS to 19th with Roberts the next man ahead as the American set his own sights on Tom Luthi - the Swiss rider having a disappointing race to commemorate his 300th GP start.
Out front, Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio held a one-second gap on a solitary Garzo, a further second separating him from Martin and Schrotter behind. Marini holding a firm grip on sixth as Jorge Navarro demoted Bastianini for seventh. A determined performance found Remy Gardner running in 10th after a week-long battle with gastroenteritis, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Aron Canet sitting narrowly behind on the edges of the top-10.
Disaster for Navarro saw the Spaniard down at turn one for his seventh DNF of the season, the crash releasing Bastianini to hunt down title-rival Marini while Lowes continued to improve. Circulating on the wheels of his teammate in 17th, the Brit relegating Fernadez at the beginning of lap 20 with points now in sight and six laps left to run.
Di Giannantonio took his shot at the lead on the next revolution but Bezzecchi immediately fought back and advanced his pace to avoid another challenge. Canet pushed his Aspar into the top-10 before instantly losing out at turn six with four laps to go.
Three-tenths now separated the challengers at the front going into the penultimate lap with DiGi making his move in the last sector, Martin looked to emulate but Bezzecchi held on to second by the skin of his teeth. The drama, however, was far from done as Di Giannantonio found the limit at turn six on the final lap, crashing out of the lead and gifting the win to Bezzecchi but a moment for the Sky rider allowed Martin and Garzo to grab the unexpected opportunity. The duo battled throughout the final corners before the KTM of Martin won out to take the sensational victory.
Garzo and Bezzecchi concluded the podium celebrations ahead of Schrotter and Marini with a sixth-place finish for Bastianini maintaining his grip on the title fight. Gardner scored an impressive seventh from Bendsneyder, Nicolò Bulega and Baldassari with Roberts, Nagashima and Vierge taking 11th to 13th respectively. An astonishing performance saw Lowes fight through the pain to bring his Marc VDS machine home in 14th for two valuable championship points with teammate Fernandez behind in 15th.
