Manuel Gonzalez is finally a Moto2 race winner after three years in the Championship.

Manuel Gonzalez becomes a Grand Prix race winner for the first time in his Moto2 career. After the Moto2 race was red-flagged due to rain Gonzalez took a gamble and restarted the race on slick tyres. The Spaniard made the right call and ran away with the Moto2 race.

Home hero, and potential Moto2 Champion, Ai Ogura claimed second place at Motegi. The Japanese rider also chose slick tyres but had more at risk with the Championship. Ogura now has the chance to wrap up the Moto2 Championship in two weeks in Australia.

Completing a strange Moto2 podium was Filip Salac in third place on the Elf Marc VDS Racing machine. This is Salac's second podium of his Moto2 career as he also gambled on slick tyres as he had nothing to lose.

After three difficult years in Moto2, Jeremy Alcoba secured his joint-best finish in the class. The Spanish rider crossed the line in fourth place as he also gambled with slick tyres.

In fifth and sixth places were two other riders with nothing to lose who chose to run the slick tyres. Zonta van den Goorbergh finished in fifth with Xavier Artigas in sixth on a Forward chassis.

The top rider on wet tyres was Celestino Vietti in seventh place, 53 seconds behind the race winner.

Diogo Moreira put together a strong weekend in Japan. The Brazilian rider finished his Japanese Grand Prix in eighth place.

Completing the top ten were the two Spaniards of Alonso Lopez and Izan Guevara in ninth and tenth places.

Moto2 Japan, Full Race Results: