The British influence on the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship might be thin on the ground but what the UK lacks in sheer quantity it at least makes up for in quality with Jake Dixon identified as one of the big favourites to challenge for the 2024 Moto2 title.

Such a status is not to be sniffed at; There has been just one British winner of a grand prix World Championship (Danny Kent, Moto3 in 2015) since Barry Sheene clinched the 1977 500GP world title… without meaning to make anyone feel old, that’s 47 years ago *gulp*...

While there is no doubting Dixon’s credentials as a force of Moto2, unfortunately for him there are a host of riders just as capable of taking home one of racing’s most sought after crowns… but who are the riders standing in his way?

Fermin Aldeguer - Speed Up Racing

If Pedro Acosta was the name on everyone’s lips ahead of the 2023 Moto2 season, then this year those lips are definitely uttering Fermin Aldeguer to succeed him as World Champion.

The two riders share some parallels - both Spanish, both teenagers - but Aldeguer, who will be in his third season of Moto2 this year, largely flew under the radar for much of 2022 and 2023 having taken an unconventional route via MotoE.

But, as so often occurs in motorsport, when it clicked for Aldeguer in 2023, it did so in a big way and he was the dominant force during the final portion of the year. Four wins on the trot to see out the season - both lights-to-flag and fighting through the pack - were a further positive sign for the Speed Up rider, so much so it has probably landed him a Ducati MotoGP deal for 2025 already.

Tony Arbolino - Marc VDS Racing

Acosta’s biggest rival in 2023, Tony Arbolino went about his title bid the hard way, often struggling in qualifying to force him into regular fightbacks.

For 2024, the Italian - who stays with Marc VDS Racing - will be hoping he has learned his lessons enough to spend more time leading from the front, which he showed on three occasions last year that he was capable of doing.

He’s a consistent performer too, finishing each of last year’s 20 races.

Celestino Vietti - KTM Ajo Motorsport

It feels like a long time ago since Celestino Vietti was being touted for a potential move into MotoGP with VR46 Racing after his strong start to the 2022 Moto2 season, the Italian having struggled for confidence after letting slip a comfortable lead two years ago.

The jury still remains out on Vietti’s title credentials as a whole, but a win in Austria last year at least showed grand prix racing’s premier talent scout, Aki Ajo, what he can, earning him a prize deal to succeed Acosta in the ultra-successful KTM Ajo Motorsport squad.

On the flip side, there will be no excuses for Vietti this year if he can mount a title bid.

Aron Canet - Fantic Racing

A rider who has raced at the sharp end of Moto2 now for four seasons now, it is remarkable is still yet to win a race in the intermediate category,

That’s not to say he hasn’t come close, the Spaniard notching up an impressive 20 podiums in that time without ever standing on the top step, while he has also started seven races from pole.

For 2024, Canet - now with Fantic Racing - can be a title contender on speed alone but needs to cut out the critical race day errors that have numbed his title challenges the past two years. 

Manuel Gonzalez - Gresini Racing

Many people’s tip for the Moto2 title outside of Aldeguer, Manuel Gonzalez presents as a rider on the cusp of something great in 2024.

Only his third season of Moto2, the Spaniard shrugged off the challenges associated with coming to the series via the WorldSSP Championship by proving a consistent top ten performer in 2022, before becoming a regular visitor to the top five in 2023.

Logic would suggest Gonzalez - who has joined Gresini Racing after walking away from Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp - is now ready for challenging for wins. His pace in testing would certainly back this up.

Somkiat Chantra - Idemitsu Honda Team Asia

Now Honda’s leading protege in Moto2 following the exit of Ai Ogura, Somkiat Chantra showed again in 2023 that he has the calibre to step into the title-challenging circle.

Though he lacked consistency at times in 2023, on his day - namely the Japanese Moto2 where he topped every practice session, qualified on pole and won dominantly - Chantra is a force to be reckoned with.

And the prospect of a Moto2 champion from Thailand will make the powers that be at Dorna very happy indeed.

Ai Ogura - MT Helmets-MSI

After just missing out on the 2022 Moto2 title to Augusto Fernandez and having his 2023 campaign ruined by a pre-season injury, Ai Ogura will hope lady luck finally shines down on him in 2024.

A rider who perhaps deserves greater attention than he is receiving pre-season, Ogura is rolling the fice for 2024 after leaving the cosy confines of Honda Team Asia (despite a MotoGP ride for 2025 being in the offing) in favour of joining new entry MT Helmets-MSI.

A change of scenery might be the thing Ogura needs to return to his best and if it does, he’s capable of having the measure of his rivals.

Alonso Lopez - Speed Up Racing

After bursting onto the Moto2 scene mid-season with a race-winning turn during the second-half of 2022, while Alonso Lopez’s 2023 Moto2 campaign didn’t quite live up to that bombastic promise, he was still a strong contender at times.

Key for Lopez in 2024 will be how he handles the attention being trained on his Speed Up Racing team-mate Aldeguer, but it could well prove all the motivation he needs to cause an upset from within.

Honourable Mentions

Other riders to watch out for are American Racing duo Joe Roberts and Marcos Ramirez. Roberts returns to the US-based team after a solid, if unspectacular period with Italtrans and has shown strongly in testing, as has Ramirez, whose eye-catching podium-winning turn as a substitute for the team has been rewarded with a full-time ride.

Elsewhere, Filip Salac showed flashes of great promise with Gresini and has now moved to the crack Marc VDS squad for 2024, while RW Racing’s Barry Baltus and Zonta van den Goorbergh could be ready to spring a few surprises.

Of the rookies, European Moto2 champion Senna Agius has shown strong in testing, while Jaume Masia brings his Moto3 title to Gas UP (SAG) for 2024.