Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) won a phenomenal Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley to close the Championship lead to just 13 points behind Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46), who crossed the line fourth. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) fought ferociously to get a home Grand Prix win, he finished second with Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) brilliantly taking his second consecutive podium in third.
Oliveira made a fantastic start, coming from P11 on the grid to make up six places going into the first corner, as race leader Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed at Turn 2. The Portuguese rider climbed his way up to third by the end of the first lap, then hit the front on lap three, with Bagnaia, Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team), Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Mir, Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) and Baldassarri chasing behind.
The Jerez winner then started to carve his way forward, passing Marquez into Turn 1 and taking the second EG 0,0 Marc VDS bike of Mir soon after. By this point, Oliveira was keeping tabs on leader Pasini, before the Italian tucked the front into Turn 1 – heartbreak for the pole sitter. This was the start of a half-race battle between the number 44 and number 7, interchanging positions lap by lap, with the gap to Bagnaia and Mir stretching to over a second by lap 15.
It looked like it would be a two-horse race to the checkered flag between the two, however the ‘Jaws’ music then started to sound. With Baldassarri and Oliveira chopping and changing, Bagnaia and Mir smelt blood and the battle for the win soon became a four-way fight with three laps to go.
Going into a fantastic final lap, Baldassarri had a slight buffer. However, the 21-year-old then had a huge moment on the exit of Turn 5 pushing for an illustrious second home win, which allowed Oliveira to close in and pass the Italian into Turn 6. Bagnaia was third before running slightly wide at Savelli, allowing Mir to move into the final podium position. Despite Baldassarri’s best efforts, the KTM rider held firm and took the checkered flag, with rookie Mir fending off Championship leader Bagnaia.
Marquez couldn’t keep tabs with the leading quartet, the Spaniard finishing P5. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a great ride, finishing sixth after starting from 19th on the grid, 2.448 back from Marquez. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) had a strong ride at his home Grand Prix, finishing P7, with fellow Italian Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) getting his best result of the season in eighth.
Starting from P12, Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) grabbed at top ten place in ninth, as Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) recorded his best finish of the year on his 250th Grand Prix start. Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) was P11 as he continues his good form. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) scored a solid P12 on his injury return, with Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) picking up a solid 13th.
It was a great afternoon for the NTS RW Racing GP team at Mugello. Joe Roberts crossed the line P14 to take his first points of the season, with teammate Steven Odendaal just 0.019 behind him to take the final point scoring position.
Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors), Danny Kent (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing), Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Jules Danilo (Nashi Argan SAG Team) crashed – riders ok. It was hard luck for Fenati at his home Grand Prix, he retired from the race after battling with the top six. Hector Barbera (Pons HP40) then made contact with Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) at Turn 3, with both riders crashing out – the FIM Stewards are investigating the collision.
A thrilling race at Mugello sees the Championship close right up as the intermediate class head to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya… Will the battle be just as close there?
GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA OAKLEY
Moto2 Race Classification 2018.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 44 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | POR | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 166.4 | 39’42.018 |
| 2 | 20 | 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 166.4 | +0.184 |
| 3 | 16 | 36 | Joan MIR | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 166.4 | +0.334 |
| 4 | 13 | 42 | Francesco BAGNAIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 166.4 | +0.484 |
| 5 | 11 | 73 | Alex MARQUEZ | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 166.2 | +3.537 |
| 6 | 10 | 41 | Brad BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 166.0 | +5.985 |
| 7 | 9 | 10 | Luca MARINI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 165.7 | +9.908 |
| 8 | 8 | 5 | Andrea LOCATELLI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 165.6 | +11.219 |
| 9 | 7 | 97 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 165.6 | +12.371 |
| 10 | 6 | 24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 165.5 | +12.675 |
| 11 | 5 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | FRA | MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | 165.2 | +17.843 |
| 12 | 4 | 77 | Dominique AEGERTER | SWI | Kiefer Racing | KTM | 165.0 | +20.353 |
| 13 | 3 | 27 | Iker LECUONA | SPA | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 164.4 | +28.751 |
| 14 | 2 | 16 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 164.2 | +32.436 |
| 15 | 1 | 4 | Steven ODENDAAL | RSA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 164.2 | +32.465 |
| 16 | 32 | Isaac VIÑALES | SPA | SAG Team | Kalex | 164.1 | +33.054 | |
| 17 | 66 | Niki TUULI | FIN | SIC Racing Team | Kalex | 164.1 | +33.505 | |
| 18 | 89 | Khairul Idham PAWI | MAL | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 163.4 | +43.900 | |
| 19 | 51 | Eric GRANADO | BRA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 163.2 | +47.264 | |
| 20 | 14 | Hector GARZO | SPA | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 162.6 | +56.603 | |
| 21 | 21 | Federico FULIGNI | ITA | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 161.4 | +1’13.609 | |
| 22 | 18 | Xavi CARDELUS | AND | Team Stylobike | Kalex | 160.5 | +1’27.927 | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 45 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | JPN | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 164.9 | 6 Laps | ||
| 40 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 164.9 | 6 Laps | ||
| 54 | Mattia PASINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 166.6 | 8 Laps | ||
| 95 | Jules DANILO | FRA | Nashi Argan SAG Team | Kalex | 162.9 | 9 Laps | ||
| 62 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 164.6 | 11 Laps | ||
| 52 | Danny KENT | GBR | MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | 164.3 | 12 Laps | ||
| 13 | Romano FENATI | ITA | Marinelli Snipers Team | Kalex | 165.5 | 14 Laps | ||
| 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 163.2 | 15 Laps | ||
| 9 | Jorge NAVARRO | SPA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | 164.2 | 17 Laps | ||
| 64 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 0 Lap | |||
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||||||
| 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 0 Lap | |||
Moto2 World Standing 2018.
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Kalex | ITA | 111 |
| 2 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | POR | 98 |
| 3 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Kalex | ITA | 84 |
| 4 | Alex MARQUEZ | Kalex | SPA | 78 |
| 5 | Joan MIR | Kalex | SPA | 64 |
| 6 | Xavi VIERGE | Kalex | SPA | 59 |
| 7 | Mattia PASINI | Kalex | ITA | 58 |
| 8 | Brad BINDER | KTM | RSA | 47 |
| 9 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Kalex | GER | 37 |
| 10 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | SPA | 26 |
| 11 | Dominique AEGERTER | KTM | SWI | 20 |
| 12 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Speed Up | FRA | 20 |
| 13 | Luca MARINI | Kalex | ITA | 19 |
| 14 | Simone CORSI | Kalex | ITA | 18 |
| 15 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Kalex | ITA | 16 |
| 16 | Remy GARDNER | Tech 3 | AUS | 14 |
| 17 | Jorge NAVARRO | Kalex | SPA | 14 |
| 18 | Sam LOWES | KTM | GBR | 14 |
| 19 | Hector BARBERA | Kalex | SPA | 10 |
| 20 | Romano FENATI | Kalex | ITA | 9 |
| 21 | Isaac VIÑALES | Kalex | SPA | 7 |
| 22 | Stefano MANZI | Suter | ITA | 6 |
| 23 | Danny KENT | Speed Up | GBR | 4 |
| 24 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | Kalex | JPN | 3 |
| 25 | Joe ROBERTS | NTS | USA | 2 |
| 26 | Steven ODENDAAL | NTS | RSA | 1 |
| 27 | Khairul Idham PAWI | Kalex | MAL | 1 |
| 28 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | Tech 3 | NED | |
| 29 | Niki TUULI | Kalex | FIN | |
| 30 | Eric GRANADO | Suter | BRA | |
| 31 | Hector GARZO | Tech 3 | SPA | |
| 32 | Lukas TULOVIC | KTM | GER | |
| 33 | Jules DANILO | Kalex | FRA | |
| 34 | Federico FULIGNI | Kalex | ITA | |
| 35 | Xavi CARDELUS | Kalex | AND | |
| 36 | Corentin PEROLARI | Transformiers | FRA | |
| 37 | Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN | Kalex | MAL | |
| 38 | Cedric TANGRE | Tech 3 | FRA |
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of motoGP.c0m
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Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
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“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
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Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
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Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
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The 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup will be run over seven rounds. From the season-opener at Autopolis, the Series moves to Round 2 from 16-17 May at Sportsland Sugo, followed by Round 3 from 27-28 June at Okayama International Circuit; and Round 4 from 8-9 August at the Tokachi Speedway. Round 5 will be held at Fuji Speedway from 5-6 September, followed by Round 6 from 3-4 October at Suzuka Circuit before the 7th and final round at Mobility Resort Montegi from 21-22 November.
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
![]()
“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
![]()
Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
![]()
Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
![]()
The 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup will be run over seven rounds. From the season-opener at Autopolis, the Series moves to Round 2 from 16-17 May at Sportsland Sugo, followed by Round 3 from 27-28 June at Okayama International Circuit; and Round 4 from 8-9 August at the Tokachi Speedway. Round 5 will be held at Fuji Speedway from 5-6 September, followed by Round 6 from 3-4 October at Suzuka Circuit before the 7th and final round at Mobility Resort Montegi from 21-22 November.
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
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Having won the Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series last year, Malaysia’s Wing Hin Motorsports is doubling down on its’s presence in Japan to establish a gateway for the rise of racing talent from Asia.![]()
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In collaboration with Masahiro Sasaki, a Gazoo Racing and Rookie Racing driver, the Malaysian team will field two drivers at the opening of the 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series this weekend as part of its Driver Development Program. Wing Hin Motorsports had won the Series in its debut last year with Naquib Azlan and also clinched a 4th place overall with a second Malaysian driver Amer Harris.![]()
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This year, Wing Hin Motorsports will field Malaysian touring car ace Mitchell Cheah and Indonesian Jordan Johan in the Series with Round 1 taking on the Autopolis Circuit.
