Roberto García is the new European Moto2 champion. A fifth-place finish in the final race of the season this Wednesday at Estoril was enough for the Spaniard to secure the title. Unai Orradre claimed the race victory.
Alberto Fernández (Finetwork Team) got off to a strong start from pole position and led the race ahead of Alberto Surra (Team Ciatti-Boscoscuro) until the Italian overtook him on the second lap. Mattia Casadei (Team Ciatti-Boscoscuro) was running third.
Later on the same lap, Fernández suffered a crash, forcing him to retire, much to his frustration. Orradre (STV Laglisse Racing) and championship leader García (Fantic Cardoso Racing) also moved into contention for the top positions.
With ten laps remaining, Surra was leading, followed by Orradre in second, Casadei in third, and García in fourth. The top two riders had pulled away from the pack. A change in leadership occurred seven laps from the end when Orradre overtook Surra. The Spaniard then began to widen the gap and held onto his position for the rest of the race.
In the end, Orradre beat Surra by 0.573s to close the season with a victory. Casadei completed the podium over five seconds behind, with Xavi Artigas (Preicanos Racing Team) in fourth. García finished fifth, a result that secured him the European title. A ninth-place finish would have sufficed, regardless of his rivals’ results.
