2023-04-16 20:43:03
The last lap of the Moto2 Grand Prix of the Americas was an ode to motorcycling. Tony Arbolino and Pedro Acosta gave the fans one of the best races in the intermediate category. A duel that was compressed into a single lap, but what a last lap. The Murcian pilot let his rival do the whole race, whose rhythm set the group apart from the start. It could have been a trio with Alonso López, but the man from Madrid fell off the hook after a save that could have taken him to the ground.
Acosta stayed on the wheel throughout the race, studying his rival. Arbolino opened the door for him three laps from the end to let him pass, but Acosta let the Italian pass again. “He thought that the best way to fight on this demanding circuit was to wait until the last lap, when there is more tire drop and the tank is emptier.” And the Shark followed that strategy to the letter.
He tried it in turn 1, but Arbolino closed the door, he tried again in turn 11, and there he found the hole. He had the entire circuit ahead of him and two other very clear overtaking points that he now had to defend. The Italian gave it his all, but Acosta closed all the doors until the very finish line, where both bikes entered parallel. Finally the Spanish won by 146 thousandths.
The excitement for the race was not only in the fight for victory. Six pilots fought for the last position in the box. It was taken by Bo Bendsneyder, who incidentally made history by giving the Netherlands its first podium in its history in Moto2. Without detracting from the Dutchman, much of the blame for that podium was due to the fight between the Spaniards Fermín Aldeguer and Arón Canet, who touched each other twice in the last lap, giving up third and fourth position, to finish sixth and eighth respectively. The one who came closest to his first podium in the intermediate class was Jeremy Alcoba, fourth.
Despite the second position, Arbolino remains at the top of the standings, with a seven point advantage over Acosta and 20 over Canet.
#Pedro #Acosta #wins #epic #oneonone