Ai Ogura has been crowned 2024 Moto2 World Champion with two rounds in hand after finishing second to Aron Canet at the Chang International Circuit, while David Alonso’s record-breaking Moto3 campaign continued with a 12th win of the season.
Coming into the Thai event with his first ‘match point’ shot at a maiden grand prix world title, though closest rival Canet did his bit by clinching a third victory of the season, Ogura held his nerve to secure the top three finish he needed to make title success a foregone conclusion.
Ogura — who will graduate to MotoGP next season with Trackhouse Aprilia — had run as low as seventh in the early stages after contact on the opening lap before picking his way through to finish behind Canet.
With that result, Ogura becomes the first Japanese rider to secure an intermediate class title since Hiroshi Aoyama was crowned 250GP champion in 2009, while MT Helmets-MSI celebrated the title in its maiden season of Moto2 competition.
Moreover, after 12 years of Kalex dominance, it is a first Moto2 title to be won with the Speed Up-engineered Boscoscuro chassis.
Though his hopes of an elusive Moto2 title ended, a second win in four rounds for Canet sees the Fantic Racing rider tighten his grip on the runners-up spot.
The Italian was in control from lap one to take victory by 2.5s from Ogura as American Racing’s Marcos Ramirez notched up the second podium of his Moto2 career.
In a race curtailed by a red flag with three laps remaining, home hero Somkiat Chantra came on strong in the latter stages to secure fourth place with rookie Diogo Moreira rounding out the top five.
Moto2 Thailand GP — Race results:
Alonso sets new record with Thailand Moto3 win
David Alonso, CFMOTO Aspar Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In Moto3, David Alonso broke Valentino Rossi’s 27-year record for victories over a single-season in the entry-level category as he claimed the 12th win of a dominant title-winning campaign.
The Colombian picked his way to the front of a closely-matched lead group of five riders to hold on for victory in the shortened 12-lap encounter, heading off Luca Lunetta in second and Collin Veijer in third.
His fifth win of the season, Alonso had the honour of breaking Rossi’s erstwhile record of 11 wins across the 125/Moto3 class, achieved with his 1997 125GP title, having already established a fresh benchmark for the category as part of the current Moto3 era.
He wouldn’t have it easy amid damp conditions but after rising to the fore decisively with four laps remaining, the CFMoto Aspar Team rider benefitted from squabbles behind to remain out of reach to the flag.
In second, SIC58’s Lunetta came through for a career-best finish in second place ahead of Husqvarna IntactGP man Veijer, the duo capitalising on a wayward Ivan Ortola running deep into the final corner to rule himself out of the podium fight.
Still, he fared better than Taiyo Furusato, who finished by sliding across the finish line separated from his Honda Team Asia machine after being felled in contact with Veijer on the exit of the final corner. Despite the unconventional conclusion, he was reinstated to fifth behind Ortola.
Further back, after Leopard Honda riders Adrian Fernandez and Angel Piqueras crashed out on the final lap, David Munoz and Joel Kelso came through for sixth and seventh, while Scott Ogden collected a season’s best eighth place finish on the MLav Racing Honda.
Moto3 Thailand GP — Race results:
| 1 |
D. Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team |
80 | CF MOTO | 12 | 160.0 | 25 | ||||
| 2 |
L. Lunetta SIC58 Squadra Corse |
58 | Honda | 12 | 0.353 | 159.9 | 20 | |||
| 3 |
C. Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP |
95 | Husqvarna | 12 | 0.169 | 159.9 | 16 | |||
| 4 |
I. Ortola MT Helmets — MSI |
48 | KTM | 12 | 0.414 | 159.9 | 13 | |||
| 5 |  T. Furusato Honda Team Asia |
72 | Honda | 12 | 0.747 | 159.8 | 11 | |||
| 6 |  D. Munoz BOE Motorsports |
64 | KTM | 12 | 0.809 | 159.7 | 10 | |||
| 7 |  J. Kelso BOE Motorsports |
66 | KTM | 12 | 0.314 | 159.6 | 9 | |||
| 8 |  S. Ogden FleetSafe Honda — MLav Racing |
19 | Honda | 12 | 2.216 | 159.3 | 8 | |||
| 9 |  S. Nepa LEVELUP — MTA |
82 | KTM | 12 | 2.619 | 159.0 | 7 | |||
| 10 | T. Suzuki Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP |
24 | Husqvarna | 12 | 0.667 | 158.9 | 6 | |||
| 11 | R. Yamanaka MT Helmets — MSI |
6 | KTM | 12 | 0.732 | 158.8 | 5 | |||
| 12 | D. Holgado Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 |
96 | GASGAS | 12 | 2.600 | 158.5 | 4 | |||
| 13 | R. Rossi CIP |
54 | KTM | 12 | 0.057 | 158.5 | 3 | |||
| 14 |
F. Farioli SIC58 Squadra Corse |
7 | Honda | 12 | 3.292 | 158.1 | 2 | |||
| 15 |
J. Roulstone Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 |
12 | GASGAS | 12 | 2.101 | 157.8 | 1 | |||
| 16 |
J. Antonio Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
99 | KTM | 12 | 157.8 | |||||
| 17 |
T. Buasri Honda Team Asia |
5 | Honda | 12 | 0.681 | 157.7 | ||||
| 18 |
X. Zurutuza Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
85 | KTM | 12 | 1.813 | 157.5 | ||||
| 19 |
N. Fabio LEVELUP — MTA |
10 | KTM | 12 | 157.5 | |||||
| 20 |
D. Almansa Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team |
22 | Honda | 12 | 0.053 | 157.5 | ||||
| 21 | M. Bertelle Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team |
18 | Honda | 12 | 0.423 | 157.5 | ||||
| 22 |  A. Fernandez Leopard Racing |
31 | Honda | 12 | 23.939 | 154.5 | ||||
| 23 |
N. Dettwiler CIP |
55 | KTM | 12 | 0.066 | 154.5 | ||||
| dnf |
Á. Piqueras Leopard Racing |
36 | Honda | 10 | 2 Laps | 159.5 | Accident | |||
| dnf |
J. Esteban CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team |
78 | CF MOTO | 9 | 1 Lap | 158.3 | Accident | |||
| dnf |
E. O’Shea FleetSafe Honda — MLav Racing |
8 | Honda | 9 | 1’46.572 | 142.0 | Retirement |