Ogura leads from start to finish for long-awaited win in Spain Moto2 / Photo: © AFP
Ogura leads from start to finish for long-awaited win in Spain Moto2
Ai Ogura led from start to finish in the Spanish Moto2 race on Sunday to take his first victory in senior motorcycle racing.
The Japanese rider, who arrived in Jerez La Frontera second in the standings after two podium finishes in the first four races, started from pole position for the first time and never gave up the lead before winning comfortably.
In four years in Moto3 and Moto2 21-year-old Ogura had finished on the podium 11 times without winning a race.
"This time I am 120 per cent happy," he said at the finish. "This time the race was perfect I started first and finished first."
Spaniard Aron Canet finished 2.5 seconds behind despite riding with a protective cast on his left arm.
Canet underwent surgery last Monday after breaking the arm in a crash in the Portuguese Grand Prix the day before.
"It was one of the most difficult races of my life," he said.
Italian Tony Arbolino was third with Spaniard Augusto Fernandez fourth.
Italian Celestino Vietti battled to a sixth-place finish to retain first place in the championship, 19 points ahead of Ogura.
Arbolino stayed third and Canet climbed to fourth.
(L.Chastain--LPdF)
