Gonzalez's Embarrassing Early Celebration Costs Him Moto2 Win at Silverstone

Manuel Gonzalez lost a Moto2 win at the British Grand Prix after celebrating too early on the penultimate lap, dropping from first to 14th in a dramatic twist at Silverstone.

The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP rider had just passed Daniel Holgado with a brave late lunge into Vale. Exiting Club, he looked over his shoulder before standing up in his saddle, unaware there was still another lap to go. As he sat back down, Holgado clipped his exhaust, bending it against the rear wheel and forcing Gonzalez to slip down the order.

“In the final laps, I felt really comfortable in the battles and tried to win,” said Gonzalez. “However, a few laps earlier, I’d been looking for the lap counter display at the finish line but couldn’t see it. So, I thought it was the last lap, and I passed Dani in the final sector by braking really hard. But he was fighting really hard, too. I wasn’t 100 percent sure if it was the last lap or not, so I crossed the finish line at full throttle, even though I was already celebrating a little bit. The bad luck was that Dani touched the sprocket and the exhaust, which is why I couldn’t fight anymore.”

Baca JugaRayakan Terlalu Cepat, Gonzalez Kehilangan Kemenangan Moto2 di Silverstone

While Gonzalez plummeted, Filip Salac (American Racing) stormed past Holgado into the lead at The Loop, with Ivan Ortola (MSi) also demoting Holgado to third. Holgado’s hopes vanished at Luffield when his bike snapped loose, allowing Alex Escrig (Klint Racing) to take third.

Salac and Ortola then traded blows in a thrilling finish, with the Czech rider holding on for his first Moto2 win. “Anyway, we have to look on the bright side: Even though we struggled a bit today, we were one of the strongest packages on track and had a chance for victory,” Gonzalez reflected. “That’s why I’m not disappointed, I’m actually really happy with our overall performance. Still, I feel bad for the team that I made a mistake at the finish line.”

Australia’s Senna Agius finished 20th after a technical issue on his Kalex stalled his top-10 run. “We had a technical problem today,” said Agius. “That made it difficult to keep going, but I decided not to give up. I just tried to stay in the mix, avoid mistakes, and see what we could achieve. I’m proud to have finished the race.”

Moto2 takes a two-week break before returning at Motorland Aragon for the Grand Prix of Aragon on August 28-30.