Written By Finn Glover, Edited By Gabriel Tsui
In the shadow of the illustrious MotoGP, Moto2 still remains relatively under the radar amongst motorsport enthusiasts. But what they are missing out on is a championship alive with ferocity that just keeps on giving. And in a season of unknowns ahead, who knows what will be thrown up in 2024? New tracks, new challenges, new riders and teams and a fresh start—— here is your ultimate guide as to what to expect in the 2024 Moto2 season.
MT Helmets MSI — Sergio Garcia and Ai Ogura
Speed Up Racing — Alonso Lopez and Fermin Aldeguer
Forward Team — Alex Escrig and Xavier Artigas
Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team — Ayumu Sasaki and Jeremy Alcoba
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team — Filip Salac and Tony Arbolino
Fantic Racing — Xavier Cardelus and Aron Canet
Fieten Olie Racing GP — Barry Baltus and Zonta van den Goorbergh
GasGas Aspar Team — Izan Guevara and Jake Dixon
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia — Mario Aji and Somkiat Chantra
Italtrans Racing Team — Diogo Moreira and Dennis Foggia
Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP — Darryn Binder and Senna Agius
OnlyFans American Racing Team — Joe Roberts and Marcos Ramirez
Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team — Jaume Masia and Bo Bendsneyder
QJmotor Gresini Moto2 — Manuel Gonzalez and Albert Arenas
Red Bull KTM Ajo — Celestino Vietti and Deniz Oncu
The Favourites
With last year's champion Pedro Acosta getting rewarded with a MotoGP seat, the race towards the Moto2 championship is wide open. People are naming Elf Marc VDS rider Tony Arbolino as the favourite.
Runner up to Acosta in 2023, he held incredible form at the start of the season and gave Acosta a run for his money up until mid-season, where his form declined, leading to Acosta running away with the title. But with a new season ahead, if he can reignite that spark and maintain it, he will be the main title contender.
Jake Dixon has the perfect opportunity to bring Britain a bit of bike glory in 2024. The 28-year-old hailing from Dover in Kent showed his class in a breakthrough 2023.
With an experienced and successful team like GasGas behind him, he has an opportunity to snatch the title if he can revitalise on the bursts of form shown last year. Two wonderful wins in Assen and Catalunya showcasing flawless speed and class, Dixon is another bonafide contender alongside Arbolino.
Fermin Aldeguer has always had his name in the spotlight since his debut in the class in 2022. The 18-year-old Italian nearly joined VR46 in MotoGP due to a faultless end to 2023 which saw him take wins in each of the last 4 races of the season.
He sticks with the Boscoscuro squad, known for notoriously slow starts in the European Leg, so they will have to work on that to give Aldeguer the boost he needs.
New Rookies and Returning Veterans
Six rookies and a returning favourite in Xavier Cardelus join the Moto2 field to make a grid stoked with talent for 2024. Cardelus, the Andorran rider, joins Fantic, replacing outgoing Mattia Casadei. It had been rumoured the team were on the lookout for a pay rider, and they seem to have got that in him.
Deniz Oncu joins the KTM Ajo squad. The fast and ferocious Turkish rider finally broke his long winless run in Moto3, with some stellar and brave performances helping him to three wins in 2023. He has bravery and fight as a young rider, and is not afraid to get his elbows out. This makes him certainly one to watch this year.
Xavier Artigas moves forward to the Forward Racing squad. He moves up from a Moto3 season that started with so much promise, and ended so solemnly. A drab and dire P15 in the championship is nothing to shout home about, but something to build on as he looks to help the Forward squad.
Diogo Moreira is a rider to watch out for. The 19-year-old Brazilian joins Italtrans replacing Joe Roberts. He is a well-measured and consistent rider, and with a motorsport-fanatic nation on his back, will look to thrive in what will be a class much more brutal than Moto3.
Mario Aji joins the Moto2 grid at Honda Team Asia, replacing Ai Ogura. This decision serves as a surprise for some, but to some it was expected. In two full seasons of Moto3, he recorded 9 points, and in 2023, finished last of the full time riders. It’s going to be a big jump, and one he’s willing to take, and we are eager to see how it plays out.
Ayumu Sasaki joins the VR46 Camp after a stellar season in Moto3 which fell apart in a heartbreaking fashion in a hot and humid Qatar GP Moto3 classic. After 7.5 seasons in Moto3, the 23-year old Japanese has the opportunity he has been waiting for, and will certainly challenge teammate Jeremy Alcoba and the rest of the field week in, week out.
Finally, Jaume Masia joins the Pertamina Mandalika SAG squad. The outgoing Moto3 champion had a season to remember in 2023 and won the title, albeit controversially, while being under heaps of pressure. With 4 home races this year, he will look to make it two-for-two, against all the odds, and strive forward to that MotoGP place he well and truly deserves.
The Underdogs
MT Helmets MSI
In their first season of Moto2, MT Helmets MSI have an incredible lineup that will help propel them towards the front of the field. Ai Ogura will be looking to regain his superlative 2022 form and is an obvious talent in the field.
With a new squad, he will be looking for a new mindset, leaving behind an injury-hit 2023 and striving forward. Sergio Garcia had an amazing rookie season in the class with the outgoing Pons Wegow Team.
Aron Canet
The Nico Hulkenberg of Moto2, Aron Canet’s luckless tenure as a Moto2 rider will hopefully change for the better as he joins a new squad for 2024. Joining Fantic, a team which propelled Celestino Vietti to victory in 2023, he will hope to finally claim that victory he has been chasing in 2024.
While he may not be a favourite for the title, he will certainly give it a go, even if that means throwing himself off the bike more than once.
Zonta van den Goorbergh
After a year and a half of points drought, the Indian Grand Prix finally awarded Zonta an den Goorbergh his first ever points in Moto2. And right after that, his form massively improved, and he will be looking to maintain that despite injury in the final race in Valencia. He has a stellar rookie career to his name, and will look to emulate that this year.
Marcos Ramirez
After 2 sorrowful years of going anywhere but forward on the Forward machine, Ramirez’s mid season switch to American Racing proved to be the golden ticket in a season which ignited as soon as he stepped foot onto the machine. With a podium in Malaysia and standout performances in many races, with a whole season ready and waiting, if he keeps this up, the sky's the limit for the ex-Moto3 superstar.
Manuel Gonzalez
Arguably one of the most consistent and underrated Moto2 riders, Gonzalez is always up there, and finally got his inaugural podium he truly deserves in Qatar last year.
With 2 very solid years with VR46 MasterCamp, he moves to Gresini, a team with all the MotoGP knowledge and a history of Moto2 success with the likes of Sam Lowes and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Keep the consistency but maybe a bit higher up the leaderboard, then Gonzalez can go for gold in 2024.
The storylines and the reward
A new champion guaranteed, a new circuit, in Kazakhstan, new teams and new riders, its a season full of unknowns for the Moto2 field. 30 riders, 6 of them rookies, are all chasing the same reward —- the title, which will lift their hopes of joining the star studded lineup of MotoGP.
There are also riders returning from injury hit seasons that will be hungrier than ever to show off their talent- Guevara, Binder, Vietti and more, just to add a bit of extra spice to the championship battle. Will it be Dixon’s delight? Arbolino amazingness? Aldeguer awesomeness? Or perhaps someone off the favourites list. The season starts on March 10th in the deep desert of Lusail. Don’t miss it — it will be an absolute banger.