Aprilia favourites, Acosta a threat | MotoGP/2/3 Mandalika previews

Manuel Gonzalez arrives at Mandalika with his championship advantage reduced to just 10.5 points, and with an uncomfortable memory of how quickly this circuit can change a title fight.

Izan Guevara’s back-to-back victories in Austria and Japan have made the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha rider the immediate threat. Gonzalez still leads on 245.5 points to Guevara’s 235, but losing 25 points to his closest challenger at Motegi has transformed the pressure heading into Indonesia.

Gonzalez crossed the line second at Mandalika in 2025 before a post-race technical disqualification removed his result. The revised podium was Diogo Moreira, Guevara and Aron Canet. Describing Gonzalez as last year’s runner-up without that qualification would conceal the most important part of his weekend.

For Guevara, the same event brought second place and his first podium with Pramac. He now returns with stronger recent results and a team that believes its updated Boscoscuro gives him a better platform than the version he raced here a year ago.

Izan Guevara

“We are coming from two really strong races in Austria and Japan, with an incredible feeling on the bike.”

Guevara can leave Indonesia leading the championship if he gains at least 11 points on Gonzalez in a full-points race. A victory with Gonzalez fourth or lower would do it; a Guevara win and Gonzalez third would leave Gonzalez ahead by 1.5 points. Neither rider can clinch the title this weekend.

Agius looks to turn pace into a result

Senna Agius is sixth on 152 points, only two behind Daniel Holgado and 14 behind David Alonso. A strong Indonesian result could therefore change the Australian’s position considerably before the championship heads to Phillip Island.

Agius has four Moto2 victories and nine podiums across his career, figures that underline his ability to run at the front. His 2025 Mandalika result was 12th from 22nd on the grid, so improving Saturday’s starting position would make Sunday’s job much easier.

His confirmed 2027 move to Tech3 KTM in MotoGP provides an exciting backdrop, but he still has plenty to achieve in his remaining Moto2 appearances. Intact GP wants him back in the leading fight, alongside Gonzalez’s effort to protect the championship lead.

Ivan Ortola remains third in the standings, ahead of Alonso, Holgado and Agius. Filip Salac and Tony Arbolino also arrive with confidence after joining Guevara on the Japanese podium, giving the championship’s leading pair several potential complications.

Pirelli brings a new rear construction

Moto2 has a separate tyre story from MotoGP. Pirelli offers the standard SC0 rear alongside the new F0515, which retains the SC0 compound but changes the structure to target stability and consistency. The permitted rear-tyre usage rises from eight to nine to support that comparison. Front choices are SC1 and SC2.

Friday’s initially dirty surface can complicate those evaluations, with grip changing as the racing line cleans up. The 22-lap race starts at 1315 local time, placing Moto2 close to the expected hottest part of Sunday’s track-temperature cycle. Managing sliding and preserving drive through the later laps could be decisive.

Home interest and the constructors’ title

Mario Aji carries Indonesia’s hopes in Moto2 with Idemitsu Honda Team Asia. His home appearance adds another reason to watch the midfield closely, with scoring points the immediate target.

Alberto Ferrandez is entered for BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha after missing Japan with the right-collarbone injury sustained in Austria. His return still depends on medical clearance.

Kalex also has a potential championship celebration. It leads Boscoscuro by 116.5 points and needs to increase that margin by at least 8.5 to secure the constructors’ crown. In a full-points race, that means gaining at least nine points. A Kalex win with the best Boscoscuro third or lower would be sufficient.

Only the highest-placed rider for each constructor counts toward its score, so the result of the leading Kalex versus the leading Boscoscuro is what really counts. The riders’ championship, meanwhile, remains very much alive.

Sunday’s Moto2 race starts at 1315 local time, or 1615 AEDT. Catch up on the Japanese Moto2 and Moto3 results and last year’s Mandalika support-class races.

Moto2 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Gonzalez	245.5
2	I. Guevara	235
3	I. Ortola	181.5
4	D. Alonso	166
5	D. Holgado	154
6	S. Agius	152
7	F. Salac	144
8	C. Vietti	133
9	A. Lopez	117.5
10	C. Veijer	75.5
11	T. Arbolino	75.5
12	D. Muñoz	72
13	A. Escrig	63
14	B. Baltus	60
15	D. Öncü	47.5
16	J. Roberts	44
17	A. Huertas	42
18	J. Rueda	37
19	L. Lunetta	23
20	A. Sasaki	21
21	A. Ferrandez	17.5
22	A. Canet	17.5
23	T. Furusato	15
24	Z. vd Goorbergh	13
25	S. Garcia	11
26	A. Piqueras	4
27	M. Aji	3
28	M. Ramirez	0
29	X. Zurutuza	0
30	U. Orradre	0
31	J. Navarro	0
32	D. Foggia	0
33	J. Roulstone	0
34	M. Pawelec	0

Moto3

Maximo Quiles has another opportunity to become Moto3 World Champion at Mandalika, but David Almansa arrives determined to extend the contest after beating the championship leader in Japan.

Quiles leads on 326 points, with Almansa 127 behind, Alvaro Carpe 135 adrift and Brian Uriarte 139 back. Those three remain his only mathematical challengers. There are 150 points available, including Indonesia, with 125 left after this weekend.

Quiles has nine victories and 14 podiums from the opening 16 rounds of 2026. At 18, he already has 12 Grand Prix victories across his career, including three from his debut season in 2025.

How Quiles can win the title

Quiles must leave Mandalika at least 125 points clear of every remaining challenger. His superior win count means a 125-point advantage is sufficient on countback.

• A victory makes Quiles champion regardless of the other results.
• Second is enough if Almansa finishes third or lower.
• Third is enough if Almansa finishes fourth or lower.
• For any other result, Almansa must gain no more than two points on Quiles, Carpe no more than 10 and Uriarte no more than 14. All three conditions must be met.

Even a non-score would not necessarily postpone the celebrations: in a full-points race, Quiles would still be champion if Almansa finishes 14th or lower, Carpe sixth or lower and Uriarte fourth or lower.

Almansa’s Motegi victory showed he is capable of doing his part to delay matters. Carpe and Uriarte also have their own results to chase, with second in the championship still tightly contested behind Quiles.

Mandalika has already hosted a Moto3 coronation

Jose Antonio Rueda won both the race and the championship here in 2025. After the red flag and penalties, the final classified podium was Rueda, Luca Lunetta, and Guido Pini, with Quiles fourth. Those final results matter more than the order riders initially appeared to occupy on track.

There is also a useful tyre lesson from that weekend. Pirelli again offers SC1 and SC2 at both ends. Adrian Fernandez took the 2025 pole on SC1 front and rear, while Rueda won on SC2 front and rear. Qualifying speed and the best race combination need not point to the same choice.

The 20-lap race starts at midday, when Sunday’s surface temperatures are expected to be near their peak. Moto3’s close groups add another complication: a rider using a slipstream must still judge the braking zone, the coastal wind, and the grip available beyond the clean racing line.

Kelso and Pratama provide extra interest

Joel Kelso arrives 14th in the championship on 67 points and will be looking to bring his GRYD Racing Honda back into the points after finishing 17th at Motegi.

The Darwin rider qualified third at Mandalika in 2025 and was eventually classified tenth after a disrupted race. That front-row speed is a useful reminder of what he can do here, even though this year’s Honda presents a different package from the KTM he raced last season.

Home favourite Veda Ega Pratama is eighth overall on 105 points. The 17-year-old Honda Team Asia rider has already earned two Grand Prix podiums in his rookie season, making his first home World Championship appearance much more than a ceremonial occasion.

Intact GP confirms its 2027 Moto3 pairing

LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP has confirmed Jesus Rios and Fernando Bujosa for its 2027 Moto3 line-up, with current riders David Almansa and David Muñoz moving up to Moto2.

Rios, 18, joins from Rivacold Snipers. Intact GP credits the Marbella rider with five top-ten finishes this season, including fifth at Assen. He is a 2026 rookie, although his World Championship debut came in Portugal in 2025.

Bujosa, 17, will make his World Championship debut with the team. The Palma de Mallorca rider brings experience from the European Talent Cup, JuniorGP, and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He finished runner-up in this year’s Rookies Cup and is fifth in JuniorGP, with a win and four further podium finishes.

Before their move to Moto2, Almansa is pursuing the championship runner-up position, Muñoz is rebuilding competitiveness after injury, and Intact GP is targeting a top-three finish in the teams’ standings.

Sunday’s Moto3 race begins at 1200 local time, or 1500 AEDT, with the possibility that the first World Champion of the three Grand Prix classes will be crowned before Moto2 takes to the grid.

Moto3 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Quiles	326
2	D. Almansa	199
3	A. Carpe	191
4	B. Uriarte	187
5	M. Morelli	146
6	V. Perrone	120
7	H. Danish	105
8	V. Pratama	105
9	M. Bertelle	96
10	R. Salmela	81
11	A. Cruces	79
12	G. Pini	70
13	C. O’Gorman	70
14	J. Kelso	67
15	J. Esteban	66
16	E. O’Shea	65
17	A. Fernandez	62
18	D. Muñoz	61
19	J. Rios	49
20	R. Yamanaka	39
21	S. Ogden	30
22	D. Gonzalez	7
23	M. Uriarte	6
24	C. Buchanan	5
25	L. Rammerstorfer	4
26	Z. Mitani	2
27	R. Moodley	1
28	K. Singhapong	1
29	N. Carraro	0
30	R. Ogiwara	0
31	L. Abruzzo	0
32	E. Gutierrez	0

2026 MotoGP Calendar