Head-to-heads, show and records at Sachsenring, with Ortolá and Uriarte’s wins

· Ortolá wins from pole as Holgado rewrites a new record. After winning the 2026 Grand Prix of Germany, Iván Ortolá (Kalex) secured his second win in Moto2™. Starting from pole position, the Spanish rider led the race from start to finish, keeping the edge for all 25 scheduled laps. Just behind him came Daniel Holgado (Kalex), who set a new race lap record in 1’22.248 on lap two, more than one second faster than the previous record set by Diogo Moreira in 2025 (1’23.270), and even faster than the all-time lap record set last year by Celestino Vietti (1’22.329). The podium was completed by Izan Guevara on Boscoscuro. In terms of tyres, all riders opted for the soft SC1 front, while for the back tyre, two thirds used the new F0468 specification, and the remaining third the D0922, including the three podium finishers.
 
· Uriarte wins and Quiles sets the race lap record. In Moto3™, almost the entire field chose to race on medium SC2 compound tyres at both the front and rear. The only exceptions were Honda riders Jesús Ríos, Joel Kelso and Nicola Carraro, who went for the soft SC1 front. The race was won by Brian Uriarte (KTM), in his second win of the season after an intense head-to-head with Championship leader Máximo Quiles (KTM), who finished second, just 63 thousandths of a second behind. Matteo Bertelle completed an all-KTM podium. Quiles also set a new race lap record in 1’25.227 on lap three, improving the previous one by almost two and a half tenths, set by Iván Ortolá in 2024 (1’25.467).

· Overall race times were significantly improved. Today’s races went at a particularly strong pace. While comparing Moto2™ results with 2025’s is not easily due, because of the different race distance (20 laps versus 25 this year). Using 2024 as the reference instead, with the same number of laps, the overall race time was around 7 seconds faster. Performance in Moto3™ also improved significantly: the 23 laps were completed in 33’02.694, more than 24 seconds faster than in 2025, with an average improvement of over one second per lap.

Major improvements in both classes compared with previous editions
 
“Today’s races confirmed what had already emerged over the first two days at Sachsenring. In Moto2™, both medium development rear tyres compounds proved competitive, while in Moto3™, the SC2 once again confirmed itself as the reference solution for both front and rear.
For the intermediate class, the rear tyre choice was determined above all by all riders individual preference, rather than by any clear performance indication, as it often happens when the available solutions deliver very similar levels of performance. Those who opted for the D0922 specification – including the three podium riders – chose a familiar and extensively proven solution that has consistently delivered excellent results in the past. Both specifications showed a very positive and broadly equivalent performance, with the final outcome basically depending on each rider’s interpretation and performance.
A particularly significant aspect is the overall performance level shown by the two categories. In Moto3™, the race was clearly faster than in 2025. In Moto2™ the most accurate comparison should be done with the 2024, as last year’s edition was run over a shorter distance. Here too, the improvement was clear. Finally, further confirming the high-performance level achieved, new race lap records were set in both classes, with Holgado improving the previous Moto2™ record by more than one second.”