With a commanding performance, team newcomer Manuel Gonzalez puts the German IntactGP team back on the road to victory – Senna Agius also makes the podium
From a German perspective, the Moto2 race at the season opener in Thailand was the highlight. The IntactGP team celebrated their first victory since spring 2019! “To be honest, I’m a little lost for words,” said team manager Jürgen Lingg in the hour of great triumph.
Newcomer Manuel Gonzalez made his mark on the weekend in Buriram. From pole position, the Spaniard only lost the lead to Celestino Vietti in the first two laps. After a commanding overtaking maneuver, Gonzalez controlled the race.
Tom Lüthi’s last victory for IntactGP came in Austin in 2019. At that time, a double victory was celebrated, with Marcel Schrötter taking second place. It was also a strong team result this time, with Senna Agius taking third place.
“We saw in pre-season testing and here on the practice days that our two guys are really on top of things,“ praises Lingg. ‘But you also have to implement this performance in the race, which Manu and Senna did very impressively.’
”So a big compliment to the whole team and of course to our riders! Racing is always teamwork and they really deserve this success. This was a more than successful start to the new championship.”
With this result, IntactGP also leads the team standings ahead of Fantic and Marc-VDS. Last year, the team finished ninth in the season. Gonzalez, the 2019 Supersport 300 world champion, is the reinforcement they had hoped for.
“I would say this is the best day of my life, because it’s my first real victory in the Moto2 World Championship,” beams the 22-year-old. “Because last year in Japan, it was a very special race.”
Back then, Gonzalez gambled on slicks in the rain and was absolutely right. Gonzalez has been racing in the Moto2 class since 2019. After the Yamaha Master Camp team, VR46 and Gresini, he is now riding for IntactGP, his fourth team.
“I’m overjoyed with my decision to switch to IntactGP because I can reach my full potential here,” says Gonzalez. “I want to fully savor this victory and enjoy it with the team because it was the first race with them.”
“It’s incredible, it’s hard to find the words. I’m incredibly happy with this weekend. My confidence is always high, but this weekend gives me the calmness I need to go into the next race and show that I can be the best.”
Senna Agius shoots down Vietti and takes a penalty
It was the second third-place finish for Agius at the start of his second full season. Last fall, he cheered from third place on the podium at his home race in Australia. In Buriram, he achieved this result despite a long-lap penalty.
He received this because of a collision with Vietti. The Italian crashed in the process. “When I saw the penalty, I thought, ok, fair punishment, because I hit the rear of his bike and he crashed,” says Agius. “So I did the long lap and then I was on a mission to catch up with Moreira.”
CONTACT Agius and Vietti come together and the Italian is down ThaiGP pic. twitter.com/vDy24WtB49
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025
“In the last laps, I was on his rear wheel and overtook him. It was the most physically demanding race I could imagine. I am so grateful for everyone working with me because I developed such a strong mentality this year.”
“Today’s double podium for the team means so much to them. I can see it in their eyes and that makes me happy,” said Agius. ”But we still have 21 races to go. We have to stay consistent, work hard and achieve as much as we can.”
The next race is in Argentina in two weeks’ time. Gonzalez is expecting another strong performance: “Because the track there suits my driving style, while Buriram hasn’t been particularly good for me in the past. So I think we can do even better in two weeks’ time.”
