Race
Moto2 2026
Round 5
Mixed Conditions, Tough Outcome in Le Mans for Aji & Furusato
Le Mans
The Moto2 race at the Michelin Grand Prix of France brought difficult and changing conditions for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia riders Mario Aji and Taiyo Furusato. Starting from P23 and P24 respectively, both riders faced a chaotic beginning to the race as several crashes happened during the opening laps on a damp and tricky track surface.
Race Direction eventually stopped the race with a red flag after the initial stages, interrupting the rhythm and momentum while both riders were trying to recover positions and move closer to the points zone. After the restart, the race was reduced to a short sprint and both riders struggled to maximize their performance in the mixed conditions. Mario Aji ultimately crossed the line in 22nd position while Taiyo Furusato finished 23rd.
Despite the difficult outcome, the team continues working hard to improve ahead of the next round in Barcelona-Catalunya, which arrives in only seven days. Both riders remain focused on taking another step forward and finally converting their progress into stronger race results and points finishes.
Hiroshi Aoyama
⠀ ⠀ ⠀
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia The Moto2 race today was held in mixed conditions and it became quite a difficult race to manage for everybody. After only a few laps the race was stopped with a red flag and then restarted again as a very short race. In this kind of short sprint race it becomes much harder to recover positions and find the correct rhythm.Taiyo struggled a bit more compared to yesterday and could not fully show his potential in these conditions. Mario also suffered discomfort in his arm during the race and could not ride at the level he normally can. Now we need to understand better his physical situation and help him recover for the next race in Catalunya. We keep working together with the riders and the team to improve and come back stronger in Barcelona. Thanks to all our supporters and sponsors for the continuous support.
The Moto2 race today was held in mixed conditions and it became quite a difficult race to manage for everybody. After only a few laps the race was stopped with a red flag and then restarted again as a very short race. In this kind of short sprint race it becomes much harder to recover positions and find the correct rhythm.Taiyo struggled a bit more compared to yesterday and could not fully show his potential in these conditions. Mario also suffered discomfort in his arm during the race and could not ride at the level he normally can. Now we need to understand better his physical situation and help him recover for the next race in Catalunya. We keep working together with the riders and the team to improve and come back stronger in Barcelona. Thanks to all our supporters and sponsors for the continuous support.
Mario Aji
64
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia I think there’s not much positive to take from this weekend honestly. Tomorrow we will do medical examinations to understand exactly what is happening physically after the crash and why I’m struggling with my arm during the races. Right now it’s difficult because we know we have much more speed and potential than the final result shows.It’s frustrating because we should not be fighting in these positions. I feel disappointed for myself and also for the team because they are working really hard every weekend and I cannot use the full potential at the moment. We need to understand the problem, reset mentally and physically, and come back stronger for the next race.
I think there’s not much positive to take from this weekend honestly. Tomorrow we will do medical examinations to understand exactly what is happening physically after the crash and why I’m struggling with my arm during the races. Right now it’s difficult because we know we have much more speed and potential than the final result shows.It’s frustrating because we should not be fighting in these positions. I feel disappointed for myself and also for the team because they are working really hard every weekend and I cannot use the full potential at the moment. We need to understand the problem, reset mentally and physically, and come back stronger for the next race.
Taiyo Furusato
72
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Today’s race was complicated because the conditions were changing all the time and after the red flag everything became very short and intense. In Moto2, where the level is already extremely high, even small details can completely change the race and it was difficult to recover positions after the restart.Even if the result does not look positive, there are still important things that we are learning every weekend and this experience will help us continue improving. Step by step I feel more understanding with the bike and with the category. Now we immediately focus on Barcelona, a circuit that I really like, and I hope we can show another step forward there and fight closer to the points positions.
Today’s race was complicated because the conditions were changing all the time and after the red flag everything became very short and intense. In Moto2, where the level is already extremely high, even small details can completely change the race and it was difficult to recover positions after the restart.Even if the result does not look positive, there are still important things that we are learning every weekend and this experience will help us continue improving. Step by step I feel more understanding with the bike and with the category. Now we immediately focus on Barcelona, a circuit that I really like, and I hope we can show another step forward there and fight closer to the points positions.
