Columbia’s David Alonso Secures Triumph-Powered Moto2™ Victory in Malaysia
David Alonso became the latest Moto2™ Grand Prix winner today as the Columbian stormed to a third Triumph-powered career victory at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The Spaniard secured the victory ahead of teammate Dani Holgado and Angel Piqueras.
Following the extreme weather which forced the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix seven days ago, the Moto2 field were eager to race in the hot and humid heat of Malaysia as the Sepang International Circuit played host to the 19th round of the 2026 season.
A frantic Saturday saw Holgado secure pole position, posting a 2:02.875 lap time around the 3.4-mile venue with Piqueras and Izan Guevara completing the front row. Alonso would head the second row with title-leader Manuel Gonzalez ninth after a crash in Free Practice 1 left the Spaniard on the back foot.
Sunday’s Grand Prix proved a challenging affair as temperatures soared to 35ºc, and with a track temperature of 53ºc, the 17 lap battle was set to be a scorcher.
From the second row, Alonso made the brightest start, slotting into third behind Holgado and Piqueras and wasted no time in passing the rookie for second. A clean pass into turn nine on lap two promoted the 20-year-old to second and began chasing his teammate ahead.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez enjoyed a strong start, muscling his way through to seventh by the end of lap one. By lap four, the Spanish star was up to fifth but the leading four had already broken free. Nevertheless, the number 18 machine pushed on, aiming to harness the power of his Street Triple 765 RS engine in assisting to bridge the gap to Guevara ahead.
Back at the front, Alonso was eyeing a move on Holgado, a move that later came on the sixth tour of the Malaysian venue, passing his teammate into turn nine once more. From there, he never looked back, and despite a rear end moment at Turn 14 with three laps to go, the Aspar rider secured a commanding victory ahead of teammate Holgado and Piqueras, who held on to secure a maiden podium in the intermediate class.
Guevara secured fourth whilst Gonzalez brought home a lonely fifth to maintain his series lead ahead of Qatar by just 3.5 points. Adrian Huertas rose from 13th to secure a best result in Moto2 in sixth ahead of Collin Veijer, Ivan Ortola, Celestino Vietti with Alex Escrig rounding out the top ten.
Alonso’s second victory of the season sees him rise to fourth in the standings, but the Moto2 World Championship remains wide open between Gonzalez and Guevara with the Losail International Circuit the next stop off in the 2026 season.
Triumph Triple Trophy Shortlist
(2026 TTT closes following the Qatar GP)
1. David Alonso - Made a strong start to pass Piqueras and quickly worked out a way through on his teammate. After claiming the top spot at Turn nine, he bolted clear and despite a scare at Turn 14, secured victory by 1.9 seconds.
2. Angel Piqueras - Qualified on the front row and made a strong start, sticking with the Aspar duo before taking the chequered flag third for his first Moto2™ podium.
3. Adrian Huertas - Gained seven positions to secure his best race result in Moto2™ of sixth position.
Next Race
Qatar Grand Prix, Losail International Circuit, 6-8 November
