Jake Dixon gained eleven places as he fought through to 6^th place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit on Sunday while Filip Salac initially finished 5^th but a late penalty demoted him to 14^th.

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit hosted the final race of the Moto2 season with conditions once again cool and overcast for the 22-lap race that got underway at 12.15 local time.

In the circuit’s first appearance on the Grand Prix calendar since 2023, the event was a sellout on Sunday with a massive 93,972 in attendance.

It was an emotional day for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Jake Dixon and Filip Salac, who were both competing in their last races for the team.

Jake Dixon, 6^th

Starting 17th, Jake knew a great start was necessary. And he duly delivered, as he gained five places on the first lap to sit 12^th.

From there it was all about recovering places. And Jake showed superb speed to reel in riders in the top ten as the laps ticked by. Fighting until the end, he passed Senna Agius on the final lap to take 7^th.

A post-race penalty for his team-mate then promoted him a further place to 6^th.

Jake’s final Moto2 result leaves him 5^th at the end of his 7^th Moto2 season with 225 points.

“I’m still kicking myself after yesterday if I’m being honest! I’d have loved to finish with a podium but life doesn’t always go the way you want it to. Starting 17^th is tough, especially around this track, where it’s super difficult to overtake. Then I got held up mid-race behind (Celestino) Vietti for far too long. We went backwards and forwards and lost around 2.5s to Diogo (Moreira). I got through and got my head down. Diogo was fighting for the championship so he let me through and I continued to catch the group for fifth. I’m really happy to come back in my final race for the team. I had a really good race and my rhythm was good enough to fight for those front positions. They’re positives I can take. We did a really good job this year. We fell a little short and finished fifth in the championship. But it was out first year with the Boscoscuro chassis and the team. We’ve had some ups and downs, but it’s been good. We had three winds and six podiums. Overall, it’s been a good year.”

Filip Salac, 14^th

Like his team-mate, Filip also enjoyed a brilliant first lap as he gained five positions to sit 8^th after starting from 13^th.

The Czech rider was then showcased super determination to keep picking off riders. By lap 16 he had climbed to 7^th. And a pass on Albert Arenas on the final lap promoted him to 5^th.

But there was heartbreak just after the race when Filip was handed a 16-second penalty for incorrect front tyre pressure. That dropped him to 14^th.

This result leaves him 17^th in the final championship standings with 85 points.

“The last race of the season is done. I got an amazing start. I gave my everything until the last lap, when I took P5. I was really enjoying it a lot and felt it was one of the best races I’ve done over the years. Unfortunately, when I finished, I went to the control to check my bike and the pressure in my front tyre was a little bit low – it was such a small amount that I don’t think I got any advantage from it. But the rules are the rules and I dropped to 14^th as I got a 16-second penalty. It’s a shame. I’m sad because I know I finished in the top five, five seconds from the victory. My performance was really good but this wasn’t the way I wanted to end the year, or to end my time with the team. But this is racing and it can happen. I want to thank everyone. I’ve enjoyed the last two years a lot. I’m proud of what I’ve done here and I’m proud of what everyone in the team has done. We’ll keep looking forward and I wish the team good luck for next year.”