Moto3, the first race of the day at the fastest track on the World Championship calendar. Concerns about safety - especially heading into turn one, have been expressed all weekend, but there was no fear in the lightweight class.
Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) took an absolutely dominant victory, in a classy ride that sees him solidify his title chances. It certainly wasn't plain sailing for the Spaniard though, as he started from tenth on the grid after being hit with a penalty for exceeding track limits on his fastest lap in qualifying. As the race began he actually went backwards from tenth, but he managed to rectify his wrong and quickly pick off the pack in front one by one. With only eighteen laps to go, Mir took the lead for the first time and ran with it, not coming under attack from any of his rivals as he stormed to a three second lead and extended his title lead to sixty four points.
Mir's title rival Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) didn't have such a great weekend. At this vital point in the championship - especially when Mir is looking so strong, Fenati needed a solid result to prevent Mir from running away at the top of the standings. He qualified in eleventh, and we expected big things from a man who is usually racy, aggressive and determined. He'd started to work his way up through the pack, but only a few laps in he ran out wide and pushed himself back to eighteenth. From there it was purely damage limitation for the feisty Italian, who brought it home in thirteenth and only gaining three points.
John McPhee (British Talent Team) was looking extremely strong at the beginning of the race. He briefly led the first lap, but even after being pushed back he remained within the top five. With nine laps to go, he was at the back end of the top ten, coming under threat from Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). As they crossed the line, Bendsneyder rode into the back wheel of the Scot, sending them both flying into the gravel and leaving McPhee visibly annoyed. The DNF knocked McPhee back to sixth in the championship, but he'll be looking to come back fighting at his home round in two weeks time.
A stand out effort for Jaume Masia, who is filling in for the injured Darryn Binder at the Platinum Bay Real Estate KTM team. This was the wild card's first GP race, and what a race it was. He blitzed through the field, and was sitting in podium contention for a number of laps. Unfortunately, he got pushed out of the top three after a risky move that saw him run out wide. He came home in ninth after a truly impressive ride.
But by far the highlight of the race was Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), who qualified in thirteenth but battled his way to third carrying the after effects of a broken foot which leaves him hobbling around the paddock. As he carefully wobbled onto the podium, it was clear to see just how much it meant to him, as going into round eleven it was still uncertain whether he would race. It was a spectacular race from the Spaniard, and one that leaves him with a twenty point gap over his team mate in the overall standings.
Moto3 top ten:
- Joan Mir- Leopard Racing - 37:23.124
- Philipp Oettl- Südmetall Schedl GP Racing +3.045
- Jorge Martin- Del Conca Gresini Moto3 +3.377
- Livio Loi- Leopard Racing +3.385
- Aron Canet- Estrella Galicia 0,0 +3.502
- Fabio Di Giannantonio- Del Conca Gresini Moto3 +3.730
- Gabriel Rodrigo- RBA BOE Racing Team +3.804
- Adam Norrodin- SIC Racing Team +4.183
- Jaume Masia- Platinum Bay Real Estate +4.310
- Enea Bastianini- Estrella Galicia 0,0 +4.858
