Moto3

12th March 2019

Moto3: Toba Takes First Moto3 Win for Japan

The opening round of the Moto3 World Championship in Qatar is the only twilight race of the year, and the 2019 edition of the race was spectacular in vistas, but even more so in on-track action.

Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) made the holeshot, with fellow front row starters Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Kaito Toba (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) close in tow. When Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) made his way into fourth at the end of the first lap, there started to become a gap between the top four and the pack behind. This gap was soon closed, and a nineteen-rider front group proceeded to battle it out for the podium.

Aron Canet, Qatar Moto3 race 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Over the course of the race it became clear that the Honda of Lorenzo Dalla Porta was particularly quick, as was that of Kaito Toba. In comparison, Aron Canet’s KTM could not live with the two riders who started alongside him on the front row when it came to the front straight.

As such, Canet’s time was completely made in the corners, his laps spent recovering positions he had lost on the straight, before losing them all again between turn sixteen and turn one.

After a mistake in qualifying that prevented him from having a final push at the end of Q2 for pole position, Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) made quite a poor start from the fourth row, and slipped towards the back of the top fifteen. Eventually, though, he started to make his way through the pack and towards the front, with tremendously adventurous lines, characteristic of his previous season in the lightweight class back in 2017, as he seemed to have the ability to ride around the outside of almost anyone at almost any time. Fenati also had the ability to carry seemingly significantly more corner speed than any of his rivals, especially those riding KTMs, and could turn tighter than even any of his Honda stablemates. He looked nailed on for the win, until he received a track limits warning with three laps to go, and proceeded to, by mistake, take the long lap penalty, putting him out of contention.

With Canet written off from the race win by virtue of his lack of straight line speed, the victory candidates were left at three: Kaito Toba, Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) who had come from twentieth on the grid to fight for the win.

In the end, Dalla Porta entered the final corner first, and looked good for the win – such was his straight line speed – but Toba lined up turn sixteen beautifully to carry substantially more exit speed from the final corner than Dalla Porta. A small dose of slipstream from the Leopard rider ahead was then enough to take Toba into the lead, and despite tucking back into the Japanese’s slipstream, there was nothing Dalla Porta could do to stop Toba taking his first win in grand prix racing, as well as becoming the first Japanese rider to win a Moto3 grand prix.

Whilst it was ultimately defeat for Dalla Porta, second place was a good way for the Italian to begin his campaign, in which he will aim to fight for the championship. From this weekend he can take many positives, and if he can match the speed he showed in the opening race with the consistency of 2018, he is sure to be a formidable title contender.

That will not have gone unnoticed by Aron Canet, neither will his straight line disadvantage. Nonetheless, the Spaniard came home in third place, again a strong way to start his season, and will hope to build on that in the races to come. However, the speed of the Hondas will be a concern for him – when the straights are as long as they are on Moto3 bikes, straight line speed is critical. If you can’t stay in the slipstream of your rivals, you can find yourself defenceless.

Marcos Ramirez’s impressive fightback ended with fourth place – a good way for him to mark his return to the team with which he fought for the Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2016, a title which he ironically lost to his teammate, Dalla Porta.

Celestino Vietti , Qatar Moto3 2019.Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) looked strong for the whole race, never slipping outside the top ten, and eventually finishing in fifth, where he had spent most of the race. Like Canet, Vietti had to battle with bikes which were faster than him in the straight, but he didn’t have the same speed in the corners to fight back. Nonetheless, fifth place is an impressive ride from Vietti, in his first race as a full-time GP rider.

Albert Arenas, like Vietti, had looked strong all race, and came home in sixth place ahead of his Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team teammate Raul Fernandez, who was also making his debut as a full-time grand prix rider, and impressed with seventh place – again, on an apparently under-powered motorcycle.

Niccolo Antonelli (Sic 58 Squadra Corse) had looked on for a podium for a lot of the race, but fell back towards the end and finally came home in eighth place, ahead of Fenati who only partially recovered after his apparently self-enforced long-lap penalty. Jakub Kornfeil (PruestelGP) rounded out the top ten.

Jakub Kornfeil , Qatar Moto3 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) was another impressive full-time debutant in eleventh place, and stayed amongst the leading group for the whole race, coming home just ahead of Alonso Lopez (EG 0,0 Monlau Competition), John McPhee (Petronas SRT), Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Gresini Racing) who completed the points.

There were several fallers. The first came on the first lap, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas SRT) and Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) getting caught up with Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) and Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race). The latter two continued to finish last and second-last respectively.

Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) crashed with seventeen laps to go in the second of the fast rights towards the end of the lap. The South African was joined on the side lines a couple of laps later when Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) was tagged by Rodrigo, fell and collected Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Sic 58 Squadra Corse) on the way. Masaki continued to finish nineteenth, but Foggia and Suzuki retired on the spot.

Featured Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

10th March 201910th March 2019

Moto3: Canet Eases to Qatar Pole

Saturday in Losail for the first round of the Moto3 World Championship saw for the first time a segmented qualifying for the lightweight class. It would see the top fourteen riders from the combined free practice times compete in Q2 along with the four fastest riders from Q1.

The four fastest riders from Q1 were Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), John McPhee (Petronas SRT), Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team). These would therefore fight it out for pole position in the second fifteen minute qualifying session, along with the fourteen fastest riders from the combined free practice times.
Although the new qualifying format for Moto3 was intended to reduce the amount of bunching on track, and to stop as many people waiting for a tow, the majority of the field – in both sessions – found themselves occupying the same 200 metres of track.

Aron Canet at Losail, Qatar 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

In the melee, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) managed to put together a strong lap, at the end of which he found a useful tow from Vicente Perez (Arizona Reale Avintia) with which he managed to set a time good enough for pole position. It was the perfect start to his partnership with Max Biaggi’s collaborative effort with Peter Oettl, and moreover the perfect way to start what he will hope to be a championship challenge.

Second fastest was Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), just under two tenths shy of Canet’s time. The Italian has been largely under the radar for most of preseason and throughout the winter. However, let’s not forget that he took the first podium of his career in Qatar twelve months ago.

Completing the front row was Kaito Toba (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), for his first ever front row start in grand prix racing, and has had a good weekend so will be hoping to fight for the podium tomorrow.

John McPhee took fourth place from Q2 to start from the head of the second row, after a difficult start to the weekend (hence he went through Q1) the Scot seems to have turned it around, and has a good shot at making a good result tomorrow.

Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) has been fast this weekend, despite falling twice (the first crash being the first of any grand prix rider this year). Fifth place gives him a good starting position for tomorrow, and he will hope to capitalise on that on a track at which he won in 2016.

Rounding out the second row for the first round of the season is Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

Seventh fastest in Q2 was Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team), and he will be joined on the front row by Celestino Vietti in his first race as a full time grand prix rider and Vicente Perez – who is in a similar situation to Vietti.

The top ten was rounded out by reigning Moto3 Junior World Champion Raul Fernandez after he passed through Q1. He will be joined on the fourth row of the grid tomorrow by Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) – who should have been on the front two rows at least, but for a miscalculation in sending him out for the final run meant he didn’t get a flying lap in at the end – and the injured Gabriel Rodrigo (Gresini Racing).

Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) took thirteenth place, ahead (provisionally) of Jakub Kornfeil (PruestelGP) who was seen blocking Kaito Toba mid-session. Ai Ogura impressively rounded out the fifth row on his debut as a full-time grand prix rider.

Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) will be disappointed with sixteenth place in the opening qualifying session of the season, as will Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) who was up inside the top ten before his lap was deleted. 2018 Valencia GP winner Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounded out the sixth row.

Featured image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

8th March 20198th March 2019

Moto3: Fenati the Favourite for Qatar Season Opener

The 2019 Moto3 World Championship gets underway this weekend at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.

Since the inauguration of Moto3 in 2012, the Qatar round of the World Championship has been won five times by Honda riders, including the last four years. In fact, the only rider to have won in Qatar on this year’s Moto3 grid is Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse), who both won Qatar on a Honda back in 2016 and is riding a Honda this year.

Honda have had a lot of work to do over the winter to make up the ground they lost last year to KTM in the horsepower department. The KTMs last year had a particular habit of steaming past Hondas on the straights, especially after the French Grand Prix at round five and particularly in the hands of championship contender Marco Bezzecchi for PruestelGP. Reports from the riders would suggest that this work has been successful, John McPhee (Petronas SRT) commenting in Jerez that it is possible to use the low-down power of the Honda now to power out of a corner if you didn’t carry the corner speed.

Despite their 2018 speed deficit, Jorge Martin (with Gresini) ensured, that the Moto3 World Championship will be Honda’s to defend in 2019. As well as having made some progress with the bike over the winter, Honda have also got a very strong rider roster.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) perhaps comes into this season as the championship favourite, after a strong and consistent 2018 which also featured his debut win at home – sort of – in Misano. Dalla Porta remains with the Leopard team for this year, and also stays aboard a Honda, and a strong preseason could mark him out as a favourite among favourites.

It will not be easy for Dalla Porta in 2019, he will have a lot of competition, and possibly primarily in the shape of Romano Fenati (Snipers Team). After a disgraced 2018, Fenati managed to get himself a ride back at the squad that fired him after Misano last year. Keen for redemption after last year, Fenati has wintered very quickly, ending the Qatar test last week two tenths clear of the field, lapping largely on his own. It seems Fenati has no intention to make his current stay in Moto3 as long as his last, and is by far the favourite for this weekend’s victory.

But Moto3 is never that simple and, even Dalla Porta aside, there will plenty of opposition from Fenati to overcome, starting with his own teammate, Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team), who was second fastest at the Qatar test last weekend and is coming off the back of an inconsistent 2018. Perhaps remaining in the same team for consecutive seasons will be a help for Arbolino, and after throwing away a chance at a first ever GP win last year in Valencia, the Italian will be keen to put that right at the first opportunity.

Aron Canet the KTM RC250 Qatar Moto3 test 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

The main KTM challenge this year looks as though it will be coming from Sterilgarda Max Racing Team’s Aron Canet, who moves away from Honda and Emilio Alzamora after a number of years in that camp. Canet has been impressive throughout the winter – not spectacularly fast, but enough for consideration. Canet finished second in Qatar last season, but is without a win since 2017. Now into his fourth season in the Moto3 World Championship, it is time for Canet to make his mark.

Of course, the speed of Canet – riding for Max Biaggi’s team – will have come much to the annoyance of the Sky Racing Team VR46. Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi, of course, shared a famous rivalry in the early-to-mid-2000s, and that rivalry will in some ways be reignited this year with both of them in the Moto3 World Championship as team owners. Rossi’s Sky VR46 squad has been winless since it picked up KTM’s only win of 2017 with Andrea Migno in Mugello, and coming into this season would have been hoping for Dennis Foggia to be fighting for wins regularly and to make a charge for the title. In testing, however, Foggia has not shown that pace, and it looks like it is going to take a fairly large turnaround in fortunes for Rossi’s squad to end that winless run this season, and especially this weekend.

Featured Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

18th November 2018

Moto3 Report: Youngest Race Winner Romps To Final Victory

It was a whirlwind end to the 2018 season, and it definitely wasn’t predictable – Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was reserved and measured, John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) managed to step onto the podium and a relatively unknown 15-year-old won the race. Not your run of the mill race!

Can Oncu, Moto3, Valencia MotoGP 2018. Photo curtesy of Red Bull KTM Ajo

This race belonged to one man, and his fight for first place didn’t involve the usual competitors either – his name is Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and he left a rather big impression on Moto3 today. Starting as a wildcard rider, the youngster only managed to secure his place in the race because he won the Red Bull Rookies’ Cup and after qualifying fourth, it’s safe to say he dominated from very early on before taking Turkey’s first ever podium.

However, the race wasn’t as simple as Oncu romping to victory – Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) crashed out of second place and Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) had a mini high side which ripped first place from him.

The weather played a big part in the race, with 98 crashes taking place before the Moto3 race had even started and it’s safe to say many dashed hopes during the race too. Bezzecchi crashed twice (on the second crash both Redox PrustelGP bikes slide into the gravel trap), ending any chance of beating Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) to second place in the Championship, but that didn’t stop him trying. Rather foolishly, the Italian carried on riding even though his livery was badly damaged and scraping along the track – he pitted but his team only clipped the bodywork back in and he re-joined the race. But his misfortune didn’t end there, Oncu actually lapped him as the youngest rode away with what could have been his podium finish.

Marco Bezzecchi. Photo curtesy of Redox PrustelGP

Oncu didn’t just lap Bezzecchi though, he also lapped Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), his teammate for the race who had slide out of the race and re-joined too. Spectacular racing came from Arbolino who held his lead very well and is arguably the only person who could have stopped Oncu’s hunt for first place. McPhee also seemed to find something in himself and didn’t cecum to the wet weather condition, which due to a considerable ack of right-hand corners and cold tyres meant that many fell prey to it.

Di Giannantonio’s securing of second place in the Championship made it a Gresini 1-2 but you’d be forgiven for not noticing that due to the fanfare of Oncu’s race win. Arguably, the likes of Martin and di Giannantonio will be glad that they don’t have to race against such a talented and capable rider. Oncu, who snatched the record for youngest race winner away from Scott Redding on his final race weekend in MotoGP, and Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who finished in a respectable tenth in his first really wet race in Moto3, will be dominant next year and they’ve arrived just in time for the changing of the guards.

17th November 2018

Moto3 Preview: The rain in Spain disrupts riding again

Can Marco Bezzecchi secure 2nd place in the Moto3 world championship?

Although the Championship might be all wrapped up for Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), the fight still rages on for his teammate Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3). He will need to produce a stellar ride in Valencia this weekend to close the nine point gap between him and fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) – 6^thor better will clinch second place in the Championship for him (that is if Bezzecchi doesn’t place better than him).

That would make a Gresini top two as the team with the most dominant rider look too grow their 2018 season bragging rights. It was Martin who won in Valencia last year (his first career win), but whether the Spaniard can keep up with two hungry Italians remains to be seen as the weather grows progressively worse in Spain.

The torrential rain that has been hampering Free Practice One will throw a spanner in the works for some riders – why would Martin risk injuring himself (again this season) when he’s already won the Championship? He can take it slightly easier on Sunday but the Spanish crowd might stop him from doing that when the racing begins.

But there are riders out there with a lot to prove still. With parts of the Championship still open and several riders leaving Moto3 for Moto2 in 2019 including Martin, Bezzecchi, di Giannantonio, Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), chances are we might see some elbows out racing. Looking to put one final effort in before they have to say goodbye to their bikes, and factoring in the miserable weather, this Sunday’s race could be a chaotic one, depending on who wants it most and who braves the rain better.

The track itself though doesn’t necessarily favour the Honda. In fact, the Japanese manufacturer has only won at Circuit Ricardo Tormo once, and that was last year with Martin. Up until that point the KTMs had dominated since 2012 when the 125 cc category turned into Moto3.

Martin is still with Honda, but KTMs that could stand in his way are Bezzecchi who has a lead to maintain in the Championship for second, Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who has widely impressed as he stands in for the injured Bulega (how he’ll fair in the wet conditions will be interesting to see) and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) currently sits in seventh position in the Championship.

Although fortune favours the bold, the rain tends to strike down those who are too bold in wet conditions. It might be less a game of speed on Sunday, and more a race of tactics (and just a little luck).

5th November 2018

Moto3 Report: Martin clinches the Moto3 title as Bezzecchi struggles

It was a dreamy race weekend for Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) who started from pole position, won the race and clinched the Championship with one race to go. But it was commiserations for Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) who saw his Championship chances slip away as he settled for second position in the title fight and fifth in the race.

Ultimately, this sealed his position in the Championship, as even if his closest rival Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) did win the final race of the season in Valencia, he would be one point shy of second place in the Championship. di Giannantonio managed to come back from 13^thin qualifying to finish just behind his compatriot, Bezzecchi.

There seemed to be a flash of nerves from Bezzecchi, who had to scores better than fifth if he wanted to keep his Championship hopes alive until the next race. However, he just didn’t seem able to pick off one extra rider before the finishing line. Martin though managed to run away with his lead as soon as he got to the final few laps, whether that was tyre conservation or nerves too, he seemed to handle it better than his rival.

However, things could have been very different had Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) not slid out of first place. Could the Spaniard have thrown a spanner in the works and forced the Championship fight onto Valencia? It just wasn’t his race.

It was a good weekend for Leopard Racing who got a double podium – Lorenzo Dalla Porta in second and Enea Bastianini in third. Very impressive for Dalla Porta who has had some solid results in the later half of the season, and Bastianini who would have been fighting for every point to catch up to di Giannantonio in the Championship. Their rivalry can continue though as they both move up to Moto2 in 2019, as well as Bezzecchi and Martin.

It was an Italian heavy top 10 with only four riders coming from different countries. But both of the SIC58 Squarda Corse riders (Italy’s Niccolò Antonelli and Japan’s Tatsuki Suzuki) managed to score tenth and ninth places respectively. This is of particular significance as the late MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli passed away after an accident at the 2011 Malaysian GP. The team, started by Paolo Simoncelli, haven’t had a joint top 10 effort this season, so for both bikes to make it over the finishing line like they did was a special moment for them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case for home favourite Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) who finished last after he crashed out at the Sepang International Circuit having had an impressive run to 12^th.

With the Championship done and dusted, Valencia will be an interesting race because all riders can relax and race for fun – could that mean that some new faces grace the last podium of the 2018 season? Or will Martin want to extend his record for pole positions achieved in a season?

3rd November 2018

Moto3 Preview: Will Vietti or Bezzecchi ruin Martin’s title chances?

As the 2018 season starts to come to an end, Moto3 rolls into town for the last of the fly-aways in Malaysia. With the Championship battle still well underway, the next race is vital to see if Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) will close the narrow gap between himself and front runner, Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), or see if the Gresini rider will get one step closer to clinching the title.

But it’s not just down to those two, as Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) could creep into first place if he has two stellar runs and Bezzecchi’s unfortunate luck continues.

With all to play for it will be an interesting weekend, but rather predictably Martin will be starting from pole position after clinching his record breaking 11^thpole. Bezzecchi is right on his tail in 2^ndthough, so no one will be playing catch-up like in Phillip Island.

The Italian Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) and Scotland’s John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) round out the top four, with last weekend’s breakthrough talent Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) qualifying in an impressive 12^thplace. Could we see another top 10 finish, or even another podium? It would definitely spice up the Championship, if Martin and Bezzecchi weren’t enough.

Martin does have good form at the Sepang International Circuit, finishing 2^ndlast year, behind Moto2’s Joan Mir (formerly Leopard Racing) and in front of Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing). However, Bezzecchi finished in 19^th, and he’ll be looking to improve on that if he wants to stand any chance of pipping Martin to the title – and his good qualifying will help with that.

Qualifying didn’t show any particular bike benefiting from the two long straights that the Sepang International Circuit is know for, with a results almost splitting perfectly between the Honda and KTM bikes – but all year long the KTM has had incredible speed in a straight line. So, this particular feature might help Bezzecchi but only if his fortunes change.

All riders will be looking to get some last-minute points in to improve their chances when they all descend upon Valencia for the last race of the season, but after riding three weekends in a row, they’ll be feeling a little delicate, especially the guys who’ve suffered some nasty crashes. Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai), Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) and Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) will not be racing this weekend, but Bulega’s replacement could be the cat amongst the pigeons in terms of the Championship.

1st November 2018

Moto3 Report: Phillip Island delivers but Bezzecchi falls foul

It was a breath taking race that saw more than half the grid eligible for a podium finish – but it was Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team), Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini) and Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) who relished in the moment and the champagne. Except for 17-year-old Vietti, who isn’t old enough to spray champagne, but then again, a podium on your second ever Moto3 race probably tastes sweeter than any bubbles ever could, and he raced hard for it.

For di Giannantonio it was a necessary podium. The Italian has been battered and bruised on just about every race weekend for the last 3 weeks, making this a much deserved second place finish. And the man of the moment, Arenas, took his second win of the season and this time around he truly earned it – whether you think his Le Mans victory was really di Giannantonio’s, or not.

This entire race was important for the Championship, two very important crashes happened, and a few near misses, have changed the course of this season. Firstly, Lorenzo Dalla Porta’s (Leopard Racing) crash meant that his team mate Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) could keep his fourth place in the Championship.

Then it was Gabriel Rodrigo’s (RBA BOE Racing Team) unfortunate collision with Championship contender Marco Bezzecchi that paved the way for Martin to extend his lead in the Championship beyond the one point that he started this weekend with. However, this wasn’t really the case, as there is only 12 points between the Italian and the Spaniard now, but it could have remained at just one point because luck seemed to be firmly on Martin’s side. He narrowly avoided two crashes/contact which could have seen both of their weekends reduced to null and avoid effectively.

However, it does beg the question – had di Giannantonio not had his Le Mans victory taken away from him, could he be leading the Championship right now? With 20 points between the Championship leaders, he definitely could have made life difficult for Martin and Bezzecchi after this week’s results.

The race itself saw real talent shining through from all riders as, the top 15 stayed particularly tight and positions were traded so often that the leader board couldn’t keep up with them. It was Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) and Denis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) though showed potential for a podium finish, that was before they took each other out whilst vying for the top spot behind Martin.

But ultimately due to a constantly changing lineups, whether to do with crashes or overtaking, you found yourself rooting for half the grid at least once. This race has left the Championship wide open for the top three riders still, but it might have invigorated the rest of the grid as the majority of them got a taste of leading a race. With only two races to go, who could clinch the title between Martin, Bezzecchi or di Giannantonio?

27th October 2018

Moto3 Preview: What does the Island have in store for Moto3?

Combining one of the most thrilling tracks and the most unpredictable classes, makes for very entertaining viewing. Moto3 is descending upon Phillip Island in Australia and it looks to be a promising one with defending champion Joan Mir no longer in Moto3, the win could be anyone’s.

As has been the case for the majority of this season, it’s Jorge Martin (Gresini) and Marco Bezzecchi (Prustel) who need to score big points as the 2018 season draws to a close soon. With just one point between them, Martin will be looking to extend his lead and Bezzecchi will be doing all he can to overtake Martin and clinch a possible Championship title.

The three Italians who make up 3^rd-5^thshouldn’t be overlooked as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) looks to come back from his awful Motegi high side (his participation at Phillip Island was hit or miss for a second). Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) is in 4^thand will want to secure some much needed points (33 to draw level with Di Giannantonio) to make it to the top 3 in time for the season ending, and Lorenzo Della Porta (Leopard Racing) will want to continue to fine form he’s had and maybe step onto the podium once again.

However, the Island is formidable and when the weather is wreaking havoc with races, the wildlife can get in the way too. And both of these things can play a huge part in how makes it to the end of a race, let alone scores points. The possible wet weather will mean that the likes of Martin, who ride well in rainy conditions, have the chance to do well but T1 is arguable the fastest corner on the racing calendar so when all the riders pile into this corner first time round – it could catch a few riders out. It’s also been very cold the last few days, meaning that cold tyres will be something all riders need to be aware of.

There are 7 left hand corners (to 5 right hand corners) so the tyres should warm on all side relatively evenly but this could still catch riders out in the opening laps before their tyres are properly heated. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Phillip Island preview if the wildlife isn’t brought up. The main culprits are seagulls but other wildlife has wondered on track in the past, and it’s hard enough racing but dodging animals makes the AusGP a unique experience.

With 2018 bringing in the 29^thPhillip Island GP, only Sunday will reveal whether it was the weather, wildlife or the own fault of the riders that messes up someone’s Grand Prix weekend.

24th September 2018

Jorge Martin Blitzes Field To Extend Lead Over Rivals

The 14^thround of Moto3 world championship proved to be a decisive one, as Marco Bezzecchi narrowed the gap between himself and the series leader Jorge Martin.

It was Martin (Del Conca Gresini) who stole the show, after a great start saw him create a sizeable gap between himself and the rest of the pack. This lead would be too much for the rest of the grid, but that made the fight for second all the more brutal.

On paper, Juame Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) should have been Martin’s closest rival as he started from second on the grid, but a cracked collarbone from a previous accident caused him to fall out of contention fast. Masia and Martin were the only two riders to start the race where they’d qualified, as all other riders were handed heavy penalties that saw the likes of Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) starting in 15^thand Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) in 18^th. Ultimately it was Martin who soared to his sixth race win, Bezzecchi in second and Bastianini in third.

With Martin out in front, the next riders expected to perform well at the AragonGP were title rival Bezzecchi, Bastianini and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini).

All three riders fought for to try and finish in the top three, but Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai), Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadro Corse) and Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) also kept up with the group which failed to dissipate for the entire race. Unfortunately, Suzuki and Norrodin slipped back and weren’t able to finish in the top five, after securing sixth and eighth respectively.

Those two were propelled forward in the standings after Aron Canet (Estrell Galicia 0,0), who would have been looking to put in a good performance to sustain his rivalry with Martin, retired from the race with a shoulder injury. He fell out of the top ten and was lingering in 16^thposition when he decided to call it a day.

Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) also crashed out of podium contention when he got too close to Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) and slid out of the race. He had been flirting with the top four but wasn’t fast enough to really pull away from the pack, instead trading places multiple times before his Aragon race came to an end.

With about eight laps to go, further penalties were handed to Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Academy) and Dennis Foggia (Sky-VR|46) for exceeding track limits. They had to concede positions for gaining an advantage when riding wide of the track. Ultimately, it would be Perez who finished within the points after crossing the line in 14^th. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadro Corse) was the only other rider to crash out though, just before Rodrigo did on the penultimate lap.

It seemed to be a race of hard tactics. On several occasions the rider in second would attempt to pull away whilst the pack behind him was too preoccupied with the rider in third (Di Giannantonio, Ramirez, Bezzecchi and Bastianini). However, this tactic was often hampered due to the nature of the track, and didn’t work for longer than a few laps. The Motorland circuit is very physical due to several elevation changes, so in many ways this tactic would work to take the pressure off of the rider in second but only temporarily. Slipstreams are also very common on this track, so riders had to make the most of them whilst also defending their own.

Points-wise, this was a very good race for Bezzecchi, Bastianini and Di Giannantonio. Bezzecchi managed to make up valuable points on Martin, who is now 13 points ahead of him. This means that the Championship is still all to play for, between the Spaniard and the Italian, both of whom are moving up to Moto2 in 2019. Third overall in the standings is Di Giannantonio, who finished fourth in Aragon. He’s been a consistent rider but not to the levels of Martin and Bezzecchi which means he trails behind by 28 points. This is substantial but would only take a few podium finishes to level it. There is every chance that the Gresini rider could still cause Bezzecchi a few headaches before the season is over. In fourth, Bastianini is 17 points behind Di Giannantonio.

Taking third place in the race really helped elevate Bastianini enough so that he could break away from Canet in the standings. But all of this could change when Moto3 goes to Thailand in October.