Kent

A Frenchman steals Moto3 pole in Qatar, but which One?

Cover Photo: motogp.com

Qualifying:

The arrival of experienced Moto3 rider Miguel Oliveira in the Factory Red Bull KTM Ajo Team has been very successful, as the Portugese rider set the bench mark lap early on in Qualifying. But with French rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo and his teammate Navarro, Brit Danny Kent and several others showing their hand in the final minutes, it really was anybody’s to grab. Alexis Masbou took pole position with 3 minutes left but he did it taking a huge slipstream to the finish line, anyone else trying to improve without slipstream lost about 0.2 in the final sector. Mapfre Mahindra’s Bagnaia, looked like he was about to steal pole, taking with him Andrea Locatelli, but again they lost out in that last sector.

He might be 27, but believe it or not Masbou’s pole today was his first ever! So with favourites Oliveria, Kent and Quartararo unable to deliver in the dying seconds of Qualifying, the mixed up shuffled up grid for tomorrow’s Moto3 Race looks like this.

1. Alexis Masbou FRA SAXOPRINT RTG (Honda) 2m 6.170s
2. Isaac Viñales SPA Husqvarna Factory Laglisse (Husqvarna) 2m 6.237s
3. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 2m 6.245s
4. Francesco Bagnaia ITA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) 2m 6.253s
5. John McPhee GBR SAXOPRINT RTG (Honda) 2m 6.254s
6. Fabio Quartararo FRA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 2m 6.293s
7. Andrea Locatelli ITA Gresini Racing Team Moto3 (Honda) 2m 6.323s
8. Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 2m 6.378s
9. Danny Kent GBR Leopard Racing (Honda) 2m 6.426s
10. Efren Vazquez SPA Leopard Racing (Honda) 2m 6.465s
11. Livio Loi BEL RW Racing GP (Honda) 2m 6.551s
12. Jorge Navarro SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 2m 6.574s
13. Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 2m 6.729s
14. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 2m 6.815s
15. Hiroki Ono JPN Leopard Racing (Honda) 2m 6.829s
16. Niklas Ajo FIN RBA Racing Team (KTM) 2m 6.891s
17. Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 2m 7.099s
18. Jules Danilo FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 2m 7.195s
19. Remy Gardner AUS CIP (Mahindra) 2m 7.235s
20. Darryn Binder RSA Outox Reset Drink Team (Mahindra) 2m 7.250s
21. Enea Bastianini ITA Gresini Racing Team Moto3 (Honda) 2m 7.308s
22. Philipp Oettl GER Schedl GP Racing (KTM) 2m 7.320s
23. Alessandro Tonucci ITA Outox Reset Drink Team (Mahindra) 2m 7.325s
24. Juanfran Guevara SPA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) 2m 7.387s
25. Jorge Martin SPA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) 2m 7.459s
26. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Drive M7 SIC (KTM) 2m 7.602s
27. Gabriel Rodrigo ARG RBA Racing Team (KTM) 2m 8.035s
28. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Drive M7 SIC (KTM) 2m 8.040s
29. Andrea Migno ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 2m 8.350s
30. Matteo Ferrari ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 2m 8.497s
31. Tatsuki Suzuki JPN CIP (Mahindra) 2m 8.753s
32. Maria Herrera SPA Husqvarna Factory Laglisse (Husqvarna) 2m 9.431s
33. Marco Bezzecchi ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 2m 9.757s

34. Loris Cresson BEL RBA Racing Team (KTM) 2m 13.015s

How close is close? The top 17 riders are separated by 1 second…

Miller shows brilliant race craft to win the Moto3 Race as Alex Marquez wins the title

The drama of this years utterly superb Moto3 World Championship finally came to a close in Valencia, and it would be Antonelli on pole from title contenders Miller and Marquez.

Ausie Miller got the best start I’ve seen all year and led Antonelli and Vinales through the first lap. After passing Antonelli, Alex Marquez was in a cool, calm, and collected 3rd place which would win him the Championship. Vinales had now picked up the lead, which is the last thing Jack needed. Miller desperately needed to get back passed as Marquez closed in.

With 19 laps left, it became clear that the huge freight train of riders led by Danny Kent in fifth place, was going to join the front four. This took no time at all, and this probably helped Jack more than anyone, as more riders in the group increased the more chance there was of a Marquez being relegated. And so it was, Vazquez, Kent, McPhee, Rins all started to dive underneath each other, and Marquez was very nearly knocked off by Efren Vazquez in his Honda. Having the scrap between Vinales and Miller at the front was getting very aggressive indeed, as Alex Rins and Alex Marquez both showed their race winning intentions.

The last 10 laps were just fantastic to watch. Marquez and Miller’s moves on each other were very reminiscent of Sepang. It hit a boiling point when Miller was overtaken and pushed wide by Marquez and they were both relegated to the back of the train. Sure enough, Miller fought his way back through the traffic, and chased down the flying Vinales. This meant little though as Marquez was also back in 3rd, with Danny Kent behind him.

Kent was furiously catching Marquez but went wide into the penultimate corner, giving Alex enough of a gap to keep 4th place. Miller took a well deserved win then from Issac Vinales, and Alex Marquez became World Champion with a third place finish in front of his home fans.

Marc and Alex are the first ever brothers to win titles in the same year in the Motorcycle Grand Prix paddock!

1. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 10.983s
2. Isaac Viñales SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 40m 11.138s
3. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 11.938s
4. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 40m 12.555s
5. Alex Rins SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 13.234s
6. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 40m 13.491s
7. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 14.603s
8. Miguel Oliveira POR Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 40m 15.199s
9. Brad Binder RSA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 40m 15.231s
10. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 15.346s
11. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 16.445s
12. Alexis Masbou FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 40m 16.763s
13. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Calvo Team (KTM) 40m 16.942s
14. Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 40m 17.192s
15. Juanfran Guevara SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 40m 17.709s
16. Francesco Bagnaia ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 40m 22.758s
17. John McPhee GBR SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 40m 27.646s
18. Andrea Migno ITA Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 40m 35.902s
19. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Ongetta-AirAsia (Honda) 40m 39.021s
20. Jasper Iwema NED CIP (Mahindra) 40m 39.387s
21. Alessandro Tonucci ITA CIP (Mahindra) 40m 39.473s
22. Luca Grünwald GER Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 40m 51.756s
23. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 40m 51.767s
24. Gabriel Ramos VEN Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 41m 0.312s
25. Matteo Ferrari ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 41m 0.338s
26. Andrea Locatelli ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 41m 3.845s
27. Maria Herrera SPA Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 41m 3.862s
28. Albert Arenas SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 40.775s

Vazquez wins Moto3 Race as Miller takes title battle to Valencia

As the title race draws to a close in the closest Motorsport series in the world, it delivered a belting race to take the Championship to the final race in Valencia.

As you’d expect, for the first ten laps, the front group consisted of around nine riders, with Miller acting as the pack leader. Following him were both Estrella Galicia Honda’s and both Saxoprint RTG Honda’s. As they tripped over each other though, John Mcphee slowly fell back into the wheel tracks of Vinales, Kent and Kornfeil, only to to bridge the gap and re join them with 9 laps to go. South African Brad Binder retired earlier in the race, he was running in the second group.

In the dying laps of this race, Alex Rins and Efren Vazquez seemed to be the life of the gang with their pure race winning intentions. Having said that, Miller knew he had to win the race to maximise his chances in Valencia, so every time he was passed, it wasn’t long before he was back in the lead. Both Sky VR46 KTMs retired after coming into pitlane.

6 laps left and because of all the squabbling at the front, Danny Kent, Kornfeil, and Antonelli joined the party. For the fourth time, Miller makes a move on Marquez at turn one, forcing him wide. Jack continued to get destroyed on the straight by the faster Honda’s, so relied on his superior braking skills to keep him at the sharp end.

On that last lap, the race really caught fire as Kent, Masbou and Mcphee start spoiling the party, until McPhee unfortunately crashed out. As they went into the last corner, Rins dived underneath Miller, went wide as Vazquez cut underneath both of them to win. Miller was second, then Rins, and Kent pipped Marquez for fourth.

This means Miller is now only 11 points behind Marquez going into the final round in Valencia.

Race Results:

1. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 40m 41.002s
2. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 41.215s
3. Alex Rins SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 41.387s
4. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 40m 41.805s
5. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 41.833s
6. Alexis Masbou FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 40m 42.075s
7. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 42.918s
8. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Calvo Team (KTM) 40m 43.091s
9. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 48.338s
10. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 50.522s
11. Juanfran Guevara SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 40m 58.409s
12. Jorge Navarro SPA Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex-KTM) 40m 58.612s
13. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 41m 10.594s
14. Alessandro Tonucci ITA CIP (Mahindra) 41m 10.747s
15. Remy Gardner AUS Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 18.469s
16. Luca Grünwald GER Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 41m 18.507s
17. Jules Danilo FRA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 41m 18.794s
18. Philipp Oettl GER Interwetten Paddock Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 41m 19.775s
19. Gabriel Ramos VEN Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 41m 36.585s
20. Hafiza Rofa MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 42m 17.172s

Alex Marquez wins Moto3 dog fight as Miller and Kent miss out

Englishman and pole sitter Danny Kent led into turn one, as Jack Miller got a great start and is in second place by turn 5 on the first lap as the race looses several riders at a turn 1 crash. Championship leader Alex Marquez was sat in third with South African Brad Binder in 4th.

Just when it looked like Marquez was about to leave Kent behind after passing him, Danny takes him back, relegating Marquez to fourth. This is the point the leading pack started to swap positions left right and centre with Binder, McPhee, Vazquez and Oliveira looking strong too.

With 6 laps to go, Oliveira had a massive highside, landing hard, but he was seen to be walking a lap later. The last two laps saw Kent, Miller and Marquez scrapping it out for the win, Vazquez then joined them as Binder and McPhee brought up the rear.

On the last lap it was very intense, as the front pack approached the last few corners, Kent and Miller barged shoulders on the back straight, out braked each other, letting Marquez through to win, with Vazquez and Binder sneaking passed for the podium.

Alex Marquez now leads the standings by 25 points ahead of Australian Jack Miller.

1. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 39m 26.830s
2. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 39m 27.187s
3. Brad Binder RSA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 39m 27.314s
4. John McPhee GBR SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 39m 27.502s
5. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 39m 27.991s
6. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 39m 28.626s
7. Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 39m 32.757s
8. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 39m 32.855s
9. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 39m 33.357s
10. Alex Rins SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 39m 33.516s
11. Isaac Viñales SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 39m 33.818s
12. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 39m 45.543s
13. Francesco Bagnaia ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 39m 45.587s
14. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Ongetta-AirAsia (Honda) 39m 46.072s
15. Alessandro Tonucci ITA CIP (Mahindra) 39m 46.494s
16. Eric Granado BRA Calvo Team (KTM) 39m 51.618s
17. Philipp Oettl GER Interwetten Paddock Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 40m 6.910s
18. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 40m 6.984s
19. Jules Danilo FRA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 40m 7.718s
20. Jasper Iwema NED CIP (Mahindra) 40m 7.841s
21. Luca Grünwald GER Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 40m 27.566s
22. Gabriel Ramos VEN Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 40m 28.582s
23. Andrea Locatelli ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 40m 37.825s
24. Matteo Ferrari ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 1 lap

Moto3

Alex Marquez now leads the standings by 25 points ahead of Australian Jack Miller.

Sublime performances by the British riders at the Aragon MotoGP Round

It’s not very often we can say there was a British rider on the podium in two races in the same day!

Danny Kent riding the Husqvarna badged Red Bull AJO KTM started from 2nd and finished 3rd, but considering the performance level of the riders who overtook him in the race, it was a good comeback! It looked as if he could win the race as Fenati and Marquez were tripping over each other, but it was not to be and Danny finished third for the second time this year.

John McPhee had a great start today, dived into fourth at the start, then found himself in 3rd when Miller crashed, and even 2nd at one point. But John made a mistake, crashed out on his own in the tricky conditions. He remounted only to crash again. But we now know he can stay with the best in the class, so watch out for him in Japan. I believe even though he crashed, riding at the very front for that long will have boosted his confidence!

Sam Lowes won’t be the Brit gaining the headlines but considering he qualified in 20th place and finished 9th, he is most definitely the Brit who achieved the most damage limitation. Solid ride for him, considering he’s getting used to a completely new suspension. Gino finished 17th which for him isn’t too bad, we’ve seen him finish lower than 25th before.

And of course we have to mention Cal and Bradley’s superb results in the Premier class. Yes it started to rain. Yes riders ahead of them crashed out. But that’s racing, it happens, Cal and Bradley stayed on and switched tyres at the right time. Cal really did impress me today, not only because he got on the podium, but because he’s the rider Ducati have not given the new bike to. Mr Crutchlow can now always say he got onto the podium riding for Ducati! He really did silence a lot of people today, and I have to admit I was doubting his abilities on the Italian machine at times. Classy podium finish…and nearly beat Aleix for second!

Bradley also beat his Moto2 Champ teammate Espargaro, in a fair fight for fifth. I just hope people will remember this, as a lot of fans dismiss Bradley’s ability to fight and beat Pol.

Fenati wins terrific Moto3 battle with Alex Marquez in tricky Aragon conditions

For this morning’s Moto3 Grand Prix, Danny Kent took the hole shot in the tricky conditions, followed by Jack Miller as Alex Rins’s bad start was soon corrected as he slotted into 3rd with McPhee and Bastianini behind him. And after incredible qualifying pace, it wasn’t long before Rins got to the front, igniting a battle royale with Miller.

This was until Jack Miller was fazed out wide, and knocked off on the last corner by Alex Marquez, forcing him to go into the pits as the team worked on his bike for a possible test run. The stewards declared it was under investigation. Meanwhile, Kent went wide and let the entire front group through, promoting McPhee, Kornfeil, Vazquez, and Fenati.

With ten laps to go, Fenati and Kent joined the front group, as Alex Rins went massively wide at turn 1, dropping down to 6th. McPhee then crashes at the Corkscrew, remounted, only to crash again. As the laps tumbled, it was Marquez and Fenati at the front exchanging the lead, then a slight gap back to Kent and Kornfeil. Alex Rins was closing in significantly in 5th.

In the closing stages Danny Kent closed on the two leaders, and when Fenati went wide, he was in position to slipstream him into the last corner with two laps left. As the final lap started, Marquez led from Fenati and Kent. Fenati made his brilliant move on the long, 1 km straight on the outside, beating Marquez to the line by less than a tenth.

Kent finished a solid third, Rins beat Kornfeil for 4th. Miller finished 27th, scoring no points, and Alex Marquez now leads the Championship.

Race Results:

1. Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 40m 52.209s
2. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 52.266s
3. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 40m 52.492s
4. Alex Rins SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 41m 3.840s
5. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 10.591s
6. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 41m 11.468s
7. Miguel Oliveira POR Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 41m 15.915s
8. Brad Binder RSA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 41m 16.982s
9. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 41m 29.232s
10. Alexis Masbou FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 41m 31.253s
11. Hiroki Ono JPN Honda Team Asia (Honda) 41m 31.793s
12. Isaac Viñales SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 54.224s
13. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 41m 54.270s
14. Jules Danilo FRA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 41m 54.447s
15. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Ongetta-AirAsia (Honda) 41m 57.477s
16. Jasper Iwema NED CIP (Mahindra) 41m 57.491s
17. Eric Granado BRA Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 58.695s
18. Andrea Locatelli ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 42m 4.283s
19. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 42m 14.039s
20. Gabriel Rodrigo ARG RBA Racing Team (KTM) 42m 17.335s
21. Gabriel Ramos VEN Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 42m 17.451s
22. Ana Carrasco SPA RW Racing GP (Kalex-KTM) 42m 27.253s
23. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 42m 29.577s
24. Francesco Bagnaia ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) +1 lap
25. Niklas Ajo FIN Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) +1 lap
26. Luca Grünwald GER Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) +2 laps
27. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) +3 laps

My Moto3 Brno Race Recap: Masbou wins his first Race after incredible battle

I’ve seen some terrific Moto3 races in my time but today was certainly one of the best. I had it in my mind Marquez would have an advantage today, having been so strong all weekend but nobody in this race had an advantage. From the very start it was crazy close, although it was Marquez who lead into turn one with Miller following. Popular Scot John McPhee had a very unfortunate fall at the first corner on lap two, he was a bit beaten up, but generally ok.

Alexis Masbou was very strong after a handful of laps and was soon up there with Marquez, Miller, Rins and the ever impressing Bastianini. But before anyone could assume who’d be in the front group of 5 or 6, the pursuers of Binder, Kent, Oliveira, Bagnaia, Ajo etc, all caught them forming a monumental train of 13+ riders. Enea Bastianini’s Rossi esque overtakes made or very aggressive racing with Marquez, neither of them gave an inch.

South African Brad Binder had been having a very tough weekend, he told me on Friday lunchtime that his Mahindra had been handling terribly and wasn’t really in a good place. But Brad is a man of Sundays and today was no exception as he fought his way from 5th in the pack to 2nd, and briefly led. Unfortunately he could only manage 6th in the end, but to be perfectly honest anybody could have won today.

As the pack finished the penultimate lap, leader Alex Rins punched the air thinking the race had finished, everyone started overtaking him, he realised after about 4 or 5 seconds. He was now down in ninth and had no chance of victory. The last few corners were crazy, it was hard to keep track, Miller and Marquez led into the last chicane but tripped over each other. Masbou took advantage and was followed by Bastianini and Danny Kent on the podium.

It was very refreshing to see yet another new face on the top step of the rostrum, to see young rookie Enea Bastianini finish 2nd again, and to see the return of form from Danny Kent.

Race Results:

1. Alexis Masbou FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 40m 59.759s
2. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 59.916s
3. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 40m 59.946s
4. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 59.959s
5. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 59.976s
6. Brad Binder RSA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 41m 0.069s
7. Miguel Oliveira POR Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 41m 0.229s
8. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 41m 0.308s
9. Alex Rins SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 41m 0.669s
10. Isaac Viñales SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 0.768s
11. Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 41m 0.801s
12. Niklas Ajo FIN Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 41m 0.820s
13. Niccolò Antonelli ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 41m 0.950s
14. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 1.568s
15. Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 41m 1.597s
16. Juanfran Guevara SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 41m 1.703s
17. Francesco Bagnaia ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 41m 12.523s
18. Jules Danilo FRA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 41m 14.518s
19. Scott Deroue NED RW Racing GP (Kalex-KTM) 41m 14.938s
20. Matteo Ferrari ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 41m 14.952s
21. Alessandro Tonucci ITA CIP (Mahindra) 41m 15.017s
22. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Ongetta-AirAsia (Honda) 41m 21.418s
23. Bryan Schouten NED CIP (Mahindra) 41m 21.480s
24. Philipp Oettl GER Interwetten Paddock Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 41m 26.551s
25. Andrea Locatelli ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 41m 26.587s
26. Arthur Sissis AUS Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 41m 26.792s
27. Eric Granado BRA Calvo Team (KTM) 41m 36.511s
28. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 42m 4.156s
29. Gabriel Ramos VEN Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 42m 6.046s

My eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Moto3 Race Recap & Results

Australian ace and championship leader Jack Miller put contract disputes and speculation behind him taking a start to finish victory in Saxony this morning. He may not have been overtaken once, but it was still a very exciting race. Title challengers Alex Rins and Romano Fenati crashed out on the opening laps in separate incidents, handing point initiatives to Miller and Marquez.

It was the rider who started 6th on the grid who was, for most, the star of the race. It was South African rider Brad Binder, a rider I’ve chilled with several times and interviewed before, riding the Ambrogio Racing Mahindra. He was quite happy to sit behind Miller, Marquez and Masbou in the early stages, and brought Brit Danny Kent to the scrap. Brad felt extremely comfortable in this leading pack, and soon passed Masbou, then Marquez.

The race then became the Brad follows Jack show. Brad was quicker than Miller in the final sectors of the lap, but not so much in the early sectors. What made it even harder for Binder to pass was the fact Jack is one of the best riders in the whole paddock on the brakes. It soon came down to the last lap, and Brad attempted to pass Jack on the last corner, but couldn’t quite get through. Again, this was due to Miller’s incredible braking gift.

Masbou managed to beat Marquez for third which did Miller’s title lead no harm at all! Danny Kent may only have achieved 5th in the end, but when you look at his results this year it’s ten times better. Aki Ajo will be extremely relieved to see Danny finish so well.

Race Results:

1. Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 39m 26.927s
2. Brad Binder RSA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 39m 27.107s
3. Alexis Masbou FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 39m 28.046s
4. Alex Marquez SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 39m 28.107s
5. Danny Kent GBR Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 39m 28.217s
6. Efren Vazquez SPA SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 39m 53.158s
7. John McPhee GBR SaxoPrint-RTG (Honda) 39m 53.263s
8. Isaac Viñales SPA Calvo Team (KTM) 39m 53.401s
9. Matteo Ferrari ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 39m 53.510s
10. Juanfran Guevara SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 39m 53.662s
11. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Calvo Team (KTM) 39m 53.800s
12. Philipp Oettl GER Interwetten Paddock Moto3 (Kalex-KTM) 39m 53.936s
13. Arthur Sissis AUS Mahindra Racing (Mahindra) 39m 54.232s
14. Eric Granado BRA Calvo Team (KTM) 39m 57.011s
15. Enea Bastianini ITA Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 (KTM) 40m 12.052s
16. Alessandro Tonucci ITA CIP (Mahindra) 40m 12.466s
17. Jules Danilo FRA Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra) 40m 12.952s
18. Hafiq Azmi MAL SIC-AJO (KTM) 40m 13.037s
19. Luca Grünwald GER Kiefer Racing (Kalex-KTM) 40m 23.714s
20. Ana Carrasco SPA RW Racing GP (Kalex-KTM) 40m 24.076s
21. Maximilian Kappler GER SaxoPrint RTG (FTR) 40m 36.239s
22. Gabriel Rodrigo ARG Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo (Husqvarna) 1 lap
23. Kevin Hanus GER Fai Rent-A-Jet (Honda) 1 lap

Brad Binder who secured his first podium today, is one of Pole Position Travel’s riders. Pole Position Travel have supported Brad for years, and all his hard work paid off today finishing second in Germany. Brad is one of the nicest, easiest riders to speak to in the MotoGP paddock. Pole Position Travel CAN make it possible for you to meet Brad at an event, so click here and have a look at a PPT’s Packages 🙂

MotoJimmyP

The World of MotoGP, the season, the paddock and all you need to know

Kent

A Frenchman steals Moto3 pole in Qatar, but which One?

Miller shows brilliant race craft to win the Moto3 Race as Alex Marquez wins the title

Vazquez wins Moto3 Race as Miller takes title battle to Valencia

Alex Marquez wins Moto3 dog fight as Miller and Kent miss out

Moto3

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