Danny Kent is World Champion as Oliveira wins in Valencia

Photo: crash.net

After 3 previous chances of clinching the championship, today Danny Kent only needed to finish in 14th place, but after a misfortunate qualifying session, not getting a clear track or chance to push, Danny could only qualify in 18th. It felt like another dose of British bad luck.

Oliveira, now the only rider who could stop Danny winning the title, spent the race out front, needing a win and Kent to finish 14th to become Champion. Fenati, Navarro, Vazquez, were scrapping with the Portugese rider, but Miguel seemed to stamp his authority on the race. Danny rode a very, very cautious race, and after making it to 14th, 13th and 12th, he hovered around that position with his teammate Hiroki Ono. Ono was ahead of Danny, until Danny finally made the decision to make a pass…that was until Hiroki decided to take it back, twice, making the Leopard team extremely nervous at the risk of an accident. 

However, there was no such accident, and after a clumsy crash at the last corner involving Fenati, Antonelli and Vazquez, Danny Kent crossed the line in 9th place. Oliveira rode to yet another awesome victory, his 6th of the year and uqual with Kent. But it wasn’t enough, and Danny Kent has become the first British Grand Prix Champion since Barry Sheene in 1977. 
1. Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 9.792s 

2. Jorge Navarro SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) 40m 9.990s 

3. Jakub Kornfeil CZE Drive M7 SIC (KTM) 40m 11.882s 

4. Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 40m 11.913s 

5. Enea Bastianini ITA Gresini Racing Team Moto3 (Honda) 40m 12.767s 

6. Isaac Viñales SPA RBA Racing Team (KTM) 40m 13.135s 

7. John Mcphee GBR SAXOPRINT RTG (Honda) 40m 13.879s 

8. Hiroki Ono JPN Leopard Racing (Honda) 40m 19.419s 

9. Danny Kent GBR Leopard Racing (Honda) 40m 19.706s 

10. Philipp Oettl GER Schedl GP Racing (KTM) 40m 20.372s 

11. Andrea Migno ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 40m 20.453s 

12. Nicolò Bulega ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) 40m 21.434s 

13. Francesco Bagnaia ITA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) 40m 26.533s 

14. Jorge Martin SPA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) 40m 29.988s 

15. Alexis Masbou FRA SAXOPRINT RTG (Honda) 40m 31.323s 

16. Jules Danilo FRA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) 40m 31.344s 

17. Zulfahmi Khairuddin MAL Drive M7 SIC (KTM) 40m 31.660s 

18. Darryn Binder RSA Outox Reset Drink Team (Mahindra) 40m 34.906s 

19. Stefano Manzi ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 40m 35.093s 

20. Livio Loi BEL RW Racing GP (Honda) 40m 35.123s 

21. Maria Herrera SPA Husqvarna Factory Laglisse (Husqvarna) 40m 35.447s 

22. Lorenzo Dalla Porta ITA Husqvarna Factory Laglisse (Husqvarna) 40m 42.765s 

23. Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Racing Team Moto3 (Honda) 40m 42.811s 

24. Ana Carrasco SPA RBA Racing Team (KTM) 40m 43.341s 

25. Manuel Pagliani ITA San Carlo Team Italia (Mahindra) 40m 43.745s 

Efren Vazquez SPA Leopard Racing (Honda) DNF 

Romano Fenati ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 (KTM) DNF 

Niccolò Antonelli ITA Ongetta-Rivacold (Honda) DNF 

Alessandro Tonucci ITA Outox Reset Drink Team (Mahindra) DNF 

Karel Hanika CZE Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) DNF 

Fabio Quartararo FRA Estrella Galicia 0,0 (Honda) DNF 

Juanfran Guevara SPA MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA (Mahindra) DNF 

Tatsuki Suzuki JPN CIP (Mahindra) DNF 

Remy Gardner AUS CIP (Mahindra) DNF

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