amcn.com.au 115
race
report
Main. Bastianini shows the way to Rodrigo, Bezzecchi and McPhee- Championship leader Bezzecchi extended his points advantage with
a strong ride to second place in Spain 2. Delight for Bastianini after the
Italian rider scored his first victory of the 2018 season
unnn aaaa p in 5-17 June 2018 Moto3 World ChampionshipC
rashes and drama
upset the form
book in Moto3 at
Catalunya, with
Leopard Honda’s
Enea Bastianini taking his first
win of the year and second-
placed Marco Bezzecchi (Redox
Pruestel KTM) extending his
series lead, after earlier title
favourite Jorge Martin (Del
Conca Honda) crashed out of a
commanding lead.
Martin had crashed twice
in practice, but only narrowly
missed a fifth straight pole,
with Bastianini quickest.
Martin took off in the lead,
shadowed by the other front-
row starter, Ayumu Suzuki
(Petronas Honda), and the
pair rapidly put a big gap on a
big brawl behind. By lap eight,
it was still more than two
seconds, but beginning to close.
Then Martin fell off.
Without his guide, Suzuki was
soon swallowed up by a lively
group, now 11-strong, until
crashes stripped it back.
First three riders fell together,
after Le Mans w inner A lbert
Arenas tagged an on-form
Nicolo Bulega (both KTM) and
Honda-mounted Aron Canet.
Arenas w ill be docked six grid
positions at the next race as a
consequence.
Shortly afterwards, erstwhile
leaders Jaume Masia and
Andrea Migno (both KTM)
also collided and, w ith Tony
Arbolino (Honda) pitting, just
five were left battling to the end.
Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM)
finished third – the Argentine
rider’s first podium – narrowly
ahead of John McPhee (Green
Power KTM) and Tatsuki Suzuki
(SIC58 Honda), the top five
riders over the line within less
than a second.
Bezzecchi’s valuable runner-
up finish moved him almost
20 points clear of new second-
placer Fabio Di Giannantonio,
who finished a distant ninth
here. Martin is now third, with
just 80 points after three wins
and three no-scores.Title opens up as Martin falls and Bastianini tastes victory
BIKE TIME
1 E BASTIANINI ITA HON 38m36.883s
2 M BEZZECCHI ITA KTM +0.167s
3 G RODRIGO ARG KTM +0.170s
4 J MCPHEE GBR KTM +0.257s
5 T SUZUKI JPN HON +0.639s
6 K TOBA JPN HON +6.801s
7 F DI GIANNANTONIO ITA HON +6.872s
8 A LOPEZ SPA HON +6.600s
9 D FOGGIA ITA KTM +7.315s
10 R FERNANDEZ SPA KTM +7.507s
11 J KORNFEIL CZE KTM +7.638s
12 M YURCHENKO KAZ KTM +8.263s
13 A NORRODIN MAL HON +15.256s
14 N ATIRATPHUVAPAT THA HON +26.621s
15 L LOI BEL KTM +28.559s
16 P OETTL GER KTM +32.980s
17 L DALLA PORTA ITA HON +2 laps
DNF J MASIA (SPA, KTM), A MIGNO (ITA, KTM),
A CANET (SPA, HON), N BULEGA (ITA, KTM),
A ARENAS (SPA, KTM), T ARBOLINO (ITA, HON),
A SASAKI (JPN, HON), M RAMIREZ (SPA, KTM),
J MARTIN (SPA, HON), K MASAKI (JPN, KTM),
D BINDER (RSA, KTM)
POLE POSITION
E BASTIANINI 1m48.806s
FASTEST LAP (NEW RECORD)
J MASIA 1m49.005s
STANDINGS AFTER 7 OF 19 ROUNDS
1 M BEZZECCHI 103, 2 F DI GIANNANTONIO 84,
3 J MARTIN 80, 4 BASTIANINI 68, 5 A CANET 61,
6 G RODRIGO 57, 7 A MIGNO 56, 8 N ANTONELLI 44,
9 J KORNFEIL 41, 10 M RAMIREZ 38MOTO3
21 LAPSRound 7
Finishing positionsPOS RIDER NATTiddler theatre
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