Moto 3: Italy

This is the halfway point in the season.  Moto 3 will not appear at the next round at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, U.S.A. though. 

The race at Mugello will be 20 laps.  Maverick Vinales has pole position.  The bikes set off on their warmup lap.  Vinales and Sandro Cortese are leading the points. 

At the start, Cortese, Danny Kent and Alex Rins all get good starts.  Kent on the outside.  Zhulfammi Khairuddin takes the lead.  Sandro Cortese is now behind Danny Kent.  Cortese lost five spots into Casanova corner towards Scarperia .  Efren Vasquez passes Zhulfammi Khairuddin.  Khairuddin retakes the lead.  The slipstream will decide the race as they can slingshot down to front straight coming into San Donato.  Louis Rossi falls off his bike on lap two.  Khairuddin and Vasquez are 1-2.  Danny Kent and Jakub Kornfeil are further down the order into Arrabiata. 

Cortese was passed by another rider.  Hector Faubel is running well, but it’s Arthur Sissis setting fastest race lap so far as Alex Rins is battling with Zulfammi Khairuddin for the lead.  Maverick Vinales passes Alex Rins for second spot as Romano Fenati is coming.  Vinales is behind him.  There’s some tape hanging off of Fenati’s bike but it’s not a concern.  Fenati is flying as Sissis sets another fast lap but there’s a crash, too.  Luis Salom was taken out by Roberto Moncayo.  As Fenati leads, the fans show their approval with the air horns.  Fenati wants another win after winning Jerez earlier in the year.

Danny Kent is back in contention, passing Khairuddin.  This race is showing shades of round one of the year in Qatar.  Danny Kent passes Miguel Oliviera.  Half a dozen riders battle for the lead.  Efrin Vazquez and Danny Kent both set fast laps as Arthur Sissis has crashed out.  Kent sets fast lap at 1:59.242 on lap five.  Nicolo Antonelli now sets fast lap and is coming quick.  But, Maverick Vinales retakes the lead as Miguel Oliveira crashes between two corners.  Fenati is dropping back slightly now.  Oliviera might get back into the race, but won’t be in contention.

Sandro Cortese needs to keep up with Maverick Vinales to the enjd of the race while Alex Rins runs wide.  Romano Fenati and Sandro Cortese battle.  Fenati goes too far to the inside in the middle of the corner.  Antonelli is coming up through the field right now.  Just twelve laps left to run in this race.  Vinales and Cortese have dropped back.  Fenati continues to lead.  Adrian Martin passes Alexis AMsbou as another rider falls.  Not sure who it is.  Vinales and Cortese try to get away from the riders lower down in the pack, joining the front.

Just ten laps left to run now.  Two Italians lead their home Grand Prix.  But, let’s not get carried away.  This is Moto 3, the junior formula.  Alex Rins slipstreams behind Danny Kent back into San Donato again.  Kent goes after Antonelli and makes the move.  Could Kent win this?  Kent might be coming up on Fenati while Khairuddin, Kornfeil, and Faubel, battle for the eighth spot.  Danny Kent gets around Romano Fenati, taking the lead.  Alex Rins goes well in the slipstream.  But, Danny kent, at age eighteen is one of the older riders in the field.

Cortese tried getting through with Maverick Vinales, but neither could make it stick.  Fenati almost took the lead back from Kent, but hit the brakes too hard.  Rins passes Fenati through the Arabiatta corner.  Efrin Vazquez passes Alex Rins.  Miguel Oliveira pits and he is a retirement from this race.  Meanwhile, Fenati sets fastest lap in the 1:57 range.  The bikes run liner stern coming to the Casanova esses.  Romano Fenati is fifth, but he’s got nothing to lose.  All he wants to do is win his home race, closing up into Scarperia. 

Fenati wants to make a move like Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP, but can’t quite get down the inside.  Sandro Cortese is still the obstacle for him to get around and Vinales continues in the race lead.  Like Lorenzo, Vinales knows what he wants in a racing motorcycle.  Five laps left in the race.  Now, actually four.  Fenati passes Cortese.  It’s a three way battle for the win.  Jakub Kornfeil, Zhulfhammi Khairuddin and Hector Faubel all battle, but not in that order.  Faubel is ahead of Khairuddin, and Kornfeil is ahead of both of them. 

Fenati wants by Vinales.  Can he do it?  He’s just testing him, seeing where his weak spots are.  Niccolo Antonelli is still in fourth.  Vinales is still in the lead.  Just a lap and a half left to run.  Can Vinales pull away?  It’s Vinales, Fenati, and Cortese 1, 2, 3.  Cortese wants to be in this scrap.  Cortese sets a new fast lap coming into San Donato.  Cortese runs a 1:58.6 but the three bikes are really battling.  Vinales wants through on the inside of Fenati.  Can’t do it.  Fenati takes the lead into Casanova, but no.  Vinales takes the lead.  Into Scarperia and Pelaggio, Vinales runs wide,  Fenati can’t quite get there.  Cortese slides and can’t get there. 

Fenati wants to lead at Peccine.  Cortese gets second.  Can he pass Vinales now?  Here comes Fenati.  Does he win?  No!  Vinales wins!  Five hundredths of a second separates the podium finishers!

#25 Maverick Vinales     ESP     FTR Honda

Vinales gets his fifth win in Moto 3 in 2012.  Moto 3 will not run at Laguna Seca in the U.S. as mentioned.  Their next event will likely be at the second U.S. round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid August.