Here are the highlights from the Moto 3 race at Motegi in Japan.
This is round fourteen of the championship. There could easily be a World Champion crowned in this race. Sandro Cortese needs to win if he wants the title with Luis Salom and Maverick Vinales both having trouble. On pole, for the first time, is Danny Kent. The race is scheduled for 20 laps. The Mahindra bikes are really having trouble this weekend. But, for some of the top riders, they will be fighting for a championship that is likely to be decided in this race.
At the start, Danny kent and Zulfammi Khairuddin get good starts. Luis Salom and Jonas Folger file into third and fourth as Luis Salom takes the lead. Folger and Khairuddin had issues, but Khairuddin comes into third. Jakub Kornfeil will race with Danny Kent and he takes the lead into the s curve. The KTM bikes have good acceleration. Alessandro Tonucci is coming up. Danny Kent pulls out a slight lead. Jonas Folger passes Luis Salom into the 90 degree curve. Danny Kent leads lap one. Sandro Cortese passes Alessandro Tonucci. Efren Vasquez is also up at the sharp end.
Jonas Folger makes a pass. But, it seems like Sandro Cortese had a real bad start. He's coming up through the order as Jonas Folger leads the way. There are straight sections between the corners, to allow for more overtaking opportunities under braking, going back into the 90 degree corner as Arthur Sissis is also moving up. Alan Techer jumped the start and will need to serve a penalty. Someone ran wide. Sissis passes Efren Vasquez. Techer will indeed need to serve a penalty according to the marshals. Jonas Folger continues to lead.
Danny Kent is the one to watch as the race continues though as Zulfahmmi Khairuddin is also up there. Cortese, Vinales, and Tonucci battle each other. But, Maverick VInales cannot push Sandro Cortese right now. Alex Rins is beginning to make a move now as Vinales and Tonucci move by Cortese. Danny Kent runs fast lap in the 1:59 bracket. There is a bike that has crashed but the rider will continue. Not sure who had the incident. Riccardo Moretti is out of this race. He's been injured, and is just returning to the Moto 3 series scene. But, his race in Japan, has been run.
Right now it's Folger, Kent, Salom, and Khairuddin, the top four. Danny Kent drops the pace by a second. Some are running 1:59 laps and other riders, right at the two minute mark. Sandro Cortese passes Maverick Vinales. Very few incidents have taken place so far. But, you can never tell in a Moto 3 race. Alex Rins falls slightly behind Maverick Vinales. Cortese isn't moving past Tonucci, well, until now. Tonucci holds him off. Louis Rossi, Miguel Oliviera, Arthur Sissis, and Romano Fenati all battle. Kent leads with Folger coming. Vinales sets his personal best lap, right behind Cortese. This battle will heat up, very soon.
Well, now it seems that the championship will not be decided at this round in Japan. There have been no real incidents. A few laps until halfway. Jonas Folger passes Danny Kent. Folger runs a 1:59.5, as he chases Danny Kent. Sandro Cortese battles Zulhfammi Khairuddin. Cortese runs wide, falling to sixth. Maverick Vinales also passes Danny Kent, in this string of eight bikes at least. Tonucci makes a pass on Khairuddin. It's halfway through this race now. Alessandro Tonucci passes Luis Salom for third. Alessandro Tonucci is up at the sharp end now. His best finish is tenth. So, he could improve on that dramatically.
Tonucci sets new fast lap with Folger and Kent close by. Tonucci's lap is a 1:59.111. Jonas Folger retakes the lead from Danny Kent. Danny Kent is running smoother through the corners than Folger is. Kent has just one podium in 2012. That was at the Dutch TT at Assen, in Holland. Danny Kent tries to overtake, but can't make it work. Former rider Roberto Locatelli is team manager for Alessandro Tonucci, and says he's not expecting anything until the end of the race. Just seven laps to go now. No one has made a banzai move yet. Zulfahmmi Khairuddin runs slightly wide. Could we have a first time winner, fans? We'll see.
Sandro Cortese wants by his team mate Danny Kent. Tonucci is on top of Folger now. Five laps to go now. Sandro Cortese is now second. Two Germans lead this race. Alessandro Tonucci and Danny Kent battle. Kent passes Tonucci. Can Kent make a challenge? Tonucci is the only rider who has nothing to lose, at least in this group. Bide your time through the 90 degree corner. This race has been simmering. Will it heat up? It's been a bit cool so far. Arthur Sissis is ninth behind Alex Rins. Sandro Cortese might just take the lead. Tonucci is coming. Salom passes Vinales.
Cortese is trying Folger, but he can't quite get there. Brad Binder is out of the race with mechanical woes. But, Danny Kent is being hounded by Luis Salom. Tonucci is still trying Cortese. But, Cortese is holding his own. Cortese and Tonucci scrap, giving Folger a slight advantage. Behave yourselves, guys. Jonas Folger extends his lead. Cortese is 3/10ths of a second behind Folger. Two laps to go. Sandro Cortese does pass Folger. Folger retakes the lead. There's a chain for five or six bikes. Vinales wanted to pass, but, he loses ground. Tonucci passes Danny Kent. Cortese wants by Folger.
This is the final lap. Can all these riders get through one more lap? Folger, and Salom crash! Cortese is the leader! If he wins, he'll be 2012 Moto 3 World Champion! Vinales is off the podium. Does he know that he'll win? Danny Kent is second. He's Cortese's team mate. Can he win the race? Vinales tries to pass Tonucci. He can't. Even if he does, he will not win the title. Danny Kent is there. Can he pass? Yes! Tonucci crashes into Cortese? Cortese will not win the title. Danny Kent wins it!
#52 Danny Kent GBR KTM
The next race is in less than a week in Malaysia, at the Sepang circuit. The championship may just be decided then. But, wow! What a race this was!
No comments:
Post a Comment