It's time for Moto 3 at Circuit of the Americas. These are the young guns. The future stars that we'll see in MotoGP sooner or later. Moto 3 is the first step on the ladder. These are single cylinder bikes with 250cc displacement, producing 50 horsepower or so. Luis Salom has been very quick. Maverick Vinales is also on the front row. But, Alex Rins has scored his second pole position. Jack Miller and Alex Marquez are going to be in this fight. These bikes have a combined weight of 325 pounds.
This is going to be a good one. We are ready for the race. The bikes are on track. This is a moment in history for Circuit of the Americas as Alex Rins, is on pole as mentioned. The racing line is on the right side of the grid. This track is really wide. Moto 3 bikes carry a lot of speed, and the paint on track has sand in it, and that's why these guys can carry so much speed over the curbs. 18 laps scheduled. Valentino Rossi is watching this race. We're ready to race.
At the start, going uphill, it's Alex Rins being pushed by Luis Salom already. How will these guys get through the esses? One corner flows into the next one. Through the fast kink and into the braking zone at turn eleven. The back straight is nearly a mile long. These guys are now single file, drafting, ready to hit the brakes through the speed trap. Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, and Luis Salom are all at the top of the order right now. All KTM's at the front. Niklas Ajo makes a pass as Rins runs a 2:17.3. Arthur Sissis is also coming, in seventh.
A couple riders have crashed. Alessandro Tonucci picks up his bike and continues. Florian Alt also went down. Both of them will keep racing. These guys come from Red Bull Rookies Cup, and also, 125cc bikes. Everyone wants to show what they can do. Rins runs a 2:16.9 as he's got a half a second lead. Zulfami Khairuddin is running well. Arthur Sissis runs seventh as Florian Alt heads to pit lane. It's Rins, Vinales, and Salom. Florian Alt is out of the race.
The lean angle through the corners will wear the tires down. Rins, Vinales, and Salom are 1-2-3. Isaac Vinales (Maverick's brother), is also running down the order. The esses on this track are critical. You've got to keep up a rhythm as a rider. Keep momentum up. Matteo Ferrari runs back in 27th. Brad Binder is also starting to move up. The top three is starting to gap Jonas Folger at the moment. Fourteen laps remaining. This is a very physically and mentally taxing track. But, these younger riders on smaller bikes, seem to be doing very well.
As a rider, you have to get down behind the fairing, making yourself very aerodynamic. Salom is sizing up Vinales and Rins, asking, "are these dudes sandbagging? Can I get around them? Are they really as fast as they can be?" Jonas Folger is a second adrift from the leaders. Danny Webb is up to thirteenth behind Romano Fenati and Miguel Oliviera. Jakub Kornfeil is eighth at the moment going through the turn ten kink. 12 laps completed. Toni Finsterbusch falls. He loses the front end. Alex Rins is in command as Luis Salom might be falling behind just a shade.
Eight laps done. Ten remain. So the next lap, it'll be halfway. The fastest bike is 145 miles an hour, compared to 211 miles an hour for MotoGP. That's a 65-66 mile an hour difference. Jack Miller passes Jakub Kornfeil. The bikes wind through turn 15. Turn 19 is another good passing zone. Right now, these guys are running to a pace as Luis Salom has fallen back. It's not hard to overwork a tire because you as a rider are on edge in terms of the adhesion on this track.
Make a move into turn 12. But, wait. This race is right at halfway now. Alain Techer of France falls off his bike. There's a bunch of runoff on this track. Techer fell in turn 11 after the esses. Rins is gapping Vinales. Vinales will have to make a move earlier than he anticipates. Four Spanish riders, lead it. We are now under a red flag. How did this happen? Dutchman Jasper Iwema has crashed. Race control determined that five laps will decide this race, after the riders pitted for tires and fuel. Iwema is being examined, and he's in good shape.
The grid reforms and everyone has new tires. It's a whole new race now. It's a five lap sprint on the restart. Luis Salom has the hole shot. He's gained everything he needs as they go through the esses in turns three, four, and five. Jonas Folger is going to push like crazy as Alex Rins goes wide to avoid a wiggling Maverick Vinales. He's going to have to catch up. Luis Salom is going to extend his race lead it seems. Get a good drive off of turn 20 to get down the front straight.
Jasper Iwema will have a CT scan, but his muscles are fine. He'll be back to race again. Niklas Ajo is fifth being passed by Maverick Vinales. Alex Rins looks down the inside as Alex Marquez has an issue, stopping, and starting the bike again. Four laps left. Tony Finsterbusch will be OK after his early crash. A lot of these corners in the middle of the track, are stop and go. Rins is pushing up the inside. Salom has good drive. Will he go for it? Yes. They're side by side! Who gets it? Vinales runs fast lap at 2:16.8. Folger is fourth. Ajo is fifth. Miller is sixth. Binder, Kornfeeil and others are in contention.
It's game over for Alex Marquez. He comes to pit lane. Salom has a draft and he's made a pass. But, Alex Rins is not giving up. Rins points to Salom saying, "follow me. Don't make a stupid move and crash." The two frontrunners are making hay while the sun shines with two laps left. This has been a whale of a race! They're back through turns ten and elevn. Vinales is coming. They're flip flopping positions. It's a three way fight for the win. Vinales follows Rins and Salom. One lap remains now. Salom has to pass, now. He can't wait. He pushes it down the inside and makes it work. But, Vinales is challenging. He runs wide.
Watch Rins. He can't let this race end like Qatar did last time out. It's got to be a last minute move in turn 12 for Rins. Maverick Vinales is still there. Here we go. Maverick Vinales tries slipstreaming. Here he comes! Through turn fifteen, the double apex corner. Turn 19 is risky. Rins has to cover the inside. Salom is up the inside and there's Rins and Vinales! Rins wins it! Salom had it all and lost it all in one fell swoop!
#42 Alex Rins ESP KTM
The next race for Moto 3 will be in Spain at the Jerez circuit, coming up in two weeks.
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