Here are the race highlights from the Moto 3 race at Mugello in Italy.
On pole will be Jonas Folger, scoring his first pole of the season in 2013. Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins are also on the front row. The bikes set off on their warmup lap for this 20 lap race. Here we go. There is no rain for this race, for round five of Moto 3. Go!
At the start, Alex Rins crept forward and Jonas Folger nabbed him. Going into San Donato, it's Jonas Folger who is ahead. Cool it, chaps. Folger will escape if you don't just run to a pace. They plunge through Casanova and the Arrabiatta corners. Alex Rins and Jack Miller are racing. Alex Marquez is Miller's target as Miguel Oliveira is defending. They line up for the last corner at Bucine. The KTM's have a power advantage ov er the FTR Honda's. Miguel Oliviera is going for it and Alex Rins passes. Miller fends off Niccolo Antonelli's challenge as Zulfahmi Khairuddin is now tenth.
The Mahindra bikes also run well. It's Folger, Vinales, Rins, and Salom, the top four. Vinales wants to get into the lead. He's right around Folger into San Donato. But, Vinales is still pushing. Antonelli passes Miller. Folger, it looks like, sets fast lap. Couldn't find the time on the graphic. Folger knows he'll need to push if he wants to beat the Spaniards. Vinales takes the lead through Bucine. It's Vinales, Folger, and Rins, 1-2-3. Alessandro Tonucci crashes his bike. Game over. Meanwhile, Folger and Rins remain second and third. They're content to be where they are for now.
Vinales is running well. But, Alex Rins is going to push for sure. Back into San Donato again, the top five are all scrapping with each other. Alex Marquez is being patient, biding his time. Rins gets around Folger, but Danny Webb has issues. He's got issues, after scrapping with John McPhee and Jasper Iwema. He might have collided with either of them. Vinales, Folger, Rins, Oliveira, and Marquez, is the top five. Six laps are complete. Rins moves into second. He can't get caught behind Folger. Romano Fenati is moving up, passing John McPhee.
Jasper Iwema and Niklas Ajo are moving up, too. Zulfhammi Khairuddin is also doing well. Back at the sharp end, it's still a train of bikes, with Vinales in P1. Oliviera is settled down, but Alex Marquez is flying right now. What is he up to? He wants to race. Luis Salom is also in this thing, just keeping pace, watching what's going on, riding his race. Folger runs wide and could have given a spot away to Oliviera. Eight laps complete. Two laps to halfway. There are at least two scrums going on on the track, with about seven or eight bikes in each pack.
That San Donato corner is what tells the story for who will pass who. This is great racing right now! Just fantastic! Luis Salom passes Miguel Oliveira, as Alex Marquez tries to go for the lead, and so does Alex Rins. Who is ahead here? Well, no worries. Maverick Vinales is now ahead. Luis Salom also continues to push. Oliviera wanted to pass Folger, but thought better of it. Marquez will have a go when he can. Not sure what Rins might do.
Eric Granado of Brazil is now eighth. Ten ;laps down. Ten to go. The race is half over. Alex Marquez passes for the lead, into San Donato. But, the bikes go six wide in the chasing group! Yikes! This is unreal! These youngsters are not afraid to mix it up. Jack Miller is also going for it. Wow. It's still a KTM vs. Honda battle. Matteo Ferrari, Brad Binder, and others, are in this tussle, too. John McPhee and Jakub Kornfeil are out of the points. Vinales can't get away. Rins gets swallowed up. Luis Salom and Miguel Oliviera are also pushing.
Jack Miller did a wheelie at the start. Nine laps left. Vinales is still being hounded by Marquez and Rins. What is Vinales thinking before the end of this race? He's going to want to retain the race lead. Vinales is still leading the race, and he's got a clear advantage. Luis Salom is now in this scrum. Now, Marquez leads. Luis Salom makes a pass as Khairuddin passes Romano Fenati. Jonas Folger is catching up. Six riders could win this race. Marquez and others get wide into Scarperia. Oliviera passes Rins. More passing as they go six wide again! Luis Salom wants to take over. But, Miguel Oliviera is leading! Wow.
Who is going to win? Yikes! Oliveira is going to try consolidating his lead. He'll run a better pace than Alex Marquez was doing. Into the Biondetti esses and through Bucine, things are still hot and heavy. Five laps remain now. Luis Salom has now presented a challenge. Will Vinales pass? Yes. These bikes are all over the place. The KTM's are squashing the Honda FTR's right now. Niccolo Antonelli is also being caught. Niklas Ajo and Jack Miller are not out of this race yet either.
Miller is pushing Ajo again. Salom hits the brakes and Oliveira pushes into the apex of the corner. This has been a crazy race. Yours truly's head is a litle scrambled with all these changes. Luis Salom had a huge crash at Le Mans in practice, and is still recovering from that one. Oliviera passes Vinales. Rins sits up, and he might be able to push to the front before this race is run. Into San Donato again, Marquez ran wide and blocked Oliveira. Luis Salom might just be able to pull away. Oliviera really wants to pass Marquez. Romano Fenati has crashed in the Biondetti corner. He flies over the handlebars, and tumbles through the gravel. Yikes!
That was a scary crash. Two laps left. Miguel Oliveira is pushing. Here comes Rins, and here comes Salom. Vinales is flying and so is Jonas Folger. Marquez leads over Salom. This is classic racing. It comes down to a last lap shootout whether we're talking about 125cc, Moto 3, 250cc, or Moto 2. It's the last lap. Into Bucine, Rins is following Marquez. Salom has some space, too. This is it. Who will win? Into San Donato for the final time. These guys are four wide. Alex Marquez is caught out. He drifts back. Salom leads over Rins.
Maverick Vinales is stuck. Where will he end up? Alex Rins has really done well. The top two pull away. Luis Salom is going for it. Through Correntaio, and Biondetti. What happens into Bucine? Is Vinales close enough? One corner to go at Mugello. Salom leads. He's the winner! The action is not over. Matteo Ferrari and Jakub Kornfeil get tangled up in the last corner.
#39 Luis Salom ESP KTM
This is Salom's second win of 2013, after also getting the checkers in Qatar. The next race for Moto 3 sees a return to Spain at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, in two weeks.
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