Here are the highlights of the Moto 3 race from the Misano Adriatico circuit, in San Marino.
It is round 12 of Moto 3 for 2013. Valentino Rossi's half brother Luca Marini is in this race. Jonas Folger is on pole for this race. Luis Salom, championship leader, starts on row four of the grid. Andrea Locatelli is starting last, right at the back of the grid along with Luca Amato as the bikes set off on their warmup lap. We're ready for a start to this race. 23 laps scheduled.
At the start, Luis Salom makes a good getaway, taking two or three spots. Luca Marini (a wildcard rider, Valentino Rossi's brother), he's out. Rats. Jonas Folger leads over Alex Rins, Maverick Vinales, and Zulhfammi Khairuddin. The Moto 3 bikes run flat out through Curvone. Alex Rins is running up at the front. Rins and Vinales have been out front a lot this year. Niccolo Antonelli passes Zulhfammi Khairuddin. Oliveira runs deep and into La Quercia, there's more battling. Luca Marini high sides his bike. Ugh. Rins wants by Folger. But, he'll wait, and bide his time.
Two laps complete. Luis Salom and Alex Marquez want to move up. Niccolo Antonelli wants to be close by Khairuddin on the road. Rins runs fast lap. Not sure of the time. He leads back into Quercia. Vinales is going to go for it as they fly through turn eleven at Misano, which is one of the fastest corners in MotoGP. Rins has to book it to keep up with Vinales. Rins has a 1:43.4. Vinales has a 1:43.3 lap time. Jonas Folger gets launched off his bike! He'll be OK. But, too much power. He crawls away from the bike. But, that's vicious crash! He was thrown off the bike, and into the air trying to sit up going through the corner.
Alex Rins and Maverick Vinales will battle for the top spot. Jack Miller is eighth. Philip Oettl is ninth. Niklas Ajo is also running well, going from 21st to 12th. Jonas Folger is put on a stretcher. Lets hope he's OK. Alex Marquez will battle Luis Salom for sure. Vinales challenges Rins for the race lead. Salom and Marquez are still in a hotly contested battle, as Spanish riders are again, dominating the field. Salom could follow Marquez. He's good at following his target, and then, jumping out and passing.
So, it's a predator, prey type idea. It's like a cheetah, stalking a gazelle. Romano Fenati wiggles his bike and fortunately stays on. But, he's had a tough season. Next year, Fenati will run for a team financially supported by Valentino Rossi, in Moto 3. Can Alex Marquez close on Rins and Vinales? Marquez moves away from Salom, and is closing on the top three riders. Niccolo Antonelli barely hangs on to the top group. Arthur Sissis, Niklas Ajo and a few more, run in lockstep. Isaac Vinales is also there. He'll be with Gressini as part of a new team next year.
Marquez is 3/10ths quicker than Vinales. Eric Granado and Romano Fenati are battling for the final points paying position. Fenati had three podiums last year. Not so much this year. Brad Binder is also in this scrum. Granado is learning fast from the other riders around him. Francesco Bagnaia, (Fenati's team mate), has crashed. Game over. Marquez is now second in front of Luis Salom. Salom leads the Moto 3 championship points, by 26 markers over his nearest rival. So, he could gain a few points instead of a lot, and still be in the lead.
Niccolo Antonelli is sixth or seventh, and is the top Italian rider in Moto 3. Valentino Rossi is the only Italian to win in any MotoGP class this year. Marquez is trying to reel in Rins and Vinales. Twelve laps left in the race now. The gap between Vinales and Marquez is 1.355 seconds. Philip Oettl runs alone in ninth. It would be his best result in Moto 3. He does well in practice and qualifying as Luis Salom hounds Zulfahmmi Khairuddin and others. Luis Salom and Arthur Sissis have been arguing with each other off track about each other's riding behavior.
The gap between Marquez and Vinales is four seconds. Now, Vinales takes the place from Marquez. Keep in mind, this is Marc Marquez's brother, the MotoGP star. Marquez passes in turn 11. Matteo Ferrari crashes out of 21st place. This race is half over. Local yellow for Ferrari's bike. Rins and Marquez are a half a second apart. Vinales has had a load of podiums, but hasn't won since France, at Le Mans, in May. Niccolo Antonelli passes Jack Miller. Marquez has lost time as Rins reacts to what Vinales is doing.
Antonelii passs Khairuddin. Zulfahmi Khairuddin tried passing another bike. Alexis Masbou is out with a mechanical issue. Less than ten laps to go now. Zulhfammi Khairuddin still has some fight in him. Will he move up? The points situation is a big deal. But, Khairuddin's team mate is Luis Salom, who is in the championship fight. Khairuddin will be with a new team next year and there will be more junior riders moving to Moto 3 next year.
Into Curvone, Khairuddin pushes and passes Luis Salom. Now, this battle betwen Vinales and Rins is still hot, too. Marquez is in the picture if these two have a row. They run back through La Quercia again. The gap in the points championship will close up. But, Maverick Vinales needs a win, too. Rins comes inside, but can't get by Vinales. Miguel Oliviera has the harder compound option front tire. Could he come up and make a move? Antonelli has some issues with punch out of the corner on his bike, in terms of it's engine's power.
Alex Rins might make a move. But the pace is steady in the 1:43 bracket. Salom is pushing, and so are Khairuddin and others. Salom has it a little easier now that Antonelli has lost ground. Alex Rins is sizing up Vinales, in a long run to the line after negotiating turn 16. Antonelli twitches, and Oliviera goes by. Vinales still leads this one. Alex Marquez looks to finish third, and it will be his third podium in Moto 3. Rins makes his move for the lead into turn one. Rins can stick with a plan and grow his lead.
Can Maverick Vinales stay with Rins? Marquez looks like he'll finish third. Rins is cruising. Don't make a mistake. Miguel Oliviera has a lead over Zulhfammi Khairuddin. Hyuga Watanabe crashes and restarts on bike #29. The marshals help him. Luis Salom has to get by Khairuddin if he wants to stay competitive. Antonelli and Miller are still in it. Now, Vinales still has an advantage over rins with less than two laps left. Through Curvone. Antonelli passes Salom. Yikes!
Khairuddin has been gapped. Now, watch out for Watanabe. Will Alex Rins get by Vinales? This is big race. Watanabe sits up and moves over. It's the last lap of the Moto 3 Grand Prix at San Marino. Will Rins pass in La Quercia? Rins runs in and passes. Vinales comes back on the other end of the road. Here they come. This is the decision. Who will get it? Rins takes the lead and into turn 13 and 14, Vinales tries to run in on Rins. Rins defends. Who gets it? Rins wins it at Misano!
#42 Alex Rins ESP KTM
The next Moto 3 race is at Motorland Aragon in Spain, coming up in two weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment