Luis Salom wins the Moto3 race at Motorland

What a dramatic twist we witnessed during the warm-up lap before the start. Maverick Viñales, who had already been complaining about problems with his bike, watched as his FTR left him stranded and was unable to take the start. The Roses rider could not reach the starting grid and practically said goodbye to any chance of cutting into Cortese’s points in the fight for the title of Moto3 world champion.

From the start, we saw a group race of up to 12 riders, with impossible battles involving up to five riders side by side at the end of the straight. Little by little, a small selection was made, and it came down to a group of 7. The race was a head-to-head battle among all of them, but it became clear that on Motorland’s long straight, the KTMs had the advantage, since they run extremely fast there.

KTM’s dominance was overwhelming, as the top four were all riding this engine, and it was especially noticeable on the circuit’s long straight, where the rest of the riders could do little when the Austrian bikes opened the throttle. They flew. Behind Luis Salom came the championship leader, Sandro Cortese, who saw his lead over the previous second-place rider, Maverick, grow to 66 points. Salom is now second in the standings, 51 points behind. The podium was completed by Jonas Folger, who has been achieving the best results of his career since joining the Aspar team.

Behind them, the rest of the group arrived. Danny Kent, Efrén Vázquez, Alex Rins, Louis Rossi and Miguel Oliveira closed out the group, which had put on a great show throughout the race. The rest of the Spanish riders finished further back, unable to stay with this group. Alberto Moncayo was 13th, Alex Márquez 15th, Isaac Viñales 17th and Juanfran Guevara 24th. Adrián Martín and Jorge Navarro did not finish due to crashes.

Statements from Luis Salom:

I am very happy with the race, since after yesterday’s crash my shoulder is very sore. I crashed again in the warm-up and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to finish the race. I didn’t know that Mack was not in the race, and I feel bad for him.

Statements from Sandro Cortese:

It was a very important race when I saw that Mack was not in the race. I tried to win but it wasn’t possible. I gave everything, but the important thing is the big step I have taken towards the title.

Statements from Jonas Folger:

It was a tough race with a very big group. I was able to lead some laps, but when everyone caught up I dropped back. I can be very happy with this third place. It is a great result.

Photos | motogp.com