Sandro Cortese wins in Sepang and is crowned Moto3 Champion

The Moto3 World Championship has kicked off on-track action at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with the small-displacement category being the first race at the Sepang Circuit, and everyone with their eyes on the sky, as the shadow of rain was clearly approaching.

The start was very good for pole sitter Khairuddin, who held the lead, but Jonas Folger didn’t wait a single minute and managed to overtake the Malaysian, taking the lead from the outset and pushing hard to open a gap over the rest of the riders. However, the Team Aspar rider couldn’t open that distance and watched as the Malaysian, the category leader Rossi and Salom went with him.

That group of five riders dominated for most of the race, but with 13 laps to go the group lost its first rider when Louis Rossi crashed, which gave Luis Salom a real scare as he was cut off from the group, leaving Folger, Khairuddin and Cortese at the front.

Three riders fighting for victory, although in reality only Khairuddin and Folger really got into the battle, while Cortese was a luxury spectator. He chose not to join that fight and avoid problems, since he is champion in almost every situation, especially with Salom losing positions and fighting hard with the chasing group behind the leaders.

The final laps were very intense, as the rain flag was shown, with drizzle falling and the possibility that Race Direction might bring out the red flag. Nerves were high and everyone was trying to cross the finish line in first place. An intense battle among the three leaders, as Cortese overtook Folger and then attacked Khairuddin, who had taken the lead on his home soil.

The final lap was brutal. This group of three riders gave their all in every corner. We saw a Malaysian who did not want to let the chance to win at home slip away, and also a Sandro who wanted the title in style, while Folger was the guest who had nothing to lose, just keeping his pace and his solid work with Team Aspar.

Finally, Sandro claimed victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix by just 0.028s over Khairuddin, while Folger completed the podium. The top five were Salom in 4th and Oliveira in 5th, with the top ten made up of Kent 6th, Rins 7th, Vázquez 8th, Ajo 9th and Martín 10th. Among the other Spanish riders, Márquez finished 14th, Moncayo 18th, I. Viñales 19th and Rodriguez 25th.

So Sandro Cortese is the 2012 Moto3 World Champion, the first in this category, with two races to spare. Many congratulations to the German rider, who was the most consistent, the most steady and the one who best made the most of every opportunity.

Congratulations.

Photo | MotoGP Official website