Late drama and penalties lead to a race full of shocking twisting and turns. Are we seeing the beginning of a new championship rival?
The sun is shining on race day, unlike the forecast originally stated. There are perfect conditions for racing, and with the riders back from injury, the race is headed for great things.
The riders back from injury are Riccardo Rossi, Stefano Nepa and Pedro Acosta, who were all involved in an incident during FP3.
Race Start
Romano Fenati got away well from the start/finish line, but his penalty could inhibit him if he doesn’t take it fast enough. Sergio Garcia and Jeremy Alcoba are following him, teammate Gabriel Rodrigo right behind.
Taking a look at the penalties for Moto3, we have:
Jaume Masia with a ride through penalty, both Max Racing riders have a double long lap penalty.
Masia, Izdihar, Fellon, Matsuyama, Kelso, Kunii have long lap penalties for irresponsible riding.
20 Laps to Go
Dennis Foggia is leading the race with Garcia trailing close behind. Xavi Artigas is sweeping through turns 14 and 15 to overtake the Aspar Team Rider. The 1-2 Leopard Racing Team is battling to keep the first position from Garcia and trying to keep the third from Darryn Binder. Both Gresini Racing riders are in fifth and sixth, respectively.
The championship leader Pedro Acosta, who was in the hospital this morning, is climbing his way from 18th. He is currently in ninth position.
At this point, Fenati has taken both long lap penalties he was given. While he is in 11th place, his pace shows that he can still battle it out for the podium.
Tatsuki Sazuki and Binder have climbed their way up the field in order to battle for the podium ahead of Foggia.
Garcia, who is looking for his third win of the season, is in good position to take it. He doesn’t have to lead the race to show that he is a threat. Staying in fourth and even fifth position keeps him in contention for the win. As we have seen in the past, leading the race isn’t always the best idea for the first half of the race.
At the exit of turn 5, Pedro Acosta is out of his seat but is able to save. Right behind him, at the same corner, Nicolo Antonelli, Andrea Migno and Kaito Toba are involved in an incident due to Acosta’s mistake.
The teams that were battling together to try and gain an advantage have since split up, the stronger of the pairs taking the lead while the other teammate took the end of the leading pack. Early threat Fenati has made his way up the pack since his double long lap penalty.
10 Laps to Go
Dennis Foggia is leading the race with Garcia and Fenati following behind.
Both Petronas Sprinta Racing riders are in fourth and fifth, trying to find a way around Garcia to take the last spot on the podium.
The two other riders who were in the hospital, Riccardo Rossi and Stefano Nepa, are in 19th and 12th place. While it isn’t the best for points, it is good to see that both riders are okay and able to battle it out for their spots.
Adrian Fernandez crashes out of the race at turn 15, making it six races he has crashes out of in the nine he has raced.
Even if Foggia does not take the win, he is on track for taking another podium. Winning races does well for the points, but even podiuming when the championship leader is behind him is better than not. Foggia does seem as if he is coming into himself and using his skills properly.
Pedro Acosta has done well, making his way to fifth place ahead of Suzuki. There were multiple moments for the KTM rider where he has almost crashed out, but quick thinking has allowed him to stay on.
The fastest man on the track is Sergio Garcia, looking to take the win from third place. Everyone in the main pack is still in contention to take the win with three laps left, but there are some clear favorites to take it.
Binder has a huge moment that takes him out of his seat, taking him to the back of the battling group.
Last Lap
Foggia is leading the race with Garcia and Fenati trailing right behind. While it looks like it is going to come down to these three riders, never say never. Acosta is coming through to battle for the podium, but it could be too late for that.
The Leopard Racing rider is a couple of bike lengths ahead of the other two riders while the main battle is for second place.
And he does it!
Dennis Foggia takes his third win of the season while Sergio Garcia takes 2nd place, Romano Fenati in 3rd.
Just behind them, though, is the championship leader Pedro Acosta. He will take the summer break as the world championship leader, still having a strong lead.
And that is a wrap on the first half of the season.
With Foggia taking his third win and Garcia showing promise for more, who will take the world championship? Will it be Acosta, or will someone surprise and take the lead after the summer break?
We’ll find out, starting in Austria!
