The final race gives a true Moto3 showdown of rivals, KTM and an epic last lap.
As the Championship was decided last week, with Pedro Acosta coming on top as the World Champion, who will reign supreme in Valencia?
Interesting enough, almost everyone is on the exact same tire combination. Pedro Acosta sits in pole for the first time.
Tatsuki Suzuki gets away well at the front, but it’s Acosta that takes the lead of the race, followed by Izan Guevara and Suzuki.
There is a major highside, including riders: Lorenzo Fellon, Darryn Binder, and Yamanaka. The painful looking crash gives way, and all riders are ok. Binder and Fellon had two separate high sides, while Yamanaka fell out on his own.
But early on in lap 2, Acosta makes a mistake and falls down to 5th momentarily. It doesn’t take long for Acosta to take the lead again, once again followed by Guevara and then Salec.
A nice surprise is Deniz Oncu, who had been disqualified from the previous two races, as he sits in 5th place. On the other hand, the man who almost had the world championship, Dennis Foggia, sits down in 11th place. There are still 20 laps to go, so anything is possible.
Kelso and Arenas both crash out of the race in sector 1 with 19 laps to go. The whether conditions are fairly nice for Valencia, so it’s mainly rider error that is causing all these crashes.
GASGAS riders Guevara and Garcia are both in the top 3, the younger rider of the pair in 2nd.
Oncu already has a track limits warning. Track limits warning can come to a rider needing to take a long lap penalty, if they aren’t careful.
Guevara, one of the only riders with a hard rear tire, leads the race ahead of Acosta with 16 laps to go.
It doesn’t last long as the KTM rider retakes the lead a few corners later.
They begin swapping first place between themselves, Acosta v. Oncu being the biggest battle of the race, so far.
Yuki Kunii, who does not have a Moto3 seat next season, crashes out of the race.
But we now have a KTM 1, 2, and 3 with Oncu leading, Jaume Masia in 2nd and Acosta in third.
There is no more kindness between teammates, as the championship has already been won.
And, shockingly, Xavi Artigas claims 1st place!
Battles are going crazy as Oncu takes first place back, the KTM’s unwilling to let go of their top 3 status.
Denis Oncu has to go through a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
Filip Salec, who sits in 12th, also has a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
Artigas is in first, with 7 laps to go, followed by Acosta, Masia, Garcia and Migno. Who is going to take the final showdown?
Both Oncu and Salec are down in 10th and 12th, respectively.
And Tatsuki Suzuki has gone down at turn 1, losing the front end of the bike.
Sergio Garcia, who we haven’t seen much since he fell from grace and fell from the world championship, is in first place. It doesn’t last long, as it never does, when Masia takes back 1st place.
Dennis Foggia comes out of nowhere as he takes the lead of the race right under the KTM’s nose! The Leopard Racing Team did not come ton play today.
Alberto Surra has crashed out of the race, suffering from a front end wash out.
The last lap is lead by Acosta, followed by Foggia! And Acosta has been taken down by Foggia!
And Andrea Migno has crashed out as well!
It’s between Artigas and Garcia. Who will it be?
And our winner is Artigas! He takes his first win in Moto3.
It’s been an amazing season in Moto3. Cannot wait to return in 2022!
See you all soon.
