Moto3 Austin: Kent dominates the race, Bastianini is fourth

Moto3 Austin 2015 Race – Danny Kent (Honda) won the Moto3 class Americas Grand Prix, second stage of the 2015 world championship. The British rider of the Leopard Racing Team dominated the race and crossed the finish line over eight seconds ahead of rookie Fabio Quartararo (Honda ) and Efren Vazquez (Honda). Enea Bastianini had a good race, fighting for the podium and finishing in fourth position. His team-mate Andrea Locatelli was also the author of a good race, finishing in seventh position, ahead of Romano Fenati's KTM. Also scoring points were Andrea Migno with the second KTM of Team Sky VR46 and Matteo Ferrari, riding the Mahindra of Team Italia. Kent now leads the world championship standings, leading with 41 points against Enea Bastianini's 33, Fabio Quartararo's 29 and Alexis Masbou's 25, winner in Qatar and down at the last corner, while the podium was in play.

Race report

Second event of the season for the Moto3 class riders. The "Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas" takes place at the COTA (Circuit of The Americas) in Austin, which hosts the world championship circus for the third time. Yesterday the British Danny Kent (Honda) took pole position with a time of 2'15.344. The Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (KTM) and our Andrea Locatelli (Honda), a rider from Bergamo of Team Gresini, will start in the front row with him.

In the second row we find three Hondas, that of Team Ongetta-Rivacold of our Niccolò Antonelli and those of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 of Spaniard Jorge Navarro and rookie Fabio Quartararo, the latter French rider, who won the CEV last year . Third row for the Husqvarna of the Spanish Isaac Vinales and for our Enea Bastianini (Honda) and Francesco Bagnaia (Mahindra). Qualifying to forget for Romano Fenati, Sky Racing Team VR46.

The rider from Ascoli finished nineteenth (seventh row) and on the last "good" lap he had a problem with his KTM, which became "silent". His team-mate Andrea Migno finished in twenty-second position and will therefore start from the eighth row together with Matteo Ferrari. Ninth row for rookie Stefano Manzi and Alessandro Tonucci. All ready, eighteen laps to go (99.234 km) at COTA. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is the Portuguese Miguel Oliveira, who started ahead of Locatelli and Antonelli. The Cattolica driver immediately attacks, taking second position. Followed by Navarro, Kent, Quartararo, Masbou and Vinales. Good start for Fenati, who is around tenth position.

Locatelli regains second position, but Antonelli takes the lead. The first lap ends with Antonelli ahead of Oliveira, Locatelli, Navarro, Quartararo, Kent, Bagnaia, Masbou, Bastianini and Fenati.

Antonelli tries to get ahead, while there is immediately a great fight between Locatelli, Quartararo and Navarro. Attack by Oliveira, who takes command of the operations again. The KTM rider closes the second lap ahead of Antonelli, Quartararo, Kent, Locatelli, Masbou, Bagnaia and Fenati. Rookie Stefano Manxi is eighteenth, followed by Andrea Migno. Meanwhile the Belgian Livio Loi falls, with no physical consequences for him.

It's like reliving the Qatar race, with a large group of over ten riders fighting for the victory. Pole sitter Danny Kent begins to recover and takes the lead on lap four. The Honda rider immediately tries to push forward, and seems to be able to get ahead significantly. However, the Italians do not give up, protagonists in the fight for second position with Niccolò Antonelli, Andrea Locatelli, Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Romano Fenati, who after a great comeback rejoined the group following Kent.

The brawl continues, but Antonelli slips! It's a shame for the Team Ongetta-Rivacold rider, who loses the front of his Honda at the first corner after the finishing straight, imitated by Hiroki Ono, with the Japanese rider's Honda almost touching the Italian. The rider from Cattolica tries to return, but is forced to go to the pits to have a handlebar fixed, which was bent in the fall.

Having reached the halfway point of the race we find Danny Kent in front who has a large advantage. The Briton from Leopard Racing has over four seconds on the Losail winner, Alexis Masbou. Also competing for the podium with the Frenchman is Francesco Bagnaia, with the Mahindra of Team Aspar and the Gresini duo formed by Andrea Locatelli and Enea Bastianini. Fenati tries to come back after losing ground in the previous laps. The Team Sky VR46 rider is twelfth and fighting with Brad Binder.

Double crash! on the ground our very own Bagnaia and the Spaniard Jorge Navarro, who imitated Antonelli and Ono. Another Italian down, therefore, while good news comes from Andrea Migno, now in points.

Another fall! This time it is Oliveira who loses control of his KTM, with the bike crossing the track being dangerously grazed by our Andrea Locatelli, who was forced to lose many positions to avoid the KTM of Team Red Bull Ajo.

A fall that split the race even more, with Kent first solo, followed at a safe distance by Alexis Masbou and the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who is on the virtual podium in his second race in the world championship. Niccolò Antonelli returned to the track in twenty-fifth, but without any chance of scoring.

The best of the Italians is now Enea Bastianini, fifth with the Team Gresini Honda, while Romano Fenati and Andrea Locatelli are in eighth and ninth position. Migno is in points, fourteenth, while Matteo Ferrari is sixteenth.

Efren Vazquez, fourth, is reducing the gap from the two competing for the podium, bringing with him our Enea Bastianini, who could get back into the fight for second and third positions. It should be noted that the first five bikes are Honda, the first KTM is in fact sixth with the South African Brad Binder.

Three laps to go, with Quartararo (now second), Masbou, Bastianini and Vazquez competing for second and third place on the podium. Kent continues his solitary race towards victory, while there is a great fight behind him.

The final lap begins, Kent goes on to win the Grand Prix of the Americas, which is also his third victory in the Moto3 class after the two obtained in 2012. Fabio Quartararo and Efren Vazquez on the podium. Fourth place finish for Enea Bastianini, while Alexis Masbou slips and finishes sixteenth.