Moto3 Motegi: Alex Marquez wins, Salom and Rins fall, world championship reopened

Endless twists and turns at Motegi in the penultimate race of the Moto3 class. Alex Marquez won it after an exciting duel with Maverick Vinales, his first victory, but there had been twists and turns before.

At the start of the race it was in fact world leader Luis Salom who fell, first hit by Isaac Vinales (Maverick's cousin) and then falling alone when once he got back on the saddle he was twenty-sixth. At that point the world championship was in the hands of Alex Rins, who was virtually 20 points ahead of his compatriot. However, the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider thought about leaving the game open until Valencia, crashing when he was fighting for the victory. Jonas Folger, rider of Team Aspar, then climbed onto the third step of the podium.

The world ranking now still sees Salom in command, but with only 2 points ahead of Maverick Vinales and 5 over Rins. A world championship therefore very open and which the Spaniards will play at home in the last match in Valencia, scheduled for November 10th. As for the Italians, the best was Fenati, fifth, while Antonelli finished ninth.

Race report

Penultimate race of the 2013 season for the Moto3 class, a category in which Luis Salom, rider of the Red Bull KTM Ajo Team, leads the world championship standings. In pole position in Motegi, theater of the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan, we find Alex Rins, riding the KTM of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0. The Spaniard who achieved the best time with a time of 2'09.387 will have next to him in the front row his compatriots Maverick Vinales and Alex Marquez (his team-mate, as well as brother of the MotoGP world leader), also on KTM .

Fourth time for Luis Salom, who leads the drivers' standings with just 5 points ahead of Rins. The KTM #39 will therefore start from the first spot on the second row where there will also be the Australian Jack Miller and Isaac Vinales, Maverick's cousin, both riding an FTR Honda.

First of the Italian riders is Niccolo Antonelli, seventh with the FTR Honda of Team Gresini. The young rider from Cattolica preceded the Honda wild card Hiroki Ono and the German Team Aspar Jonas Folger.

The other Italians are further back; Lorenzo Baldassarri is twenty-fourth, Romano Fenati twenty-sixth, Matteo Ferrari thirty and Francesco Bagnaia thirty-fourth. Alessandro Tonucci is absent due to a wrist injury in Sepang. Everything is ready for the race, 17 degrees in the air, 27 on the asphalt, 20 laps to go for 96.02 km. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is Rins, who started ahead of Alex Marquez, Luis Salom, Jack Miller and Maverick Vinales. Niccolò Antonelli is ninth.

Immediately a fall, the Malaysian Khairuddin outside hit by Binder. Meanwhile, in front they exchange positions but be careful! Fall of Luis Salom! The world championship leader was hit squarely by Isaac Vinales! Sports drama in Team Red Bull Ajo. Salom still manages to get back on the saddle, but he is last and very late. A bad blow for his world championship, which has been excellent so far.

Meanwhile, the first lap ends with Alex Marquez in the lead ahead of Maverick Vinales, Rins, Miller, Folger, Masbou, Antonelli, Ajo, Watanabe and Oliveira. Romano Fenati is eleventh, while Luis Salom, back on the bike, is twenty-ninth.

After a third of the race we find Maverick Vinales in the lead, who took advantage of the family fight between Rins and Marquez, now followed by Folger. Romano Fenati had a good race, seventh, while Antonelli lost a few positions and was ninth.

Salom behind tries to recover as many positions as possible but comes the second fall! This time he does it all alone at turn 4, a high-side that gave him no chance of reply. Race over and at this point even the world championship becomes a mirage for him! It's a shame for the Spanish, who up until now had been almost perfect.

Having reached the halfway point of the race we find four drivers vying for victory. In order Vinales, Rins, Marquez and Folger. Closing the Top Ten we find Miguel Oliveira, Jack Miller, Romano Fenati, Alexis Masbou, John McPhee and Niklas Ajo. Niccolò Antonelli is eleventh while the other Italians are further back; Lorenzo Baldassarri is eighteenth, Francesco Bagnaia twenty-second and Matteo Ferrari twenty-third. Ana Carrasco's (Lady Gas Gas) race has been good so far, twenty-first with the second KTM of Team Calvo.

The quartet has become a trio, Folger has in fact fallen away, while Romano Fenati is fighting with Jack Miller, Alexis Masboi and John McPhee for sixth position. Incredible! Alex Rins, who was the virtual world championship leader at the time, also falls! At this point everything points in favor of Maverick Vinales, who by winning would go to the top of the world championship with 3 points ahead of Salom and 8 over Rins himself!

Last three laps of the race, the only one who could lend a hand to the two fallen is Alex Marquez, who in fact attacks and takes the lead. There are five points difference between first and second position, which could prove fundamental in Valencia. Vinales doesn't fit and a few corners later he takes the lead back. An ending to follow. The last lap begins, Marquez tries to attack and passes, last chicane, Marquez wins ahead of Vinales and Folger. In the world championship Vinales is now -2 behind Salom, while Rins is -5.