Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee won just his second ever Grand Prix race after taking a magnifique win at the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France, the polesitter beating Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) to the line to make it 10 winners in the last 10 Moto3™ races, with five different winners at the start of the season happening for the first time ever in the Moto3™ class.
It was Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) got the holeshot from second on the grid with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) also getting past polesitter McPhee into Turn 2, with the Japanese rider then taking the lead of the race at Turn 6 on Lap 1. Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was in the bunker early as the young Spaniard crashed at Turn 7, with fellow rookie Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP) having to take avoiding action too. Then, third place Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) had a huge highside on the exit of Turn 10, his bike coming back into the middle of the track as the Moto3™ riders did incredibly well to avoid hitting the stricken Honda. Unfortunately for Ogura, he was later diagnosed with a right hand and left foot fracture.
Back at the front and there was a lead group of seven forming, Suzuki still spearheading the race with Dalla Porta on the back of the group. The Italian soon made his way forward though as the pack continued to shuffle behind race leader Suzuki. Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) then hit the front for the first time heading into Turn 2 and 3 on Lap 9, slicing his way through on Suzuki as the KTM rider led a quintet of Hondas, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) the only other KTM rider in the lead group in seventh. Suzuki though snatched the lead back at the final corner heading onto Lap 10, Migno back down to fourth.
However, the gap to eighth place Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) – the Spaniard starting 23rd on the grid – was being cut by considerable amounts, taking 0.5 seconds out of the leaders on Lap 10, with Dalla Porta now taking the lead – again though, Suzuki snapped straight back. They say rubbing is racing and that’s certainly true for the Moto3™ class, the seven riders jostling hard for position as Masia now sat less than two seconds off the leaders, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Dennis Foggia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) coming with him.
However, Masia was then imposed with a 2.2 second penalty for shortcutting Turns 3 and 4 – race seemingly over for the Spaniard. Back at the front and it was still Suzuki leading, Dalla Porta was second with McPhee now building momentum in third. But with eight to go, Suzuki overcooked it into Turn 7 and ran wide, dropping to fifth with Dalla Porta and McPhee then taking it in turns to lead.
Disaster then struck for two of the leading group. Suzuki lost the rear on the exit of Turn 3 and went down, with Arbolino having nowhere to go as the pair crashed out of the race. This left McPhee and Dalla Porta with a half-second lead over Migno, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Canet over a second back now. But Migno was right with them by the end of Lap 18 and with four to go, it was a three-way battle for the win – Canet 0.8 off, with Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) having more scorching late race pace to get up to fifth.
With three laps to go, the leading group was suddenly 12 as the pack closed right up, but McPhee and Dalla Porta remained at the front heading into the final lap, with Toba and Canet right with them as the quartet had a slight advantage over the others – Masia and Migno coming together heading onto the final lap. McPhee took the lead into Turn 9 as Canet made a harsh move on Toba at Turn 11 to get into third as both riders nearly went down the road. McPhee crossed the line to take his first win since Brno 2016, Dalla Porta took second just behind the Scotsman and Canet claimed third to take the Championship lead – 14 points advantage over Dalla Porta.
Rodrigo was disappointed with fourth after being in the lead group for the entirety, same can be said for fifth place Migno, with Toba unhappy with Canet’s move that pushed the Japanese rider down to sixth. Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) grabbed a hard-earned seventh after starting 19th, with Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) getting his best result of the year in eighth. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) and rookie Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) completed the top ten, with Masia’s penalty putting him behind 11th place Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).
Darryn Binder’s (CIP Green Power) crash left the South African with a fractured hand, with Leopard Racing’s Marcos Ramirez, Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Riccardo Rossi (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alonso Lopez crashing out – Rossi headed to the medical centre for a checkup, with it later being confirmed that he suffered a head concussion and a right shoulder dislocation.
What a win for the flying Scotsman in France, the first British winner of a Grand Prix since Cal Crutchlow’s 2018 Argentina GP win. The Championship now heads to Mugello with Canet in charge.
Top 10:
1. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing)
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) + 0.106
3. Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.757
4. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) + 0.978
5. Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) + 1.201
6. Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) + 1.410
7. Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 1.451
8. Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) + 1.636
9. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) + 1.848
10. Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto) +2.049
SHARK HELMETS GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
Moto3 Race Classification 2019.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 17 | John MCPHEE | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 146.0 | 37’48.689 |
| 2 | 20 | 48 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 146.0 | +0.106 |
| 3 | 16 | 44 | Aron CANET | SPA | Sterilgarda Max Racing Team | KTM | 146.0 | +0.757 |
| 4 | 13 | 19 | Gabriel RODRIGO | ARG | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 146.0 | +0.978 |
| 5 | 11 | 16 | Andrea MIGNO | ITA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 146.0 | +1.201 |
| 6 | 10 | 27 | Kaito TOBA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 146.0 | +1.410 |
| 7 | 9 | 13 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 146.0 | +1.451 |
| 8 | 8 | 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | JPN | BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race | KTM | 145.9 | +1.636 |
| 9 | 7 | 84 | Jakub KORNFEIL | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 145.9 | +1.848 |
| 10 | 6 | 25 | Raul FERNANDEZ | SPA | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | KTM | 145.9 | +2.049 |
| 11 | 5 | 75 | Albert ARENAS | SPA | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | KTM | 145.9 | +2.663 |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | Jaume MASIA | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 145.9 | +3.748 |
| 13 | 3 | 76 | Makar YURCHENKO | KAZ | BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race | KTM | 145.3 | +11.812 |
| 14 | 2 | 71 | Ayumu SASAKI | JPN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 145.3 | +11.896 |
| 15 | 1 | 12 | Filip SALAC | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 144.1 | +30.511 |
| 16 | 61 | Can ONCU | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 144.0 | +32.544 | |
| 17 | 69 | Tom BOOTH-AMOS | GBR | CIP Green Power | KTM | 143.8 | +40.026 | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 7 | Dennis FOGGIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 145.9 | 5 Laps | ||
| 21 | Alonso LOPEZ | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 145.6 | 5 Laps | ||
| 24 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | JPN | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 142.0 | 5 Laps | ||
| 14 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | VNE Snipers | Honda | 146.1 | 6 Laps | ||
| 77 | Vicente PEREZ | SPA | Reale Avintia Arizona 77 | KTM | 145.5 | 7 Laps | ||
| 23 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 145.8 | 8 Laps | ||
| 55 | Romano FENATI | ITA | VNE Snipers | Honda | 144.7 | 13 Laps | ||
| 42 | Marcos RAMIREZ | SPA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 145.5 | 15 Laps | ||
| 54 | Riccardo ROSSI | ITA | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 144.2 | 16 Laps | ||
| 40 | Darryn BINDER | RSA | CIP Green Power | KTM | 137.6 | 21 Laps | ||
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||||||
| 79 | Ai OGURA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 0 Lap | |||
| 11 | Sergio GARCIA | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 0 Lap | |||
Moto3 World Standing 2019.
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aron CANET | KTM | SPA | 74 |
| 2 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Honda | ITA | 60 |
| 3 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Honda | ITA | 57 |
| 4 | Kaito TOBA | Honda | JPN | 51 |
| 5 | Jaume MASIA | KTM | SPA | 49 |
| 6 | Celestino VIETTI | KTM | ITA | 45 |
| 7 | Andrea MIGNO | KTM | ITA | 40 |
| 8 | Gabriel RODRIGO | Honda | ARG | 37 |
| 9 | John MCPHEE | Honda | GBR | 34 |
| 10 | Darryn BINDER | KTM | RSA | 26 |
| 11 | Tony ARBOLINO | Honda | ITA | 26 |
| 12 | Albert ARENAS | KTM | SPA | 26 |
| 13 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | SPA | 25 |
| 14 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Honda | SPA | 24 |
| 15 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | Honda | JPN | 23 |
| 16 | Jakub KORNFEIL | KTM | CZE | 22 |
| 17 | Ai OGURA | Honda | JPN | 17 |
| 18 | Ayumu SASAKI | Honda | JPN | 14 |
| 19 | Dennis FOGGIA | KTM | ITA | 14 |
| 20 | Alonso LOPEZ | Honda | SPA | 14 |
| 21 | Kazuki MASAKI | KTM | JPN | 11 |
| 22 | Romano FENATI | Honda | ITA | 7 |
| 23 | Makar YURCHENKO | KTM | KAZ | 3 |
| 24 | Filip SALAC | KTM | CZE | 1 |
| 25 | Can ONCU | KTM | TUR | |
| 26 | Vicente PEREZ | KTM | SPA | |
| 27 | Tom BOOTH-AMOS | KTM | GBR | |
| 28 | Sergio GARCIA | Honda | SPA | |
| 29 | Stefano NEPA | KTM | ITA | |
| 30 | Aleix VIU | KTM | SPA | |
| 31 | Ryusei YAMANAKA | Honda | JPN | |
| 32 | Riccardo ROSSI | Honda | ITA | |
| 33 | Meikon KAWAKAMI | KTM | BRA |
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of motogp.com
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Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
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“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
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Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
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Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
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Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
![]()
“This is a strong result to kickstart the season but the development process continues and both drivers acknowledge that the challenges ahead will get tougher.”![]()
![]()
Wing Hin Motorsports’ Driver Development Program received a huge boost when two of its drivers finished the opening round of the Japanese Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series in 2nd and 6th positions at Autopolis Circuit.![]()
![]()
Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah got off to a dream start in his racing debut in Japan when he powered the Wing Hin Motorsports GR86 to a hard-fought 2nd place.![]()
![]()
The 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup will be run over seven rounds. From the season-opener at Autopolis, the Series moves to Round 2 from 16-17 May at Sportsland Sugo, followed by Round 3 from 27-28 June at Okayama International Circuit; and Round 4 from 8-9 August at the Tokachi Speedway. Round 5 will be held at Fuji Speedway from 5-6 September, followed by Round 6 from 3-4 October at Suzuka Circuit before the 7th and final round at Mobility Resort Montegi from 21-22 November.
Wing Hin Motorsports Looks To Japan To Expand Its Driver Development Program![]()
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Having won the Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series last year, Malaysia’s Wing Hin Motorsports is doubling down on its’s presence in Japan to establish a gateway for the rise of racing talent from Asia.![]()
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In collaboration with Masahiro Sasaki, a Gazoo Racing and Rookie Racing driver, the Malaysian team will field two drivers at the opening of the 2026 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Clubman Series this weekend as part of its Driver Development Program. Wing Hin Motorsports had won the Series in its debut last year with Naquib Azlan and also clinched a 4th place overall with a second Malaysian driver Amer Harris.![]()
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