Moto3™: Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) times it to perfection amid Moto3™ drama at Assen.

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Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) has become the first to win a Moto3™ race at the TT Circuit Assen from pole position, breaking the jinx in style to fight it out at the front before pulling the pin to perfection. The Spaniard crossed the line nearly seven tenths clear of a duel to the line between second-placed Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and P3 finisher Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), and the 25 points see Martin take back the top of the Championship after late drama for former points leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) as the Italian crashed out of contention on the final lap.

Martin got the perfect start from pole, safe from attack into Turn 1 as Bastianini tucked in behind and third was taken by his teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) dropped from the front row, but the biggest gain was made by Championship leader Bezzecchi from tenth on the grid, with Italian taking third by the end of Lap 1.

Bezzecchi then attacked Bastianini for second and set his sights on race leader Martin, with the two joined by Canet in the hunt to cut the gap the leader had pulled out. But it was Canet who had the pace to do it, taking Martin as soon as he reached him and Bezzecchi then doing the same.

John McPhee (CIP – Green Power), meanwhile, had pulled away from the second group to join the fight for the win as it became a five-way scrap for glory with 16 to go. With some incredible moves exchanged between the five men, the laps ticked down with nothing in it and positions chopping and changing – classic Moto3™ at the ‘Cathedral’.

With two laps to go, Bezzecchi was in the lead but the Italian headed wide and Martin pounced, with the Spaniard then immediately pulling the pin, half a second clear in the blink of an eye. Canet was the man pushing to catch him, before drama then hit as McPhee suddenly slid out at Turn 9 and the fight became four.

Martin was free and clear of it with almost eight tenths in his pocket as they began the final lap, but the drama behind wasn’t over there as another bike then slid out into the gravel – that of Bezzecchi as disaster struck for the Italian. That made the stakes that much bigger for Martin as he crossed the line clear to take not only the win but also the Championship lead – with Canet just able to hold off Bastianini for second.

The second group fighting over sixth was eight riders all packed together to squabble it out, but with the crashes up ahead it became the fight for fourth and a stunning performance from top rookie Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) took that fourth by a mere tenth. He finished just ahead of Czech veteran Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP), who came from 23rd on the grid after a penalty and put in an impressive push through the pack to complete the top five.

Dalla Porta beat Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to P6 by just 0.022 but it was nevertheless the South African’s best result of the season so far, with another close fight just behind the two to decide eighth as Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) pipped Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Bulega. Bulega, completing the top ten from the front row, therefore put his first points on the board in 2018 after a difficult start to the year for the former FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion.

Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) split the two Sky Racing Team VR46 machines in P11 as Bulega’s teammate and fellow former Moto3™ Junior World Champion Dennis Foggia came home twelfth for his first points of the year as well, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) completing the scorers – Toba from P29 on the grid.

Now it’s time to leave the ‘Cathedral’ and head a little south and a little east as the paddock heads for the German GP, with the lead and the momentum having changed once again. Will the Sachsenring give it another shake up? Find out on 15th July.

MOTUL TT ASSEN

Moto3 Race Classification 2018.

Pos.	Points	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1	25	88	Jorge MARTIN	SPA	Del Conca Gresini Moto3	Honda	158.0	37’56.485
2	20	44	Aron CANET	SPA	Estrella Galicia 0,0	Honda	157.9	+0.665
3	16	33	Enea BASTIANINI	ITA	Leopard Racing	Honda	157.9	+0.718
4	13	5	Jaume MASIA	SPA	Bester Capital Dubai	KTM	157.2	+10.842
5	11	84	Jakub KORNFEIL	CZE	Redox PruestelGP	KTM	157.2	+10.953
6	10	48	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	ITA	Leopard Racing	Honda	157.2	+11.321
7	9	40	Darryn BINDER	RSA	Red Bull KTM Ajo	KTM	157.2	+11.343
8	8	19	Gabriel RODRIGO	ARG	RBA BOE Skull Rider	KTM	157.2	+11.737
9	7	21	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	ITA	Del Conca Gresini Moto3	Honda	157.2	+11.756
10	6	42	Marcos RAMIREZ	SPA	Bester Capital Dubai	KTM	157.2	+11.766
11	5	8	Nicolo BULEGA	ITA	SKY Racing Team VR46	KTM	157.2	+11.777
12	4	10	Dennis FOGGIA	ITA	SKY Racing Team VR46	KTM	157.1	+15.973
13	3	24	Tatsuki SUZUKI	JPN	SIC58 Squadra Corse	Honda	156.4	+23.283
14	2	75	Albert ARENAS	SPA	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	KTM	156.3	+23.767
15	1	23	Niccolò ANTONELLI	ITA	SIC58 Squadra Corse	Honda	156.3	+23.827
16		27	Kaito TOBA	JPN	Honda Team Asia	Honda	156.3	+23.850
17		14	Tony ARBOLINO	ITA	Marinelli Snipers Team	Honda	156.3	+24.040
18		65	Philipp OETTL	GER	Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing	KTM	156.3	+25.802
19		71	Ayumu SASAKI	JPN	Petronas Sprinta Racing	Honda	156.1	+27.097
20		22	Kazuki MASAKI	JPN	RBA BOE Skull Rider	KTM	156.1	+27.196
21		7	Adam NORRODIN	MAL	Petronas Sprinta Racing	Honda	156.1	+27.260
22		41	Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT	THA	Honda Team Asia	Honda	156.1	+27.403
23		32	Ai OGURA	JPN	Asia Talent Team	Honda	156.1	+27.644
24		11	Livio LOI	BEL	Reale Avintia Academy 77	KTM	156.0	+28.039
25		72	Alonso LOPEZ	SPA	Estrella Galicia 0,0	Honda	156.1	+30.519
26		16	Andrea MIGNO	ITA	Angel Nieto Team Moto3	KTM	155.6	+34.938
27		81	Stefano NEPA	ITA	CIP – Green Power	KTM	154.4	+52.070
28		18	Ryan VAN DE LAGEMAAT	NED	Lamotec Lagemaat Racing	KTM	149.7	1 Lap
Not Classified
		12	Marco BEZZECCHI	ITA	Redox PruestelGP	KTM	157.8	1 Lap
		17	John MCPHEE	GBR	CIP – Green Power	KTM	157.8	2 Laps

Moto3 World Standing 2018.

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Jorge MARTIN	Honda	SPA	105
2	Marco BEZZECCHI	KTM	ITA	103
3	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Honda	ITA	91
4	Enea BASTIANINI	Honda	ITA	84
5	Aron CANET	Honda	SPA	81
6	Gabriel RODRIGO	KTM	ARG	65
7	Andrea MIGNO	KTM	ITA	56
8	Jakub KORNFEIL	KTM	CZE	52
9	Niccolò ANTONELLI	Honda	ITA	45
10	Marcos RAMIREZ	KTM	SPA	44
11	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Honda	ITA	43
12	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	JPN	38
13	Philipp OETTL	KTM	GER	36
14	Jaume MASIA	KTM	SPA	34
15	Alonso LOPEZ	Honda	SPA	31
16	Albert ARENAS	KTM	SPA	30
17	Kaito TOBA	Honda	JPN	26
18	Tony ARBOLINO	Honda	ITA	24
19	John MCPHEE	KTM	GBR	23
20	Darryn BINDER	KTM	RSA	20
21	Adam NORRODIN	Honda	MAL	19
22	Ayumu SASAKI	Honda	JPN	17
23	Dennis FOGGIA	KTM	ITA	13
24	Makar YURCHENKO	KTM	KAZ	9
25	Livio LOI	KTM	BEL	8
26	Raul FERNANDEZ	KTM	SPA	6
27	Manuel PAGLIANI	Honda	ITA	6
28	Nicolo BULEGA	KTM	ITA	5
29	Kazuki MASAKI	KTM	JPN	3
30	Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT	Honda	THA	2
31	Ai OGURA	Honda	JPN	1
32	Stefano NEPA	KTM	ITA
33	Ryan VAN DE LAGEMAAT	KTM	NED

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of motoGP.com