VNE Snipers’ Tony Arbolino claimed his second victory of the season in a last-lap battle against compatriot Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) at the Motul TT Assen, with third place going the way of Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) despite receiving a long lap penalty with just two laps to go.
Polesitter Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) grabbed the holeshot as the lights went out, with Arbolino launching well from P3 on the grid to hold his position off the line before getting himself up to second. His teammate Romano Fenati was a big mover in the opening exchanges, the Italian getting himself up to 4th from P13 as both VNE Snipers riders were at the forefront.
However, they weren’t the only ones there. In fact, the top 25 were all line astern and covered by just three seconds as the lightweight class treated us to another unbelievable battle. The lead and positions inside the top five were changing all the time but Arbolino was a constant threat at the front, with Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and the SIC58 Squadra Corse machines of Antonelli and Tatsuki Suzuki up there too. Dalla Porta then started to make strides after a quiet opening exchange, the Italian now swarming inside the top five.
The race was impossible to call and with the likes of Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) coming through from P25, it really was anyone’s to claim and with 12 to go, the top 25 looked like they were chained together.
Drama then started to unfold. Championship hopeful Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) had a mechanical issue with seven to go and then on the following lap, four riders went down at Turn 5. Suzuki, Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team), Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Toba – while going for the same piece of track – all crashed out of contention. This left the top seven with a gap to the rest and soon enough, Kornfeil had control of the race.
The Czech rider had a lead of 0.4 over Dalla Porta and the duo stretched away from the pack after a bit of dicing. However, Kornfeil was then given a long lap penalty after exceeding track limits at the Geert Timmer chicane – drama with two laps to go. Kornfeil took the long lap route but still emerged third due to his advantage, but this left Dalla Porta and Arbolino as the candidates for the win in Assen. Dalla Porta held a half second advantage but Arbolino was able to reel his compatriot in and on the last lap, there was nothing between them.
Dalla Porta held P1 but heading into the fourth and final sector of the race, Arbolino got himself tucked into the slipstream and dived underneath his fellow Honda rider at Turn 16. A hard, brave and race winning move. Arbolino held on into the Geert Timmer chicane to take his second win of the season, Dalla Porta had to settle for his fourth P2 of the year. Kornfeil did brilliantly to hold on to third, the experienced Czech stands on the podium for the first time since the 2018 Czech GP, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) recovering from a mid-race tangle to grab P4. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) produced a sterling ride to claim P5 after starting 20th, the Brit beats Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and Catalan GP winner Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) in P6 and P7 respectively. Behind the latter trio in the fight for the podium was poleman Antonelli, he claimed P8 after taking the long lap penalty route half-way through the race. Fellow Italian Dennis Foggia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completed the top ten. Fenati ended P11 after looking strong throughout, with Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) having a quiet race to come home 12th.
Binder crashed out of the leading group at Turn 5 with just a few laps to go – rider ok. Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) crashed out of the battle for the points in the early stages.
Canet sees his lead cut to seven points ahead of next weekend’s German GP, Dalla Porta’s fourth podium of the year keeps him well in contention. Arbolino breaks the seven different 2019 winner’s streak in the Moto3™ class as the Italian climbs to fourth in the Championship. What does the Sachsenring have in store?
Top 10:
1. Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers)
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) + 0.045
3. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) + 1.562
4. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) + 2.158
5. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 2.201
6. Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) + 2.264
7. Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) + 2.436
8. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 2.580
9. Dennis Foggia (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 2.758
10. Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) + 2.900
MOTUL TT ASSEN
Moto3 Race Classification 2019.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 14 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | VNE Snipers | Honda | 157.5 | 38’03.113 |
| 2 | 20 | 48 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 157.5 | +0.045 |
| 3 | 16 | 84 | Jakub KORNFEIL | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 157.4 | +1.562 |
| 4 | 13 | 19 | Gabriel RODRIGO | ARG | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 157.4 | +2.158 |
| 5 | 11 | 17 | John MCPHEE | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 157.4 | +2.201 |
| 6 | 10 | 79 | Ai OGURA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 157.4 | +2.264 |
| 7 | 9 | 42 | Marcos RAMIREZ | SPA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 157.3 | +2.436 |
| 8 | 8 | 23 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 157.3 | +2.580 |
| 9 | 7 | 7 | Dennis FOGGIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 157.3 | +2.758 |
| 10 | 6 | 21 | Alonso LOPEZ | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 157.3 | +2.900 |
| 11 | 5 | 55 | Romano FENATI | ITA | VNE Snipers | Honda | 157.3 | +2.916 |
| 12 | 4 | 44 | Aron CANET | SPA | Sterilgarda Max Racing Team | KTM | 157.3 | +3.081 |
| 13 | 3 | 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | JPN | BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race | KTM | 157.3 | +3.267 |
| 14 | 2 | 12 | Filip SALAC | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 157.3 | +3.737 |
| 15 | 1 | 11 | Sergio GARCIA | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 156.6 | +12.705 |
| 16 | 61 | Can ONCU | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 156.6 | +12.796 | |
| 17 | 71 | Ayumu SASAKI | JPN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 156.6 | +12.800 | |
| 18 | 76 | Makar YURCHENKO | KAZ | BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race | KTM | 156.6 | +12.894 | |
| 19 | 16 | Andrea MIGNO | ITA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 155.4 | +33.346 | |
| 20 | 82 | Stefano NEPA | ITA | Reale Avintia Arizona 77 | KTM | 155.1 | +36.069 | |
| 21 | 54 | Riccardo ROSSI | ITA | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 154.1 | +51.064 | |
| 22 | 18 | Ryan VAN DE LAGEMAAT | NED | Qnium Racing | KTM | 151.4 | +1’32.359 | |
| 23 | 69 | Tom BOOTH-AMOS | GBR | CIP Green Power | KTM | 150.5 | +1’48.509 | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 40 | Darryn BINDER | RSA | CIP Green Power | KTM | 157.3 | 4 Laps | ||
| 13 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 153.2 | 5 Laps | ||
| 25 | Raul FERNANDEZ | SPA | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | KTM | 152.0 | 5 Laps | ||
| 27 | Kaito TOBA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 149.3 | 5 Laps | ||
| 24 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | JPN | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 157.1 | 6 Laps | ||
| 75 | Albert ARENAS | SPA | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | KTM | 157.1 | 7 Laps | ||
| 5 | Jaume MASIA | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 157.1 | 7 Laps | ||
Moto3 World Standing 2019.
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aron CANET | KTM | SPA | 107 |
| 2 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Honda | ITA | 100 |
| 3 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Honda | ITA | 83 |
| 4 | Tony ARBOLINO | Honda | ITA | 76 |
| 5 | Celestino VIETTI | KTM | ITA | 68 |
| 6 | Jaume MASIA | KTM | SPA | 65 |
| 7 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Honda | SPA | 58 |
| 8 | John MCPHEE | Honda | GBR | 58 |
| 9 | Kaito TOBA | Honda | JPN | 51 |
| 10 | Gabriel RODRIGO | Honda | ARG | 50 |
| 11 | Jakub KORNFEIL | KTM | CZE | 46 |
| 12 | Dennis FOGGIA | KTM | ITA | 43 |
| 13 | Andrea MIGNO | KTM | ITA | 40 |
| 14 | Ai OGURA | Honda | JPN | 37 |
| 15 | Darryn BINDER | KTM | RSA | 33 |
| 16 | Alonso LOPEZ | Honda | SPA | 33 |
| 17 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | Honda | JPN | 31 |
| 18 | Albert ARENAS | KTM | SPA | 30 |
| 19 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | SPA | 30 |
| 20 | Ayumu SASAKI | Honda | JPN | 22 |
| 21 | Romano FENATI | Honda | ITA | 21 |
| 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | KTM | JPN | 14 |
| 23 | Ryusei YAMANAKA | Honda | JPN | 7 |
| 24 | Carlos TATAY | KTM | SPA | 4 |
| 25 | Makar YURCHENKO | KTM | KAZ | 4 |
| 26 | Sergio GARCIA | Honda | SPA | 4 |
| 27 | Filip SALAC | KTM | CZE | 3 |
| 28 | Tom BOOTH-AMOS | KTM | GBR | 2 |
| 29 | Can ONCU | KTM | TUR | |
| 30 | Gerry SALIM | Honda | INA | |
| 31 | Vicente PEREZ | KTM | SPA | |
| 32 | Riccardo ROSSI | Honda | ITA | |
| 33 | Stefano NEPA | KTM | ITA | |
| 34 | Aleix VIU | KTM | SPA | |
| 35 | Ryan VAN DE LAGEMAAT | KTM | NED | |
| 36 | Meikon KAWAKAMI | KTM | BRA |
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of motogp.com
