MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The lightweight class started their first showdown of the season in the hottest temperatures of the weekend so far but there’s no better distraction from the tricky conditions than a traditional Moto3 kerfuffle. If the first half of the race was the usual amount of chaos, Jose Antonio Rueda was in a league of his own in the closing stages, taking the first race win of the season by a massive seven seconds and the championship lead to go with it. As if the Red Bull KTM Ajo team did not have enough to celebrate already, Alvaro Carpe joined his teammate on the podium, with a final corner move that secured the rookie an excellent second place. Adrian Fernandez proved once more that starting positions don’t mean much in Moto3, as we climbed from 11^th on the grid to the 3^rd step of the podium. 

Rueda made his intentions clear from the very beginning, robbing poleman Matteo Bertelle off the line and the duo started an early squabble for the lead over the first couple of laps. Carpe had quickly snuck his way into the top 3 but was soon under threat from Stefano Nepa and a fast-starting David Muñoz, who had started 10^th but joined the podium positions by lap 3. Carpe then lost a bit of ground in the usual squabbles at the front, dropping just outside of the top 10, while the spotlight returned to the leaders, where Rueda was leading from Muñoz and Bertelle. Ryusei Yamanaka was the next threat for the podium positions, with Luca Lunetta, Joel Kelso, Dennis Foggia, Fernandez, Nepa and Angel Piqueras completing top 10 – and with 18 riders still in the lead group. 

Rueda managed to hold onto top spot for a handful of laps, while Muñoz, Bertelle and Yamanaka kept each other entertained, but his lead was eventually challenged by compatriot Muñoz on lap 8 and it opened the door for Lunetta to briefly take over at turn 3. However, the glory was short lived as Rueda promptly reclaimed top spot and the Italian was then sent for a ride through the gravel at turn 3 by Muñoz, dropping him to the bottom of the top 20. 

Although the leading group had already reduced to only a dozen riders, due to mistakes and crashes, Rueda’s challengers reduced further when Bertelle ran wide and dropped out of contention and then when Yamanaka crashed out at turn 5 at the halfway point of proceedings. The feisty Muñoz was still glued to Rueda’s rear wheel and ready to challenge him again, however, after a lively lap 11, the Spaniard got served a long lap penalty for the incident with Lunetta. Rueda and Muñoz had stretched nearly a second of advantage by that point, but when it rains it pours, and Muñoz crashed out on lap 13 at the site of his earlier indiscretion, before even serving his penalty. That left a lonely Rueda nearly two seconds ahead of the chasing pack, that was now featuring Carpe once again – the rookie having rejoined the top 10 by lap 8. With five laps to go, he was battling Fernandez for the honour of leading the chase, but with Piqueras, Foggia, Nepa, Kelso and Scott Ogden still in the mix as well. 

Rueda continued to enjoy clear air at the front and showed off with his pace, but all eyes were on the podium battle behind, where Carpe was still in the spotlight. That fight got a touch more dramatic with five laps to go, when Piqueras and Kelso tangled out of contention at turn 12, the incident also forcing Foggia into taking avoiding action and dropping into the second group led by Bertelle, nearly three seconds down the road. A mistake from Carpe soon allowed Nepa and Fernandez to get ahead and it looked like the remaining podium positions would be decided between the three of them, as Ogden steadily lost ground down in 5^th place and was slipping into the clutches of Bertelle. 

Rueda started the final lap over seven seconds ahead of his rivals and despite the exquisite runaway performance, most of the airtime was taken by the men behind. Nepa was on the backfoot going into the final lap after running wide the lap before and allowing Fernandez and Carpe to get ahead, and although he stayed glued to his rivals’ rear wheel, he didn’t get another chance to retaliate. Carpe seemed the keenest to attack and although his first move didn’t work out, he made one stick at the final corner to claim second from Fernandez. Nepa settled for 4^th, with poleman Bertelle crossing the finish line two and a half seconds later in a rather disappointing 5^th. Foggia took 6^th, with David Almansa 7^th, although the Spaniard ended the race with a literal bang, making contact with Ogden at the final corner and sending the Brit into the gravel. Riccardo Rossi, Joel Esteba and Lunetta completed the top 10 positions. 

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