Moto3: Visors down, elbows out – here comes Moto3! Hungary returned to the MotoGP roster with an epic battle to kickstart Grand Prix Sunday as Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) triumphed over Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) by just 0.018s, rubbing elbows to the finish line.
An instant classic saw the duel just escape the fight for third, with David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) coming out on top there to defeat Austrian GP winner Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
A clean start saw polesitter Quiles get the holeshot ahead of Perrone and Piqueras. Everyone made it cleanly through the opening lap and the pace was fierce from the start between Quiles and Perrone. A change of lead on Lap 3 at Turn 5 saw the Argentinean take advantage of a mistake by Quiles but at Turn 9, the #28 returned to P1. The all-rookie battle allowed the pack to close up with Muñoz in P3, getting ahead of Piqueras on Lap 4 before pouncing on Perrone at Turn 9 to move into P2.
Whilst the lead battle continued at the front and the places swapped, drama further down at the end of Lap 6 for Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power), who fell at Turn 15, forcing Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Marcos Uriarte (LEVELUP-MTA) to go into the gravel. By the halfway stage and just like in Austria, Quiles was setting the pace with Piqueras into P2, Perrone third and Muñoz in P4 ahead of teammate Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP). A mistake at the end of Lap 10 by Quiles saw him drop from P1 to P4 though, leaving him the work to do as Perrone hit the front.
With five laps to go, Perrone still led ahead but this time, Muñoz had come into contention in P2 and Quiles had worked his way into P3. Piqueras sat fourth whilst Rueda had managed to bridge the gap to join the lead group in P5. Then, it was all over for Pini who fell from sixth at Turn 11. In the second group, more misfortune for Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) who crashed from P8 at Turn 1. Everything had been calm at the front but a final lap storm brewed between Perrone and Quiles.
The last lap and just a tenth split them and Quiles looked at Turn 1 but couldn’t quite make the move stick. The next big opportunity was into Turn 5 and this time, it was enough. It wasn’t over though as Perrone built momentum coming through sector three and with a run through the chicane at Turn 15 and 16, made a heroic attempt at the final corner to lead. It looked like he had it done but with a better run to the line, Quiles got alongside, banged elbows with the #73 and did enough to take an epic win. Perrone’s P2 is his best finish and a second podium in five GPs whilst Muñoz made it a fifth podium in a row. Piqueras held on to fourth to take 3 points out of Rueda’s title lead, the #99 finishing fifth.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) had a quiet Grand Prix but took top Honda honours in sixth ahead of teammate David Almansa, with Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) securing eighth. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was ninth with Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) returning to the top ten for the first time since Germany. That’s a wrap on Hungary – next up it’s home turf for many and familiar turf for nearly all.
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