Moto3 Brno: Di Giannantonio snatches first win in frantic race
Fabio Di Giannantonio dug deep with some superbly timed passes and blocks to lead over the line in the Moto3 Czech Grand Prix to take a career first win at Brno.
The Gresini rider blew away the teams’ awful start to the weekend when championship leader Jorge Martin was forced to withdraw through injury, with the Italian rider producing a hard-fought win off the back of qualifying down in fifth having mistimed his final run.
The Italian left his lunge for the win until the final lap with the front eight producing a gap in the final two laps, as pole man Jakub Kornfeil ran wide and Aron Canet unable to pass to see Di Giannantonio cross the line 0.112s ahead of the Spaniard.
Honda rider ‘Diggia’ had previously led over the line in Le Mans this year before a penalty dropped him off the podium but nothing was going to take away his long-awaited maiden Moto3 win.
Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda) gained the top three place he had made his aim with a patient wait in the pack to finish in second place, with home hero Kornfeil taking his best result of the year as he battled back to third after late contact with Gabriel Rodrigo when the pair took different lines.
The Redox PruestelGP rider was also the top KTM finisher. Leading on the penultimate lap the Czech rider congratulated both of the riders ahead of him saying they ‘deserved it’ in the hot conditions.
Late progress in the race saw Enea Bastianini surge up to fourth for Leopard, with Rodrigo fifth for RBA.
The absence of Martin (broken left radius sustained in FP1) meant Marco Bezzecchi could reclaim the championship lead by three points at a track he has found difficult. The Redox Pruestel rider recovered from a poor qualifying , starting 14th, and was happy with his sixth place result in the circumstances, he also took the time to congratulate his team-mate Kornfeil on his home rostrum finish.
Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) finished seventh just ahead of Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing) who was one of several riders to take a turn at leading the race on his was to eighth.
Albert Arenas survived a wobble on his way to ninth for the Angel Nieto Team, with Leopard’s Lorenzo Dalla Porta completing the top ten.
He was just ahead of fellow Italian Nico Antonelli, who picked off the opposition late on to secure eleventh for SIC58 Squadra Corse, with top rookie Dennis Foggia just behind as he returned to the track where he made his debut. He too led briefly for Sky Racing Team VR46 in a competitive race on his way to twelfth.
The remaining points went to RBA’s Kasuki Masaki, in 13th, Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in 14th having started one from last after his qualifying fall and Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers) in 15th.
Wildcard Filip Salac (Cuna de Campeones Czech Talent) added to the ranks of home riders at Brno, he ended the race in 24th.
Kaito Toba crashed out on lap three, both rider and bike spinning into the air fence. There were no further incidents until John McPhee fell at the last corner from the huge lead group after a nudge from Ramirez with eight laps to go.
Stefano Nepa retired to the pits with three laps left to run, while Adam Norrodin also failed to finish.
