2024 San Marino Moto3 Grand Prix - Race Results

Round thirteen of the Moto3 championship, the San Marino Grand Prix, was aggressive from start to finish with plenty of paint swapped as Angel Piqueras fought his way to the front in Misano.

The Leopard Racing rider had qualified well as the Honda continues to improve in the second half of the season, filling fourth on the grid.

Feeling his double long lap penalty for knocking off Scott Ogden on Saturday was harsh, the seventeen year old was fuelled with emotion and had already hit the front briefly as he readied himself for his first trip around the penalty loop, which dropped him to twelfth. The second was taken at the next opportunity, setting up the Spaniard’s fightback from 17th, with sixteen laps remaining.

Piqueras wasted no time in slicing a path through and hit the top ten three laps later. From there the reigning Red Bull Rookies and Junior GP champion soon hit the front of the chasing group, taking over from Collin Veijer.

Attacking the front pack the #36 brought the second group with him, taking it from an already fiery five to a lead seven.

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His momentum that had seen him make up all he places and gaps required kept him moving forward, with plenty of contact and strong moves seeing Piqueras hit the front again, taking over from Daniel Holgado who lead at the start of the last lap, and David Alonso heading down to Tramonto.

A defensive line saw Piqueras pick up his first Moto3 win, just 0.035s ahead of Holgado in a photo finish.

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s #96 had pulled ahead of the rest as he went with Piqueras, with early leader Ivan Ortola picking up the final spot on an all Spanish podium in Italy for Mt Helmets - MSI.
 

Taiyo Furusato made quick progress from ninth on the grid for Honda Team Asia to be in the fight for the win, crossing the line just behind Ortola in fourth.

Veijer followed Piqueras forward after his arrival, following his stint at the front of the chasing group for Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, narrowing the gap himself as the laps ticked down. Once in with the leaders, he claimed fifth.

Joel Kelso was struggling to stay on the back of the front group for BOE Motorsports but was handed a place back when Alonso was demoted for running onto the green on the final frantic lap, moving him up to sixth.

Championship leader and polesitter Alonso was demoted to seventh for CFMoto Gaviota Aspar after his track limits excursion while fighting for position, but was clear of eighth placed Tatsuki Suzuki, making up positions in the race from 23rd on the grid on the second Husqvarna.

Luca Lunetta was one of two riders judged to have made a jump start. Replays showed the #58, riding with Marco Simoncelli’s number at the track named in his memory for the SIC58 Squadra Corse team, was minimal, but after securing second on the grid the rookie was too in need of a fightback of his own, which took him back to ninth finishing as the top Italian at home.

Filippo Farioli completed the top ten for the Snipers team.

David Almansa turned around 19th on the grid for an improved eleventh on the second Rivacold Snipers bike, just ahead of Jacob Roulstone, also heading in the right direction in twelfth for Red Bull KTM Tech3.

Adrian Fernandez was also handed a double long lap penalty for a jump start, recovering to 13th for Leopard.

Stefano Nepa was 14th for LevelUp -MTA while a battered and bruised Scott Ogden took the final point for MLav Racing.

Moto3 Wildcard for Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP, Jakob Rosenthaler, finished in 19th.

Crashes, Injuries and Replacements

A strange line from David Munoz at turn two on the opening lap saw him hit Aragon winner, Jose Antonio Rueda, his fall as so huge it detached the number from the front of his bike. Riccardo Rossi was also caught up in the early incident and out of the race.

Vincente Perez fell out of the points, quickly followed by Matteo Bertelle.

Championship Standings

With a gap of three race wins heading into the race, a seventh place finish did not dent Alonso’s lead heavily, moving his total to 246, now 70 points ahead of his nearest rival.

That role is taken over by Holgado after his return to the rostrum, moving onto 176.

Ortola and Veijer both have 173 points ahead of a second race at Misano.