David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) played his cards to perfection in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, pouncing when it counted and then upping the pace to hold off the chasing pack to the flag.
The victory, his fourth of the season, also makes him the new Moto3™ World Championship leader. Just behind, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) converted his maiden pole into a podium in P2, with Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) back on the box in third.
After a scrappy start with many almost on the grass, Ortola emerged with a few bike lengths lead in the first half of the first lap – but Dani Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), up from P9 on the grid, was soon reeling him in. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) did the Rossi-Razgatlioglu move on Holgado at end of the lap to take over in second, but by the time they got into Turn 1 it was all change on the chase. Ortola led Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) led Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), but the Japanese rider then got the notification to serve his double Long Lap given on Saturday, and Muñoz his single LLP. The race was on to move back through.
The freight train rolled on at the front with Ortola, Veijer and Holgado leading the way, but by six or seven to go Alonso was starting to get busy. Over the line as the final five laps began, the Colombian was trying to stretch the group out from the front – with Ortola, Veijer and Holgado just about hanging in there as a gap started to grow behind the top four.
As the laps ticked on though, the picture changed again. Holgado was fading slightly into the clutches of Rueda and Muñoz, and once Rueda was past the Championship leader he was able to claw back onto the leading trio. As the last lap began, it was once again a quartet, this time with Rueda in the ranks. The first move came from the number 99, getting past Veijer at Turn 4. But that would prove the last, with the pace so hot and the limit so close for each that no door was left open and no sensible chance possible.
Alonso crossed the line a quarter of a second clear to take the Championship lead, with Ortola denied a home win but taking another podium as he builds some momentum after some bad luck and trouble earlier in the season. Rueda, after an even tougher start to 2024 with appendicitis and a couple of on track dramas, takes a second podium of the season and his third in Grand Prix racing after an impressive late attack.
Veijer was just too far back to slipstream it and takes fourth, with Muñoz completing the top five despite that LLP. Holgado, meanwhile, faded to sixth and loses that points lead, now 14 points off Alonso.
It was a standout ride from Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in seventh, with the Italian rookie hanging on to the front group for much of the race and then taking an impressive P7. A huge group fight behind went all the way back to 14th, and it was another rookie heading that as Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) took P8. Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was next up and just beat Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) to ninth and they completed the top ten.
Next up it’s the stunning Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello next weekend. Can Alonso extend that advantage?
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