Double Long Lap penalties normally rule you out of winning races – but it didn’t for Angel Piqueras at the San Marino GP!
The Leopard Racing rookie is a Grand Prix winner after producing an unbelievable comeback ride to beat Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) by 0.035s, as Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) completed the podium after passing David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) on the final lap.
There was drama from the off as Turn 2 saw Aragon winner Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) crash, as Piqueras took an early lead. Ortola and Holgado were up to P2 and P3, with polesitter Alonso dropping to P4.
Having claimed a career-best grid spot, Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was handed a double Long Lap penalty for jumping the start – and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) was in the same boat. Another rider facing a double Long Lap was Piqueras, and he took the first of those on Lap 3 to go from the top three to P12, which became P17 after the second was completed a lap later. 
Meanwhile, Ortola and Holgado were making a break for it at the front. On Lap 5, the Spaniards were 1.5s up the road from Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), who had Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) and Alonso for very close company. By Lap 11 of 20, that deficit had been bridged as the top five locked horns in Misano.
With six laps to go, Furusato hit the front for the first time after picking Ortola’s pocket at Turn 1. That lead didn’t last long though as the #48 and Holgado shuffled the Japanese star back down to P3, as Alonso then pounced too. The Colombian then sent it up the inside of Holgado at Tramonto, before the #80 led with four laps left.
With three to go, the gloves were off. Holgado was back in P1 with Alonso, Furusato and Ortola right on his tailpipes, with Kelso 0.8s back. Suddenly, the recovering Piqueras was P4, then P3, as a four-way fight quickly became a seven rider scrap for the podium.
Last lap time! A belter had played out until now and we were treated to a stunning final 4.23kms. Holgado led into Turn 1 as Piqueras shoved his way past Alonso into P2, before the #36 then carved his way into the lead at Turn 8. At Turn 10, contact was made as Ortola dived up the inside of Alonso to move into P3, with the bumping and barging costing Alonso valuable ground. It was now a question of whether Piqueras hold off Holgado for the win. The latter was swarming, but Piqueras didn’t put a foot wrong to clinch his first Grand Prix win by 0.035s. Holgado was back on the box for the second time in three races, as Ortola bagged the final rostrum spot in P3 – 0.2s shy from the win.
Furusato had to settle for P4 after a great effort from the #72, as Veijer managed to grab P5 on the final lap. Having exceeded track limits on the last lap, Alonso was demoted to P7, which means Kelso leaves Misano with a solid P6. That seventh place for the Championship leader sees his healthy Championship points advantage shrink slightly to 70 ahead of Round 14, with Holgado moving up to P2.
Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Lunetta and Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounded out the top 10, the latter duo handing SIC58 a double top 10 on home turf.
Now it’s reset, reload and get ready to return to Misano as another 25 points go on the table at the Emilia-Romagna GP!
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