Malaysian rider Khairul Idham Pawi obliterated the Moto3 field today at the Argentian MotoGP round with a display of riding in mixed conditions that enabled him to cross the line with a 26-second advantage over Jorge Navarro to claim his first Grand Prix win.
Earlier rain had made the track surface damp but the entire field besides Livio Loi opted for slick tyres including Pawi - who was also fastest in the wet warm-up session - and he as able to lap three seconds faster than the chasing pack, building a huge lead over the course of ten laps.
Navarro allowed the track to come to him before making his charge towards the front, first passing Loi who began to slow on his treaded tyres and then Norrodin - another Malaysian - who stuck with Navarro, going past Navarro on the last lap to but then crashed out with only a corner to go.
Pawi’s team, including boss Tadayuki Okada, were desperate for him to slow down but he continued to press on, setting the fastest lap of the race - a 1’57.387 on the penultimate circuit.
Poleman Brad Binder came through for third place ahead of Andrea Locatelli and Joan Mir. Hiroki Ono, on the second Team Asia bike, took sixth place with Scotland’s John McPhee putting in an outstanding ride for seventh place.
