Aspar’s Francesco Bagnaia clinched a tight maiden Moto3 win at Assen today, and also bagged the first victory for his manufacturer, Mahindra too.
It was a frantic battle for the win but in the end Bagnaia got the better of Sky Racing’s Andrea Migno and Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio on the finishing line. It was also a stellar performance for the race winner who started from the fourth row. But Migno was dropped to third after a last lap of his was investigated by race control and he was demoted a place.
Sky Racing’s Romano Fenati did lead for part of the race but just finished outside the podium spots, with Antonelli completing the top five. Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder finished in twelfth after going wide and off track while in third on lap thirteen.
Initially it was pole man Bastianini who got the hole-shot followed by Binder, only for Sky Racing’s Fenati to get the better of the leading pair to go into the front on the opening lap.
But on the first corner on the second lap Aspar Mahindra’s Bagnaia wanted to join the fight for the win and from out of no where propelled his bike to the front of the pack, only for Fenati to get one back, three corners later.
The pair continued to dice with each other at the front, but with seventeen laps to go Di Giannantonio pushed his way into the front at Ramshoek but all his hard work was soon to be wasted as he went wide coming out of the chicane.
But two rotations later coming into the chicane Migno and Binder pummelled there way to the front to head the charge going into lap nine, but Fenati was never too far behind.
With eleven laps to go Valentino Rossi’s Sky Racing team had three riders in the provisional podium spots with Fenati, Migno and Bulega the top riders going into Haarbocht.
Championship leader, Binder was in third but had a big moment on his Red Bull KTM at Hoge Heide and went wide and rejoined the race in thirteenth. Meanwhile Bastianini got caught up in the back wheel of Bulega and crashed at Mandeveen on lap nineteen.
With only two laps to go Antonelli made his way up the sharp end and a rotation later at the chicane Bagnaia went back in front only for Antonelli to bite back at Strubben, then at De Bult Fenati took the lead.
Championship challenger, Estrella Galicia’s Jorge Navarro was missing from proceedings this weekend. He broke his leg after crashing a minimoto bike during a training session in Valencia, and he is still recovering from his injury and was not fit enough to race today.
Scotland’s John McPhee finished just outside the points in sixteenth. Isle of Man TT racer, Danny Webb made his return to the Moto3 paddock this weekend and ended the race in 22nd.
