22/03/2026

Possible victory in Brazil comes to an end abruptly: Almansa crashes and is injured

David Almansa was well on his way to repeating victory from the season’s opening race during Sunday’s second race of the season. However, a crash had dramatic consequences.

David Almansa was the only Moto3 rider for LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP at the return of the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. His team mate David Muñoz had to undergo another surgery due to an infection in his leg and is sidelined.

On the previously unfamiliar track in Goiânia, Almansa seamlessly built on his performance from the season opener. On Friday morning, he kicked off the weekend with a ninth-place finish in the first free practice session under wet conditions. This was followed by two fastest-lap times in dry conditions—first in Practice session on Friday afternoon and then in the second free practice session on Saturday morning. There was a long wait until the start of qualifying, as repairs to the track were necessary due to heavy rain shower recently in the area.

The 20-year-old Spanish rider could not finish higher than in P14 which was a hectic qualifying session. However, there was no sign of this minor setback during the race. Starting from the fifth row, Almansa needed only three laps to take the lead. It looked as though he had everything under control until his rear wheel slipped on lap 14. Unfortunately, he suffered a fracture to his left elbow in the crash. The Spaniard will head home as early as Monday to undergo surgery.

The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Moto3 team will compete without its top riders this coming weekend at the third Grand Prix of the season in Austin/Texas. The entire team wishes its two regular riders all the best and a speedy recovery!

#BrazilianGP Moto3™ Qualifying Results:
1 Joel ESTEBAN / SPA / LEVEL UP - MTA / KTM / 1´26.241
2 Valentin PERRONE / ARG / Red Bull KTM Tech3 / KTM / 1´26.447 +0.206
3 Hakim DANISH / MAL / AEON Credit - MT Helmets - MSI / KTM / 1´26.448 +0.207
…
14 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / 1´27.044 +0.803

#BrazilianGP – Moto3™ Race Classification (5 Laps):
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team / KTM / 7´19.821
2 Marco MORELLI / ARG / CFMOto Gaviota Aspar Team / KTM / +0.142
3 Veda PATRAMA / INA / Honda Team Asia / Honda / +1.650
…
NS #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM

Moto3™ World Standings:
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / KTM / 45
2 Marco MORELLI / ARG / KTM / 28
3 Veda PATRAMA / INA / Honda / 27
…
5 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / KTM / 25
14 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / KTM / 6

Moto3™ Team Standings:
1 CFMOTO Aspar Team / 73
2 Red Bull KTM Ajo / 40
3 Red Bull KTM Tech3 / 35
4 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / 31

David Almansa

Race: NS at Restart
Moto3 World Championship 2026: P5 - 15 Points

«I am really sorry to end the weekend this way. We did a great job throughout and were able to prove it in the race. We were in the lead for most of the time and were able to pull away from the rest of the field. I pushed hard, but I was never beyond my limit. I had everything under control. I cannot explain why I lost control of the rear coming out of Turn 4. Unfortunately, I broke my elbow. Still, we have to stay positive, because we are doing a great job, as the entire weekend has shown, and we are currently among the fastest. I hope the necessary surgery goes well so I can recover quickly. Yesterday’s qualifying, however, did not go as expected. We had some bad luck with yellow flags. But after the red flag, I could not find a good feel for the bike. We were not worried about the race, though. A big thank you to the team for their support.»

Peter Öttl

Team manager

«First of all, I would like to express that we were very sorry to be without David Muñoz this weekend. Another surgery on his leg made it impossible for him to come to Brazil. The first Grand Prix in this country after such a long hiatus was a major challenge for all the teams. On top of that, the organizers had to contend with heavy rain in the days leading up to the event. This was also one reason why track conditions were far from easy for the riders. Even with nice weather, some wet patches remained. At this track, which was new to everyone, it was doubly painful not to have our second rider with us.»

«David Almansa, however, delivered an outstanding performance under all conditions. He was competitive in every practice session. His fastest lap in Friday afternoon’s Practice session was already his fifth of the year in a practice session. In qualifying, however, various circumstances meant he had to start the race from 14th on the grid. But we knew very well that our level is much higher and that David is capable of so much more. With that in mind, we had high hopes for today. David also got off to an excellent start and took the lead as early as in lap three, and just like three weeks ago in Thailand, his pace was out of reach for almost everyone. Only Maximo Quiles was able to stay in his slipstream. We saw a lot of crashes this weekend. Unfortunately, David was also involved in one of them. That shows just how close success and failure can be. Instead of another potential victory, David has unfortunately sustained an injury. This, of course, has serious consequences for our plans for the next race in Austin in a few days. Instead of competing there with two top riders, we will have to improvise and figure out how we can pull off the Grand Prix there. Finally, I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and wish our two riders a speedy and smooth recovery. We hope that both of them will be back in good shape soon.»

#BrazilianGP 2026 - Sunday

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