11/10/2026

Almansa shines with second place in Lombok heat race

David Almansa sparked celebrations for the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Moto3 team on Sunday at the Indonesian island with another podium finish, while the race came to a premature end for David Muñoz at halfway point.

David Almansa has been in fantastic form since the start of the second half of the season. Having secured second spot on the starting grid on the front row for the Indonesian Grand Prix, the 20-year-old Spanish rider was among the favourites to win at the Mandalika International Circuit.

Almansa was determined to make this happen, which he made clear with a lightning-fast start that saw him take the lead right in turn one. He held the lead for one lap but then fell back to seventh place in the second lap due to a series of fierce attacks from other riders; however, he once again demonstrated his unwavering fighting spirit by working his way back up to second place over the next two laps.

By that point, eventual winner, Maximo Quiles, had already pulled far ahead. Almansa had just as quickly built up a lead over his pursuers and secured second place at the finish. With this victory, Quiles clinched the world championship title ahead of schedule. Congratulations to the Spaniard and the Aspar Team on this success.

It wasn't an easy weekend in Lombok for teammate David Muñoz. The 20-year-old had to contend with some unexpected difficulties right from the start. After Q2, he had to settle for 14th place. However, due to a grid penalty, he only had to start the race from 17th place.

Starting from row six, Muñoz overtook no less than five competitors on the first lap, and three laps later he was already in the top ten, sitting in ninth place. The Seville-based rider was able to hold that position for two laps. After serving a «Long Lap» penalty, Muñoz rejoined the field in 16th place but dropped back two spots on the following lap. After nine laps, still not 100 percent fit and exhausted from the rigors of the race, he had to bring his bike back to the pits.

The championship moves from one island to the next when the Australian Grand Prix takes place at Phillip Island in two weeks.

Moto3™ Race Classification (20 Laps):
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team / KTM / 32´36.821
2 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / +2.994
3 Brian URIARTE / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / +5.156
…
NC #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM

Moto3™ World Standings:
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / KTM / 351
2 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / KTM / 219
3 Brian URIARTE / SPA / KTM / 203
…
18 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / KTM / 61
22 #71 David GONZALEZ / SPA / KTM / 7
23 #88 Marcos URIARTE / SPA / KTM / 6

Moto3™ Team Standings:
1 CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team 497
2 Red Bull KTM Ajo 394
3 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 293

David Almansa

Race: P2 +2.994
Moto3 World Championship 2026: P2 – 219 Points

«Today’s race was certainly no easy feat because of the heat. At first, though, the start and the first lap went well. But then we had some bad luck on the second lap, as there were too many contacts with other riders, and Maximo was able to pull away. As soon as I had a clear track, I tried to catch up to him. I pushed myself to the absolute limit with a string of very fast laps, just like in a qualifying. Later, though, I made a few mistakes. That’s when I realized I couldn’t catch him anymore, so I decided not to take any more risks and just finish the race. I’m happy with second place and the important points for the championship. There are still five races left, and the battle for the runner-up title continues. We have everything we need to do it, so we’ll give it our best shot and fight until the very end. But first of all, congratulations to Maximo on winning the championship. We had some great battles, so I’m satisfied with my own performance, even though it wasn’t such a good championship for me as we had a lot of bad luck on several occasions, especially in the first half of the season due to injuries and illnesses. But as soon as I was at my 100 percent physically, I was able to prove my potential. I’m happy about that and for all the people around me who support me, and for my team. Thank you very much to everyone for their work this weekend.»

David Muñoz

Race: NC
Moto3 World Championship 2026: P18 – 61 Points

«It was a pretty tough weekend, but we knew going in that we’d have a bit more of a struggle here in the left-hand corners. We tried a few different things, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t feel quite right, and eventually we made a few adjustments today so I could brake better, but that didn’t help. My arm kept getting weaker and weaker, and to be honest, I just didn’t have any strength left, so I decided to retire from the race. I want to apologize to the team for all of this, but that’s just part of the game. I’m really struggling, but we’re not going to give up. We’ll be back in Australia. Thanks so much to my team!»

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

«For David Almansa, Friday went perfectly with two fastest-lap times, and Saturday morning was crucial for choosing the right tires for the race. In qualifying, he missed his eighth pole position by just a few hundredths of a second. We knew the race would be very difficult, as Quiles had an excellent race pace. But we can be very satisfied with David’s second-place finish. It was his sixth podium finish in the last eight races, further solidifying his second place in the overall standings. Congratulations to him and his team on another strong weekend!»

«For David Muñoz, the weekend got off to a slightly tougher start than we had hoped. The lack of rest as there were only a few days between this race and the last one in Japan, took its toll. On Friday, he narrowly missed to qualify directly for Q2 and finished in 15th place, but he made up for it the next day with a third-place finish in Q1. Starting from 17th on the grid made his position for Sunday’s race more challenging. Ultimately, he was unable to finish the race due to his physical condition. Since he had run out of energy, the most sensible decision for him was to pull into the pits and retire from the race. The break until the race in Australia will certainly benefit him and allow him to recover better for the next race. Many thanks to the entire team for their performance in the first two overseas races, which ended with a win and a second-place finish.»

#IndonesianGP Sunday

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