Sensational victory for Almansa; Muñoz finishes seventh
David Almansa capped off a perfect weekend in Japan on Sunday with his third victory of the year. The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Moto3 team had even more reason to celebrate, however, after David Muñoz secured additional points with a solid seventh-place finish.
With his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, 20-year-old David Almansa has once again proven that he is a serious contender for Maximo Quiles, who holds a significant lead in the championship. Almansa put in a very smart race at the challenging Motegi circuit, conserving his tires at times to ensure he had the necessary reserves for the final stages.
At first, pole-setter Almansa took the lead, but after two laps he was overtaken by his compatriot Brian Uriarte. Later, Alvaro Carpe also passed Almansa. Over the next six laps along the 4.8 kilometres long track, he managed his tires skilfully. On lap nine, Almansa reclaimed the lead and was able to slightly extend it in the final stages with a series of fastest laps.
With three laps to go, Quiles picked up the pace until he was right on Almansa's heels going into the last lap. Almansa, however, gave it his all one last time and ultimately won by the narrowest of margins over his closest rival.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the German team’s Moto3 pit, David Muñoz impressed with solid performances at what was his only his second race weekend after his long injury break. In qualifying, the 20-year-old Spaniard even pulled off a minor upset by finishing sixth.
Muñoz got off to an excellent start from the second row of the grid, which he skilfully capitalized on with a very aggressive first lap. When the field crossed the start-finish line for the first time, Muñoz was in third place. He was able to hold that position for three laps before being overtaken by several competitors in quick succession and dropping back to eighth place. On the final lap, Muñoz managed to gain one position and crossed the finish line in seventh place.
From the Land of the Rising Sun, the journey continues directly to the Indonesian island of Lombok.
Moto3™ Race Classification (17 Laps):
1 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / 32´45.544
2 Maximo QUILES / SPA / CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team / KTM / +0.046
3 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / +2.738
…
7 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / +13.080
Moto3™ World Standings:
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / KTM / 326
2 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / KTM / 199
3 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / KTM / 191
…
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 472
2 Red Bull KTM Ajo 378
3 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 273
