Almansa earns a hard-fought fifth place in scorching Sepang; Muñoz shines in P8
LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP’s Moto3 team once again demonstrated fighting spirit and determination on Sunday in Malaysia’s hot conditions. David Almansa battled for a podium finish right up to the final lap and secured an outstanding fifth-place finish, while David Muñoz delivered a remarkable performance with an eighth-place finish.
David Almansa made his intentions clear right from the start. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who had started the race from fourth place on the second row of the grid, aggressively passed two competitors who had started ahead of him in Turn 1 and took the lead a few corners later.
Almansa managed to hold the lead for four laps before the new world champion, Maximo Quiles, took the lead in the race. From that point on, Almansa fought a fierce battle with four rivals for the remaining two podium spots. Each lap featured frequent, often wild passing manoeuvres.
On his way to what seemed like a secure spot in the top three, Almansa made contact with local rider Hakim Danish in Turn 5 on the final lap. As a result, Almansa had to lift his bike slightly, causing him to lose momentum and lose direct contact with the group. However, with his fifth-place finish, he defended his second-place position in the overall championship standings.
Teammate David Muñoz also put in a performance on Sunday that was no less impressive. The Spaniard, who made significant progress this weekend in Sepang, under extremely difficult conditions, as he continues his recovery from a serious pelvic injury, put in a strong race in what was only his fourth Grand Prix since his long hiatus and remained in the top ten from start to finish.
After a strong start, Muñoz gained one position by the first corner and moved up three more spots on the next lap. From there on, he held his own in the first chasing group and even set the pace at times to close the gap to the leading group. However, the 20-year-old from Seville also found himself in a tricky situation with a rival, which put an end to his attempt to close the gap on the leaders.
At the start of the final third of the race, Muñoz fell back to the end of his group, but, sitting in ninth place, he had a significant lead over the riders behind him. His unbroken fighting spirit, however, wouldn't let him settle for that, and Muñoz moved up one more spot on the final lap, crossing the finish line in eighth place after 15 gruelling laps.
Next on the calendar: the Grand Prix of Qatar will take place this coming weekend at the Lusail International Circuit.
Moto3™ Race Classification (15 Laps):
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team / KTM / 33´07.634
2 Veda PATRAMA / INA / Honda Team Asia / Honda / +3.734
3 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / +4.184
…
5 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / +4.914
8 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / +9.533
Moto3™ World Standings:
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / KTM / 376
2 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / KTM / 228
3 Brian URIARTE / SPA / KTM / 205
…
17 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / KTM / 64
22 #71 David GONZALEZ / SPA / KTM / 7
23 #88 Marcos URIARTE / SPA / KTM / 6
Moto3™ Team Standings:
1 CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team 516
2 Red Bull KTM Ajo 410
3 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 304
