Sensational race sees Sasaki in P3 and rookie Veijer in P6
It was a thrilling last few scenes at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello that saw LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP rider Ayumu Sasaki cross the line in third place after battling for victory, while rookie sensation Collin Veijer delivered an incredible recovery from P16 to P6.
Everything was set for one of the greatest and most overtaking-rich races of the year when the lights went out at 11:00 o'clock for the sixth round of the Moto3 World Championship season.
Ayumu Sasaki started in second and lost just one position in the sprint to the first corner, but quickly found his rhythm and maintained his position as the lead rider several times throughout the 17-lap race. His speed on the straights was unchallenged, at least until the final lap, when an attack by the KTMs of Deniz Öncü and Daniel Holgado pushed the Japanese rider down to third position, where he eventually crossed the finish line 0.056s behind after countless overtaking manoeuvres, thus collecting 16 valuable World Championship points.
Meanwhile, the number of overtaking manoeuvres on Collin Veijer's side could not be registered anymore, as the young Dutchman rode the race of his life on this fantastically beautiful Sunday in front of the Tuscan mountain panorama. Starting from position 16, he moved up five places to 11th within the first lap. The 18-year-old found himself in the middle of a large pack, which demanded extreme concentration and precision from him. Positions changed every second, but in the end, the youngster of the German Moto3 racing team moved up to a terrific sixth place on the last lap, after he had dropped back to 16th place a few corners earlier. Veijer rewarded his best race result so far with ten more World Championship points, which means 17th place in the overall ranking.
A truly brilliant race, which whets the appetite for more. The riders and fans don't have long to wait, because, in just one week's time, it's off to the Sachsenring, the home Grand Prix of the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP team, where hundreds of thousands are waiting to celebrate their two-wheeled heroes.
Results
Race
1. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ KTM
2. Deniz ÖNCÜ/ TUR/ KTM – (+0.051)
3. Ayumu SASAKI/ JAP/ HUSQVARNA – (0.056)
6. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+13.321)
World Championship
1. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA - 109
2. Jaume MASIA/ SPA/ – 74
3. Ivan ORTOLÁ/ SPA – 68
5. Ayumu SASAKI/ JAP – 59
17. Collin VEIJER/ NED – 18
Team Championship
1. LEOPARD RACING – 112
2. RED BULL KTM TECH3 – 111
3. ANGELUSS MTA TEAM – 101
4. RED BULL KTM AJO – 92
5. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 77