There is a saying “Keep Austin Weird”, and the whole weekend was just that.
Qualifying
Quali for the Moto3 had Jaume Masia on pole, Dennis Foggia P2 and Jeremy Alcoba P3. Championship leader Pedro Acosta was P15, this caused a bit of controversy in the Ajo team, as Masia did nothing to try and help Acosta in the final quali laps, as would be expected of a team player with a championship at stake. Pedro’s comments that getting a Tissot watch was not as important as the championship was not lost of any of us.
The Race:
Throughout the weekend, it was noted how bumpy the track has become, and we’re not talking ripples but ramps, throwing the MotoGP bikes around, and then the little bikes had to contend with these conditions.
Jaume Masia fought Xavier Artigas hard off the line and within a couple of corners took the lead with Izan Guevara P3. Within the first lap, though Artigas had taken P1 with Guevara P2 and Masia now in P3, Pedro Acosta was still P15, finding it hard to get back the train of bikes in front of him. Soon Artigas was given a double long lap penalty for a jump start, basically ruining his race.
Lap 2 and with Artigas on the long loop, Izan Guevara took the lead, with Masia P2 and Jeremy Alcoba P3. The bikes were being thrown all over the place by the terrible bumps, making every lap look unsafe. Twelve laps to go, and Izan Guevara was strong at the front, with Dennis Foggia now pursuing him in P2 and an on-form John McPhee in P3. Pedro Acosta was now P8, trying hard to gain places for the championship. On lap 8 of 17, Filip Salac went down and stayed down on the track. That brought out the red flag, and the riders returned to the pits. Salac was stretchered off but seemed ok, as much as you can be when you crash your motorcycle at speed. So now it was the waiting game, as the marshals and race direction set about making the track safe again, well, as safe as this track could be on the day!
After some time, and as the first race had not reached two thirds distance, a new race was set, with the quick start procedure. Front row was Izan Guevara P1, Dennis Foggia P2 and John McPhee P3. It was set to be a five-lap dash. Lap one saw Deniz Oncu push past Izan Guevavra for the lead with John McPhee tucked into P3. Soon though, it was Guevara once again, in the lead, Darryn Binder P2 and Oncu P3 until Izan ran wide and soon was heading for the pits, the rear shock on his GASGAS shot, probably due to the crazy bumpy track. That left McPhee P1, Masia P2 and Binder P3.
Three laps to go, and this race went weird and dramatic. There was a massive and very scary looking crash, involving Jeremy Alcoba, Andrea Migno and Pedro Acosta. Alcoba had gone down first, with Migno then Acosta hitting his bike and being launched into the air. Pedro skimmed the Armco barrier as he was hurtled down the track like a rag doll. By some incredible luck, all the riders stood up and looked ok, and there was an immediate red flag.
Upon analysis, it was clear that Deniz Oncu after having overtaken Jeremy Alcoba on the straight, had come across, perhaps too early, and Alcoba had clipped his rear wheel. That had started the roller coaster of this horrendous crash, and only by some good fortune all the riders involved were ok. Izan Guevara meanwhile, had come back to his box, very frustrated, and decided to destroy the furniture and paddock stand, much to the shock of his mechanics and team. He’s young yes, but he needs advice, no way to behave, especially in front of millions of viewers.
After much deliberation and rule book waving, it was the decision of race direction, that the original race and standings would hold. Interesting, as the first race is usually negated by the second after a red flag, but hey-ho, it must be there in the small print somewhere.
The Results:
Izan Guevara, Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team, GASGAS, P1. Dennis Foggia Leopard Racing, Honda, P2 and John McPhee, Petronas Sprinta Racing, Honda, P3.
Post-race Deniz Oncu was given a two-race penalty. He will not return until the last race at Valencia. It is difficult to know whether this is fair, as Deniz was not being malicious, it was a mistake, and he was visibly upset in the box. The only thing to come of it, is maybe these young riders will be more mindful.
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Author: Martin Northern
Founder of Bike Directory
