Foggia shines in a last lap thriller at Silverstone

August 11, 2022

Moto3 – Monster Energy British Grand Prix 07/08/2022

Qualification:

It was a young-guns lineup for the Moto3 race with the sensational rookie Brazilian Diogo Moreira taking pole position. Izan Guevara was P2 and Ryusei Yamanaka P3. Dennis Foggia was P7 and the championship leader Sergio Garcia P11.

The Race: 17 laps.

A sizzling start for Diogo Moreira saw him take the lead as the pack shot away from the grid, but soon Izan Guevara was showing him a front wheel in the first couple of corners. Soon though it was Ryusei Yamanaka and teammate Moreira back in front of Guevara, a hectic start to the Moto3 race, as you would expect from the mostly teenage lineup. By the end of lap one, Deniz Oncu pulled an amazing move around the outside of everyone to take the lead, with Guevara now P2 and Moreira P3.

Sixteen laps to go and Izan Guevara had pushed past Oncu for the lead, with Ayumu Sasaki P2 and Oncu P3, and behind him a gaggle of riders in tight formation. A group of seven riders created a slight gap, with Izan in the lead, but behind him, Suzuki, Oncu, Sasaki, McPhee, Moreira and Foggia were swapping places like the Tory party.

Having led for many laps Izan Guevara was finally overtaken by Dennis Foggia, who had patiently waited for his moment and then pounced to take the lead, with Guevara now P2, McPhee P3, Oncu P4, Suzuki P5 and Jaume Masia P6 up from a P21 grid position. Izan re-took Dennis, but with 12 laps to go Foggia had re-asserted his position in P1, which he then held for seven laps, apart from a very brief foray from Oncu.

Foggia seemed to have the race on his side and had pulled a considerable lead on the others, but slowly the pack came to him again, and Dennis Oncu overtook Foggia with six laps to go, but Foggia was soon back in his favoured P1. With four laps to go Oncu had once again passed Foggia for P1 and was now joined by the young Ivan Ortola whose pace had been astonishing, Jaume Masia now took P3. Three laps to go and Ortola pulled into the lead, the first time for him in a GP, having been runner-up in the junior world championship, the more experienced Oncu though was soon back in P1. As the places were swapping back and forth, Sergio Garcia had made his way to P3, but then a mistake by Ayumu Sasaki saw both of them on the tarmac, a huge setback for the championship leader Garcia.

The last lap started with Deniz Oncu in P1, Munoz P2 and the feisty Ortola P3, Suzuki P4 and team mate Foggia P5, Masia P6. Amongst the chaos Foggia emerged into P1, as Ivan Ortola crashed into Izan Guevara, taking them both out. Masia then took the lead with Munoz P2 and Foggia P3. Foggia then took back the lead in a classy move putting Jaume Masia P2 and Deniz Oncu P3, as David Munoz slid out on his own. It was one of the craziest last laps in a Moto3 race, with a number of non-runners including the two leading contenders in the championship Sergio Garcia and Izan Guevara, who still have a three-point gap between them.