Deniz Oncu has broken his long-awaited Moto3 World Championship duck in superb style, waiting until the very final corner to snatch victory from the grasp of Ayumu Sasaki at the Sachsenring.

Just seven days on from seeing his hopes of a first win dashed just a couple of metres from the finish line in Mugello, this time it was Oncu's turn to dish out a last gasp attack to deny a rival that had otherwise led peerlessly from lap one.

Quite the contrast to his brother Can Oncu, who made history by winning on his GP debut at the 2018 Valencia Moto3, it has taken Deniz some 61 GPs to reach the top step of the podium.

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Sweet redemption for Oncu, bitter pill for Sasaki

A result that will feel all the more satisfying after being out-dragged to the line by Daniel Holgado at Mugello a week earlier, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider's joy spelled despair for Sasaki, whose couldn't quite finish off an otherwise extraordinary weekend for the Japanese.

Indeed, such was Sasaki's advantage after qualifying - more than a second clear of the opposition after a huge new lap record - few were surprised to see him make a break out front from the chasing pack early on.

Though beaten to Turn 1 by fast-starting Husqvarna IntactGP team-mate Colin Veijer - the rookie leading a GP for the first time, albeit briefly - Sasaki took control mid-way around the first lap and quickly put the hammer down, extending his advantage out to more than a second by lap nine.

However, while Sasaki had the measure of almost the entire field, he found a worthy adversary in Oncu, who could match and then better his rival's lap times once he had worked his way to second position at the expense of Daniel Holgado on lap seven.

Steadily working the gap down despite regularly stretching his left leg out with what appeared to be cramp, Oncu eventually worked his way onto the rear of Sasaki and held station on his rear wheel as he plotted his attack.

With the disappointment of Mugello no doubt in his mind, Oncu - though visibly quick - shadowed Sasaki through the final lap, the Japanese rider to his credit having not put a wheel wrong in his bid to complete the perfect race weekend.

However, despite a cautionary weave to the inside on the exit of Turn 12 as the pair approached the final left-hander, Oncu was ready to pounce, leaving his braking late to execute a superb block pass good enough to prevent Sasaki from responding in the short squirt to the finish line.

It's a result that reignites Oncu's title aspirations, with the back-to-back podiums lifting him to fifth in the standings, just five points shy of Jaume Masia in second.

However, there remains a sizeable gap to Holgado, the Spaniard protecting and extending his series lead by finishing third, despite being so outclassed by Oncu and Sasaki that he crossed the line a huge 12secs adrift.

Raising his advantage over Masia from 35 points to 41 points, Holgado's passage to third came via race-long pressure from Ivan Ortola, who tracked his countryman all the way without being in a position to launch an attack as he settled for fourth.

Another five seconds adrift, GasGas rookie David Alonso shook out on top of a seven-rider pack to finish fifth, ahead of Masia, whose hopes of challenging for victory were scuppered by getting bottled up behind Veijer for a lap.

indeed, though the Dutchman - fresh from a personal best sixth at Mugello a week earlier and a new best of fourth in qualifying - grabbed the lead through the first turn, he was overwhelmed with the pace in lap one, allowing a gap to open as he settled in fifth. His race lasted just one more lap before crashing out at Turn 12.

Diogo Moreira followed Masia home in seventh, from Ryusei Yamanaka, Stefano Nepa and Taiyo Furusato, who was promoted back to tenth at the expense of Xavier Artigas, who was dropped a position after exceeding track limits on the final lap.

Further back, Scott Ogden soldiered on following a huge crash in qualifying that left him 27th in the grid, the VisionTrack Racing rider coming home 21st, ahead of Joshua Whatley in 23rd.

German Moto3, Sachsenring | RACE RESULTS