Estrella Galicia Honda’s Aron Canet took victory in today’s Moto3 clash at Silverstone’s MotoGP round on countback after the race was stopped by a high-speed crash involving Bo Bendsneyder and Juanfran Guevara at Brooklands on the last lap.
Canet was leading over the line at the end of lap 16 so was given the win with Enea Bastianini second and still-injured Jorge Martin completing the podum. Joan Mir could only muster a fifth-place finish but increased his championship lead as Romano Fenati was two places behind.
Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) got a good start and led the early stages, with the nature of the Silverstone circuit making sure no one could make a break for it – and almost the whole grid then locked in battle at the front. Switching and changing positions throughout, the lightweighr runners redefined the possible in some corners – two or three abreast in a spectacular display of the best of Moto3™.
As the last lap dawned, it was Canet across the line first – and that proved critical. An incident further back in the pack on that final lap brought out the Red Flag, meaning positions would ultimately be decided by where the pack crossed the line on Lap 16 of 17. That gave Canet the victory, Bastianini his first podium of the year, and was a cause of frustration for some as their tactics were cut short.
Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) took fourth as he stayed well in the fight throughout, just ahead of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) as the Majorcan increased his advantage once more. Just behind Mir was teammate Livio Loi in sixth – crucially ahead of Mir’s key Championship challenger Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers).
Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) was only 0.024 off compatriot Fenati to cross the line in eighth, with Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3). Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was 11th, with some good points for Adam Norrodin (SIC Racing Team) in P12.
John McPhee (British Talent Team) had a more difficult end to the race in thirteenth after a second row start, losing the chance to slice through on the final lap, with the points scorers completed by rookies Ayumu Sasaki (SIC Racing Team) and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia).
British wildcard Tom Booth-Amos took a highly-creditable 21st position from 32nd on the grid while team-mate Jake Archer retired.
