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MotoGP Valencia: Binder battles back to win final Moto3 scrap of the year

Brad Binder has won the final Moto3 race of the 2016 season after battling back from 21st at Valencia.

The newly-crowned champ proved why he is worthy of the title by taking the win after a last-lap move into the lead following a race spent fighting back from an early mistake.

Joan Mir, meanwhile, crossed the line second and took the Rookie of the Year honours.

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The drama had started a few hours before the race even began when four riders – Nicolo Bulega, Bo Bendsneyder, Niccolo Antonelli and Simone Corsi - were hit with 12-place grid penalties for various riding misdemeanours on Saturday.

Then, pole man Aron Canet pulled off the grid and started from pit lane, the Valencian teenager missing his chance to start his home race from the top spot after claiming his first pole yesterday.

As the lights changed, it was Honda Team Asia rider Hiroki Ono who got the hole shot and led into the first corner, but he was soon passed by the Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda of Enea Bastianini and soon fell into the clutches of champion Brad Binder on the Red Bull KTM Ajo machine.

Moments later Gabriel Rodrigo was violently spat off his RBA Racing Team KTM, collecting a completely innocent Francesco Bagnaia, ending both their races in one fast crash.

On the second lap, Binder had a problem and almost highsided, dropping all the way from second to 21st, and his race became a battle through the pack.

The next big moment came on the fourth lap, as Lorenzo Dalla Porta had massive off from 11th place at turn one, while up front Joan Mir’s Leopard Racing KTM was leading Bastianini his team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio while Binder was already up to 16th.

The following laps became a battle at the front between Mir who had taken the lead on the second lap, De Giannantonio, Bastianini and SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Andrea Migno.

Mir led until Lap 12 when he was passed by both Migno and Bastianini and then dropped another spot to Di Giannantonio.

However, who was leading at this point didn’t seem too important given the fact that Binder was now in sight, having made his way up through the pack and by the 17th lap he was third.

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On Lap 21 he made the move on Mir into the lead, and Mir lost out again to Migno who seared past. With the top four bikes all very close, Binder made a rare mistake as he went into a corner too hot and had to sit up, dropping back to fourth behind Bastianini.

But he was back up to second after a move on Migno into turn one on the penultimate lap, putting him in the perfect place to do it again on the last lap, this time taking the lead from Mir.

Mir wasn’t about to give up and chased him all the way, but thanks to a lap of very defensive riding, the south African was able to end his year on a high as he took the win.

Mir was second with Migno third, while Bastianini missed out on a podium in fourth, ahead of Di Giannantonio.

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Juanfran Guevara’s RBA Racing Team KTM crossed the line sixth ahead of Drive M7 SIC Racing Team’s Jakub Kornfeil in seventh, Philipp Oettl’s Schedl GP Racing KTM eighth, Jorge Navarro’ Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda ninth and Jorge Martin on the Pull & Beat Aspar Mahindra 10th.

Click here for full results 

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