Muñoz leaves victory potential untapped, Pini with early withdrawal
The Moto3 World Championship celebrated its opening race at the Chang International Circuit, in which LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP rider David Muñoz crashed in the battle for victory, while rookie Guido Pini was forced to retire mid-race due to pain following his Q1 crash.
Tropical temperatures, bright sunshine and frenetically cheering fans in the stands - everything was set in place for the first Moto3 race on Sunday.
Being tenth on the grid, David Muñoz was in a good starting position for the sweaty 19-lap race. From the start, the Spaniard made steady progress and by the third lap, the 18-year-old was already fighting for second position behind Jose Antonio Rueda, who later won the race. In the following laps, Muñoz showed what he and his KTM were capable of. Despite the pressure of the following rivals and the enormous heat, last year's fifth in the world championship kept a cool head. Unfortunately, things got a little too heated on lap nine as there was a small contact between him and Luca Lunetta, who then had to take a ride through the gravel. The Intact GP rider with starting number 64 quickly received the punishment for the sharp manoeuvre: a long lap penalty. However, this penalty did not get fulfilled, as podium contender Muñoz unfortunately crashed after a front wheel slide. Uninjured and empty-handed, the task now is to cool down, recognise the potential and take it to the second race in Argentina from the 14th - 16th of March.
Rookie Guido Pini had to put up with a lot on his first Moto3 World Championship weekend. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old bruised his left leg in a crash in Q1, which made it really difficult for him in the extremely demanding race. Starting from 24th on the grid, the Italian held his own through the first few corners, which were very tight at times. Over the course of the first laps, Pini moved up to 21st position, but then on the ninth lap he had to return to his pit. The rider with the 94 had to end the race prematurely, not only because of the pain, but also because he lost his right knee slider.
The German Moto3 racing team is looking at untapped potential, which nevertheless gives a positive foretaste of the upcoming races. Guido Pini will use the short break before Argentina to regenerate, while David Muñoz will analyse his strong race in order to eradicate small mistakes in the future.
Results
Race
1. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM
2. Alvaro CARPE/ SPA/ KTM – (+7.276)
3. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – (+7.341)
DNF
David MUÑOZ/ SPA/ KTM
Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM
World Championship
1. RUEDA Jose Antonio/ SPA – 25
2. CARPE Alvaro/ SPA – 20
3. FERNANDEZ Adrian/ SPA – 16
Team Classification
1. RED BULL KTM AJO – 45
2. LEOPARD RACING – 25
3. SIC58 SQUADRA CORSE – 19
