Guevara wins Moto3™ title with thrilling Island victory

Izan Guevara is the Moto3™ World Champion! The Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team rider came out on top in four-way fight for victory at the Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, giving him an unassailable 65-point lead over teammate Sergio Garcia with two races to go this season. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) finished second on the day at Phillip Island, from Garcia and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max). Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), who started the day as Guevara’s nearest rival for the title, took the chequered flag in ninth and is now third in the riders’ standings, two points behind Garcia.

Guevara makes an early statement of intent

Despite wet patches around the circuit on the sighting lap, all 30 riders started on slicks. Garcia took the initial lead from the middle of the front row, ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets - MSI) and pole-sitter Sasaki. Guevara slotted into fifth position in the opening corners and while he ran wide in an attempt to pass Sasaki at Miller Corner (Turn 4), he was sixth at the end of the standing lap, well ahead of Foggia in 14th.

Sasaki was in the thick of the battle for the lead in the early stages, and slipstreamed into first position at the start of Lap 3, ahead of Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), Garcia, Öncü, Moreira, Guevara, and Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power), with Foggia back in 15th at that point. Guevara was not shying away from the fight, going around the outside of both Moreira and Garcia at Southern Loop (Turn 2) on Lap 4 to jump to second position, but when Garcia dived into the lead at Miller Corner a few moments later, he would enjoy a relatively sustained spell at the front.

The lead group is narrowed down

A lead group of six emerged, namely Garcia, Moreira, Sasaki, Guevara, Öncü, and Kelso, before they were joined by Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) and John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max). When Guevara passed Sasaki for second place at the Stoner Corner (Turn 3) on Lap 8, putting him one place behind Garcia, he was into the live championship lead by a single point. He passed Garcia on the race track at Doohan Corner on Lap 9, but #11 hit back a lap later at Miller Corner – which would prove to be his preferred overtaking location – as Sasaki closed up the four-tenth advantage that the GASGAS Aspar duo had built.

By the time Guevara re-took the lead into Doohan Corner on Lap 11, the lead group had narrowed to four, rounded out by Garcia, Sasaki, and Öncü. Guevara and Garcia continued to trade the lead but Sasaki and Öncü were certainly willing to get amongst it and, at one point, Garcia was shuffled all the way back to fourth as they came out of Doohan Corner on Lap 15. Sasaki hit the front when he overtook Guevara into Doohan Corner on Lap 16, but Garcia passed both in one fell swoop three turns later at Miller Corner.

All-out in the fight for victory

Guevara responded with a double-pass of his own into the Doohan Corner on Lap 17, thanks to the strong slipstream effect which the Moto3™ bikes generate down Gardner Straight, but Garcia hit back at Miller Corner and then the would-be Champion was himself shuffled back to fourth out of Doohan Corner on Lap 19 – with Garcia leading, the title fight was set to go to Malaysia. Even Öncü nosed into the lead at the start of Lap 20 – only to be back to fourth by the time they exited the first corner!

Guevara and Sasaki chopped and changed in the battle for P1 on Lap 21, before Garcia leaned on his teammate through Miller Corner and took second spot. Then, Garcia snatched it back with a similarly daring move at the Hayshed (Turn 8). As they ran into Doohan Corner to start the 22nd and penultimate lap, it was Garcia back in front from Guevara, Sasaki, and Öncü. Guevara passed Garcia at Stoner Corner but #11 once again took the lead off #28 at Miller Corner, and then Öncü relegated Guevara to third at Turn 11, meaning the title fight was alive again.

One lap to go, and a Championship on the line! Öncü passed Garcia into Doohan Corner but Guevara also used the slipstream to sweep into second and then also pass the Turk through Southern Loop. Garcia sat third and Sasaki fourth, and given Guevara had pulled a couple of tenths clear, he was able to head them to the chequered flag in that order and clinch the World Championship in magical circumstances.

How the rest finished

Just 0.560 seconds covered the lead group at the line, with Nepa best of the rest at a further 6.868 seconds back. McPhee claimed sixth and Moreira beat Kelso to seventh after a video review to confirm positions, so tight was the margin. Foggia got home another nine seconds back in ninth, ahead of Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), Ortola, Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in the final points-paying position.

Six riders crashed out, namely Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets - MSI), Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia), Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo), and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia). The latter two went out at the Hayshed on Lap 3 and while the aftermath looked nasty, both were thankfully declared fit – riders okay.

So, Guevara clinches the title at his first match point, but the battle for second now heats up! Catch the next encounter from the Sepang International Circuit when the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia takes place on October 21-23!

Moto3™ Race Top 10

1. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) – 1:36.804
2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.345
3. Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.460
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.560
5. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 7.428
6. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 7.496
7. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets - MSI) + 7.574
8. Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power) + 7.575
9. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 16.794
10. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 16.831

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