Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega says he and the team “have lots of work to do” following WorldSBK testing at Portimao.

Bulega finished the test second fastest behind BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu, but the Italian was over half a second down on the reigning world champion’s best lap time. 

The teams faced limited test time due to inclement weather in Portugal, which meant they could only run for half days on each of the two days of testing. 

The championship leader was further restricted following a crash at Turn 11, from which the he was fortunate to walk away uninjured. 

Bulega admitted it was a “difficult” test for the team after earning a treble of race victories in Phillip Island, but emphasised the end of the session showed promise for the upcoming weekend. 

“It was a bit of a difficult test for us because we worked hard to find a good feeling, but it didn’t arrive,” Bulega said to WorldSBK.com.

“This morning [Day 2] I had a big crash on a very fast corner here in Portimao.

“Fortunately, I am good, but it was more difficult to work because we lost some time as a result, then later the rain made it a difficult and strange test.

“At the end of the session, the last 15 minutes, we were a bit better; we still have lots of work to do but in the end, we were a lot better.”

Alvaro Bautista: Ducati made ‘small changes’ in Portimao WorldSBK test

Bulega’s Ducati teammate Alvaro Bautista finished the Portimao test in eighth, over a second behind Razgatlioglu’s best time. 

The Spanish rider elected not to test on Friday and instead opted for half a day’s running on Saturday.

Despite his limited track time, Bautista suggested he “felt good” on the bike but stressed would have to wait to see how it fairs in race condition.

“We were able to do some laps, especially in the morning, we started the day with the same setup that we finished the last round with, in Australia.” said Bautista.

“The feeling was good, I felt good on the bike. We made some small changes but nothing big. In the afternoon with the rain, the feeling was a bit worse because I couldn’t feel the tires as easily.

“In general, in the morning I felt good, the pace wasn’t too bad, but we will have to see what the conditions will be like on the race weekend. We prepared the base setup and we will adapt the package from there.”

READ MORE: Five things we learned from WorldSBK Phillip Island season opener

The post Nicolo Bulega: Ducati ‘have lots of work to do’ ahead of Portimao WorldSBK round appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Fabio Di Giannantonio explained why he felt he “threw away” his chances of securing a podium finish at the Argentina MotoGP Grand Prix.

The Roman rider finished both the Sprint and Sunday race in fifth place, accumulating 16 points to his championship tally.

The VR46 Ducati opted for the same strategy as his teammate Franco Morbidelli, starting the 25-lapper with the soft rear tyre compound.

The start of his race saw Morbidelli squeeze through on Lap 1 which placed him behind KTMs Brad Binder as a result.

Di Giannantonio later found the right opportunity to pass Binder on Lap 15, then completed an ambitious last-lap move on LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco.

“Without [Franco] Morbidelli’s overtake, I think I would’ve finished the race differently. The start was good, and the plan was to reach a fourth, fifth position right away and then start the chase,” Di Giannantonio explained to GPOne.

“However, Franco did well and ruined my GP. I was behind Binder for three-quarters of the race and lost a lot of time, also because Brad [Binder] is very difficult to overtake.

“I had a great pace, to the extent that, after twenty laps, I was still doing 1.38.3s. But, by then, it was too late.

“I’m a bit angry because I feel I threw away a podium. With the current regulations, if you’re behind someone who’s breaking away, you can only save yourself if he makes a mistake.”

He continued: “In my case, the KTM rider made a small mistake, and I managed to squeeze in. Otherwise, I would’ve definitely been stuck.

“This is also why qualifying and the first few laps are crucial. In those stages, you have to take risks.”

Di Giannantonio admitted he ‘lost concentration’ in last laps

Di Giannantonio admitted post-race that he “lost concentration” in the last laps of the race due to exhaustion.

He is still nursing an injury after breaking his collarbone during the pre-season test in Sepang, which played a part in the closing stages of the Argentina race.

Although he wasn’t satisfied with not reaching his target, he was happy with the progression made since the season opener.

“Looking at the two top five, it was a really good weekend. In terms of speed and consistency, I really progressed from Thailand,” he reflected.

“I’m really happy and proud because we did a great job. Obviously, I can’t be 100% satisfied because I wanted to finish in the top three.

“It was hard, but not like last weekend [Thailand] where, in the last laps, I was exhausted.

“Here, in the closing laps, I lost concentration and even forgot to deactivate the holeshot twice. So I faced Turn 6 like on a chopper.

“I kept thinking about how to recuperate energy on the straight. In the next few days, I’ll try to train and prepare myself as the best as I can for Austin.

“I hope not, but I’m afraid it will be. Like I said, in the next few days, instead of resting, I’ll spend time recuperating muscle in my upper body.”

READ MORE – Franco Morbidelli ends four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina amid self-doubt battles

The post Fabio Di Giannantonio explains why he ‘threw away’ Argentina MotoGP podium chances appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Marco Bezzecchi admits he made “a bad mistake” on the first lap of the Argentina MotoGP race which took him out of points contention.

Bezzecchi and Aprilia were expecting to be strong around a circuit where the Italian won two years ago, but the potential never materialised throughout the weekend.

The Rimini native struggled in qualifying and as a result was attempting to make progress down into the first corner in Sunday’s race, but an overly ambitious move saw him make contact with the rear tyre of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

While the Frenchman was able to continue running, albeit finishing down in 14th, Bezzecchi’s race ended in the gravel after the incident, which he has since taken full responsibility for.

“It was my mistake – I braked too late,” Bezzecchi said to Crash.net. “I managed to miss Franco Morbidelli, but unfortunately, I hit Fabio Quartararo’s rear tyre.

“So a bad mistake by me. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to Fabio. I’ve already apologised to his team.”

“We had the pace to battle for the good positions,” Bezzecchi continued.

“We still need to improve in qualifying, and that will be my goal for the next GP.

“I also felt good on the bike in the warm-up session, and I expected to be able to ride a good race, but the mistake on the first corner changed my plans.”

Fabio Quartararo: ‘not much to say’ about Marco Bezzecchi crash

Quartararo admitted the incident was “unfortunate” but that his Yamaha machinery did not have the pace to keep up with the front runners regardless of the incident.

“There’s not much to say,” commented Quartararo. “The touch between Bezzecchi and me in the first corner was unfortunate. I went wide, I was in last place, and also our pace was not super good all weekend.”

“I could have maybe been a few positions higher, because starting the race like this, you pretty much keep your position. But it was a really tough weekend overall. Let’s see if we can do a bit better at the next GP.”

Bezzecchi was not penalised for the incident by the stewards after the race.

The post Marco Bezzecchi takes responsibility for crashing out of Argentina MotoGP appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alex Marquez has hit back at claims he has “too much respect” for elder brother Marc Marquez following Sunday’s MotoGP race in Argentina.

The Gresini rider led most of Sunday’s grand prix but was overtaken with four laps to go, eventually finishing 1.362s behind the factory Ducati rider.

After the race, the younger Marquez was asked if he needs to “break the respect” he has for his brother to beat him, which the Spaniard found “disrespectful.” 

“I’ve had this question many times; ‘when will you lose the respect for Marc [Marquez]’ or ‘you respect too much Marc’,” said Marquez via GPOne.

“For me, this question is disrespectful to me. I’m a rider. I give my 100% always, I try to push for my team, for my sponsors. 

“I know that it’s my brother and I will have an extra respect when I overtake him.

“I’m the first one that wants to beat him and I want to win, but I’m more realistic than everybody because I know how Marc is. 

“I know his strong points and I don’t have any problem saying about them. Maybe you will not say directly what your rival is doing really good, but it’s my brother.

“I don’t have any problem saying it, and I don’t have any problem with accepting if he’s better than me in some points.

“So I will try to learn. I will try to give like always my 100%, but stop thinking I have too much respect for Marc.  We saw it today. We fight each other. He was faster than me and I gave my 100%.

“So I’m happy with second. I know that he is better than me in some areas and I will try to improve for the future.”

Marquez: ‘we need to improve in order to win’

Marquez came close to winning his first Grand Prix race but had to settle for a fourth-consecutive second place in races. 

The Cervera native admitted the elder Marquez can push more in the later stages of the race, and suggested this is an area he is seeking to improve. 

“I tried to push from the beginning, I did a good start, Pecco [Bagnaia] attacked me in turn 3 but I was able to come back to second,” Marquez said.

“I was feeling really good, I had a lot of doubts before the race about the tyre choice, but in the end I decided to be like Marc and Pecco with the medium rear.

“Later, when Marc did a small mistake at turn one I said, ‘OK, I go for it’. I tried to put a nice pace and was able to make a gap to the second group.”

“When he attacked me at Turn 5 I said, ‘OK, time to try’,” he added. 

“So I gave my 100%. I did a ‘38.3 but he was able to make ‘38.2. I was really on the limit. Nearly crashing all the corners.

“I tried to fight with him and to be there. But he’s able to be more on the limit in the last part of the race. So we need to improve there.

“But I’m super happy about all the weekend.”

Marquez: ‘I’m at my strongest in MotoGP right now’ 

The younger Marquez brother has never finished higher than eighth in a MotoGP World Championship season but currently sits second in the standings after a strong start to 2025. 

The Gresini rider confirmed he feels he is riding the best he ever has in the premier class. 

“It’s the moment where I feel at my strongest in MotoGP,” Marquez said.

“This bike suits me in a really good way with the riding style. So I’m just enjoying being on the bike. 

“I’m playing with the bike and it’s something really great. Just we need to keep going like that.

“The team are doing a super job, also the support from Ducati. We need to understand a few things from Marc, but here we were closer and it’s super nice to fight with your brother for a MotoGP victory.”

The post Alex Marquez hits back at ‘disrespectful’ questions about Marc Marquez after Argentina MotoGP appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Last month signalled the start of the 2025 WorldSBK season, which commenced at the iconic Phillip Island circuit.

Nicolo Bulega was the standout rider, winning all three races and securing the maximum 62 points to kick off the season.

A multitude of talking points arose after the weekend’s events, prompting Motorsport Week to share five key takeaways from the season opener.

1. Nicolo Bulega has another level in him

Arub.it Ducati rider Bulega dominated the weekend’s proceedings, leading every session throughout the weekend and completing a historic treble, his first ever in the series.

Since the introduction of the Superpole Race in 2019, the Italian joins an exclusive list of riders who have achieved this feat, including Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Danilo Petrucci.

Bulega’s is only in his sophomore year in the series, following an impressive debut campaign in 2024 where he finished as Razgatlioglu’s nearest challenger.

It’s still early days in the new season, but the 25-year-old is sure to improve now that he has a deeper understanding of the finer details of his Panigale V4.

2. Reigning champion Toprak Razgatlioglu is stronger in Europe

Razgatlioglu’s rollercoaster of a weekend in Phillip Island raised multiple surprises considering the manner of his 2024 title-winning campaign.

The Turkish rider began his title defence with one podium finish in Race 1, before finishing 13th in the Superpole and retiring in Race 2.

Despite showing frustration by smashing his windshield and labelling the series as a “Ducati Cup”, time will tell whether BMW is worse off after losing its superconcessions privilege.

Let’s not forget that Razgatlioglu’s record is far more favourable in Europe, considering he has only prevailed on one occasion in Australia, arriving in 2020 when he rode for Yamaha.

READ MORE – Ducati personnel hit back at Toprak Razgatlioglu’s ‘Ducati Cup’ claim

3. Alvaro Bautista’s resurgence in 2025 looks on the cards

Despite Bulega’s success, two-time champion Bautista looked comfortable aboard his Italian marque for the first time since 2023.

Before the season kicked off, the 40-year-old chose to extend for another year and later mentioned his positive feelings about his bike, which led to two podium finishes Down Under.

The notable disparity between the Spaniard’s 2023 and 2024 seasons saw 27 and four victories, but a resurgence looks to be on the cards despite a crash in the Sunday Superpole race.

The series needs Bautista to challenge at the front throughout the season considering his impressive achievements since joining the series in 2019.

4. A mixed bag for PATA Maxus Yamaha

PATA Maxus Yamaha endured a mixed bag both in pre-season testing and throughout the season opener.

Six-time champion Rea suffered multiple fractures to his left foot, resulting in him missing the season opener and the next round at Portimao.

While this setback pushes the Northern Irishman further behind after his first winless campaign since joining the series in 2009, Andrea Locatelli, his teammate, sits as the lead non-Ducati rider in the championship classification.

Locatelli produced two seventh-placed finishes in Race 1 and Race 2 but improved to finish sixth in the Superpole Race.

Yamaha is reportedly heading in the right direction, but the true test of the M1’s competitiveness will come when both riders take to the track.

5. Independents Rivalry: Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci are ready for a blockbuster battle

Petrucci racked up the Independents’ Title in 2024, and although Alex Lowes was his closest challenger last season, we predict Andrea Iannone will be his main challenger for this season.

The Italian duo picked up their first wins in the series in 2024 at Cremona and Aragon respectively, and this season should see even further success.

The vastly experienced MotoGP duo will likely go to and fro both on track and in the championship standings.

We saw last season that both riders have strengths at different tracks, and this season marking Iannone’s second year in the series, it promises to be a titanic battle.

The post Five things we learned from WorldSBK Phillip Island season opener appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Franco Morbidelli opened up about the self-doubt battles he faced before ending his four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina.

The Italian rider’s 1,414-day wait for another appearance on the rostrum ended as he secured third place at the Termas de Rio Hondo.

In those four years, the VR46 Ducati rider overcame various injuries and jumped ship from Yamaha to Ducati to turn his career around.

The former Moto2 champion spent one year at Pramac before returning home with the VR46 outfit, having previously been a graduate of Valentino Rossi’s Academy, which gave him another opportunity to impress on the same bike.

“They have been four very complicated years,” Morbidelli admitted to GPOne.

“In some [races] we didn’t make it by a narrow margin, in others we were really far away. Now to taste we are back on top and it will be nice stay there.

“Already last year, with the new bike, it should have been the moment of my rebirth, but just when we all thought the nightmare, we sank even further down, because I got injured and there were so many problems.

“Then the 2024 season ended with very good feelings, this year we got off to a very good start, and the extra year of experience on the bike gives me more feeling.”

Morbidelli discusses more about his internal battles

The Roma-born rider opened up about his internal battles throughout the four years.

“I had moments when I felt like I was forgetting how good it could be to be here, I had time to think about whether I was still capable, I had time to wonder if I was doing enough.

“I had time to think about lots and lots of things, good and bad.

“Now I am not even able to clearly say how I feel, it will be the Prosecco,” he joked.

Soft tyre choice paid dividends in the Sunday race

Morbidelli’s podium brought his championship tally to 37 points in the championship, six behind third-place rival Francesco Bagnaia.

The Italian explained that a challenging Saturday prompted a change in tyre choice for the main race, selecting the soft tyre compound.

“Yesterday actually I didn’t feel good on the bike and it got worse. In any case, today [Sunday] I chose the soft tyre, I knew I would have to give everything I had at the beginning of the race to make up as many positions as possible and afterwards focus mainly on managing the situation.

“During the race I saw that I could control the pace pretty well. I could not have caught up with Alex and Marc [Marquez], I just watched them from behind and it was a good battle.

“I will try in the future to improve the start of the weekend and the time attack to start a little bit ahead, because starting so far behind is not recommended to finish in the top 3.

“Finally, we still need to sort out that something we are lacking to stay with the two brothers.”

The post Franco Morbidelli ends four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina amid self-doubt battles appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Marc Marquez identified a surprise name he believes is his main MotoGP title opponent for the 2025 season.

Marquez completed back-to-back grand slams in Argentina, claiming pole before winning the Sprint and Grand Prix.

The Spaniard extended his lead at the top of the championship, equalling Angel Nieto’s record of 90 total wins.

He defeated his younger brother Alex Marquez by less than a second in the Sprint, before winning the race by 1.3s despite following him for most of the race after making an unforced error.

The Marquez brothers once again featured on the top two steps of the podium, before Marc stated post-race that he believes his younger brother is his main opponent for the championship.

“But Alex today I’m very impressed about his riding style. He was super smooth,” said Marquez to Crash.net.

“And I know when he is super convinced he is able to win a world championship, like he did in Moto3, in Moto2.

“So, at the end he is the main opponent for the championship.”

Marc Marquez took a ‘lot of risks’ to win the race

Despite leading for the first three laps Marquez ran wide at Turn 1 on Lap 4, which allowed his brother to take the lead.

The older brother prevailed in the end following an overtake on Lap 21, before clearing off into the distance to establish a 1.3s advantage.

The factory Ducati rider continued to heap praise on his brother’s performance, stating he rode “super smooth.”

The Spaniard admitted that to win the race he had to take more risks, which explained the incidents in which he experienced a few wobbles aboard his Desmosedici.

“Today I’m impressed about my brother, about Alex,” he added.

“In one part of the race I was thinking to finish second because he was riding super smooth, super good, always keeping the corner speed.

“I mean his tyre was not smoking. I said ‘ok, this guy today has another level’.

“Then in the end I survived. I took a risk, as you saw, I took a lot of risks – maybe too much in some points of the race.”

The post Marc Marquez identifies surprise name as his main MotoGP title opponent appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Marc Marquez clinched a resounding MotoGP victory in Argentina, completing dominant back-to-back race victories.

Polesitter Marquez held onto his lead and stayed ahead of his younger brother into Turn 1.

Marco Bezzecchi launched off his Aprilia at Turn 1, which resulted in a retirement, ending a torrid weekend for the factory outfit.

Bezzecchi’s crash forced Fabio Quartararo off the track, dropping down to 19th as a result.

Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco swapped positions but the Italian made the move stick to take third spot, with his eyes set on catching the Marquez brothers.

Ai Ogura continued to impress the paddock by starting strong to claim tenth spot by the end of the second lap, providing some much needed optimism for Aprilia.

An early crash from Enea Bastianini saw him retire on Lap 2 in his second race weekend for KTM.

On Lap 4, Franco Morbidelli slotted himself past Zarco to climb up to fourth place, before younger brother Alex Marquez moved past his older brother for the lead.

Marquez wasn’t able to find the right line and ran wide at Turn 1, allowing the Gresini rider to seize the opportunity and overtake.

Morbidelli’s purple patch continued due to him choosing the soft compound rear tyre, overtaking his fellow VR46 Academy graduate Bagnaia after the long straight.

Quite remarkably, Ogura rose through the grid with relative ease, overtaking Alex Rins, Pedro Acosta, and Joan Mir in the early stages.

The Marquez brothers cemented a 0.8s advantage over Morbidelli as the race reached Lap 8, though the younger brother was under considerable threat out front.

Riders held their positions over the next few laps, with gaps forming between the Marquez brothers, VR46 Ducati rider Morbidelli, and Bagnaia and Zarco.

Few predicted Zarco would still be tailing the factory Ducati, given the Bologna machinery’s dominance, but the Frenchman’s Honda has shown noticeable improvements after a disastrous 2024.

Towards the end of Lap 15, the older Marquez brother had a tank slapper aboard his factory Ducati. It was clear he was pushing hard to catch up to his brother, but there was no way through just yet.

Marquez attempted a lunge at the end of the back straight on Lap 18 in what was an overly ambitious move, but he ran wide and now faces the hard work ahead to catch up.

The gap between the two riders extended to 0.5s, but credit to the incumbent leader, who had the edge at his brother’s strongest points on track.

Marc finally made the move on Lap 20 at the same Turn, ensuring that the race was in his hands.

The eight-time champion stretched his lead to 0.6s yet opted to still ride to the absolute limit, before extending the advantage to over a second.

The factory Ducati rider won once again around the Termas de Rio Hondo, equalling Angel Nieto’s record with the third most wins across all classes.

Marquez crossed the 1.3s clear of his younger brother, who managed to bring home another podium finish.

Morbidelli earned his first MotoGP podium in over four years despite late pressure from Bagnaia, who finished in fourth.

Fabio Di Giannantonio earned fifth following a last lap overtake on Honda rider Zarco, defeating the Frenchman who finished as the lead non-Ducati rider.

Brad Binder finished an impressive seventh for KTM, as rookie sensation Ogura forced his way through on Acosta to snatch eighth.

Joan Mir and Luca Marini finished within three tenths of each other to take tenth and 11th, boasting an impressive outing for the Japanese marque.

Alex Rins earned points to take 12th spot, followed by fellow compatriot Maverick Vinales aboard his RC16 KTM.

Jack Miller and Fabio Quartararo crossed the line 14th and 15th for Yamaha, respectively.

Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez missed out on the points and finished in 16th, defeating rookie Fermin Aldeguer.

Bastianini recovered from his crash to finish in 18th, ahead of rookie Somkiat Chantra who occupied 19th and finished as the final classified rider.

The post Marc Marquez clinches resounding MotoGP victory in Argentina appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Jake Dixon triumphed in a flag-to-flag victory in the Argentine Moto2 race, earning his fifth race win in the intermediate class.

Dixon’s performance saw him dominate and take a comfortable victory, crossing the line 3.5s ahead of Manuel Gonzalez at Termas de Rio Hondo.

Gonzalaz started the race from the front but Jake Dixon established the lead from the middle of the front row.

Adrian Huertas’ race ended at Turn 2 after an early crash from the middle of the pack, which forced him into retirement.

Dixon established a few bike lengths lead over Gonzalaz, but his teammate Filip Salac made it a 1-2 for Marc VDS at the end of the back straight on Lap 2.

Both riders held firm for only one and a half laps as the pole sitter snatched second place back, resulting in Dixon extending his advantage to 0.2s out front.

Aron Canet and Marco Ramirez swapped fourth and fifth place but in the midst of their respective battle, both riders lost time from the leading trio.

The exciting battle continued throughout the next corners, but South African rider Darryn Binder was waiting in the wings to spot an opportunistic move.

Out front Dixon seized the initiative to formulate a half second advantage by posting back-to-back fastest laps on Lap 5 and Lap 6, respectively.

Brazilian rider Dioo Moreira suffered mechanical issues to his Italtrans Racing Team bike, resulting in a quick and rare pit stop.

Dixon looked in control out front and extended his advantage to over 0.8s, as the leading duo were a distant two seconds clear of the field.

Canet suffered a huge crash earlier in the weekend but in his usual tough nature he ploughed on and slotted his way through Ramirez for the final podium spot.

After the leading two, Fantic Racing’s Canet was managing the pace in front of the American Racing Team rider Ramirez, Czechia rider Salac and Celestino Vietti.

Drama unfolded on Lap 11 due to Ramirez and Salac making the same line heading into the corner, but collided into each other. The Marc VDS rider crashed out of proceedings, while the Spaniard continued on.

Out front Dixon extended to his advantage to 1.5s and Gonzalaz mustered a 4.8s lead over the rest of the field.

HDR Heidrun rider Vietti showcased his immense tyre-preserving abilities, propelling himself into third place.

He occupied the final podium place for the subsequent laps, but a minor error opened the door for Canet to regain position.

This was the highlight of the race as both riders tried to find the limit aboard their respective machinery. Vietti regained the podium place after completing a successful block pass.

Dixon sealed his first dominant win in the series and his first win for the Marc VDS team, having joined the team at the start of the year.

Gonzalez finished 6.5s clear of Vietti who clung on to the final podium spot, but Canet’s fourth place is a strong performance considering his crash.

Ramirez finished his race securing fifth spot for the American Racing Team, finishing three seconds ahead of Binder.

Alex Escrig established seventh spot for the Swiss Forward Factory outfit, defeating Alonso Lopez and Daniel Holgado.

Alberto Arenas rounded off the top ten to ensure a strong performance from both Gresini riders.

Tony Arbolino fended off Barry Baltus to claim 11th place, while Senna Agius followed a second behind.

At the end, Turkish rider Deniz Oncu sneaked into 14th place, defeating Izan Guevara in a photo finish and crossing the line a tenth of a second ahead of the Spaniard.

The post Jake Dixon triumphs in flag-to-flag Argentine Moto2 victory appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Angel Piqueras prevailed in a fantastic last lap battle with Adrian Fernandez and Jose Antonio Rueda to win the Moto3 race in Argentina.

Fernandez crossed the line by 0.036s behind but was unfortunate to not take the win after Piqueras exceeded track limits on the final lap.

Matteo Bertelle claimed pole for the second time in as many races but relinquished his lead into Turn 1.

Ryusei Yamanaka took the lead but it lasted for only the first few corners as Leopard Racing’s Almansa took over proceedings.

He ran wide at Turn 1 on Lap 2, demoting him to third as the KTM duo of Alvaro Carpe and Rueda slotted through.

The Spanish trio swapped positions once again as David Almansa recovered passed the duo to establish the lead once again.

LevelUp rider Joel Kelso was issued with two long lap penalties prior to the race starting, which he took on Laps 2 and 3, respectively, which saw him rejoin the race in 25th place.

After the long straight on Lap 4, Piqueras made the most of an open door to take the lead, while the rookie Carpe fell down to fifth place.

Almansa pounced to take the lead once again as the Leopard Racing rider looked the strongest pace setter thus far.

During the early phase of the race, no major groups formed as all riders focused on improving their positions. However, they all navigated the Termas de Rio Hondo using varied racing lines.

The first crash of the race saw 13th place rookie Guido Pini lose the front on Lap 7 as he was eyeing a move on British rider Scott Ogden.

Almansa’s counterpart Fernandez stormed his way at Turn 3 through to provide a 1-2 for the Leopard outfit.

His lead only lasted for one lap as both riders swapped positions at the same corner.

At the halfway stage, championship leader Rueda sneaked his way through pole-sitter Bertelle and Almansa to sandwich the Honda duo.

Fernandez lost four places down the back straight to drop down to fifth place, but Honda Team Asia rider Taiyo Furusato rose up to second for the first time.

Furusato took the lead a lap later heading into the same corner, producing an impressive performance after qualifying 14th.

The second half of the race continued with the same level of chaos, keeping the entertainment flowing and leaving no clear winner in sight.

Marco Uriarte’s race ended at Turn 11 on Lap 12, losing the front of his MLav Racing Honda.

The leading eight riders established a minor advantage over the rest of the field, forming over a half second advantage.

Bertelle was the leader heading into the final three laps, building a stronger gap between himself and the rest of the field.

Carpe crashed out on the final lap after trying to catch up to the podium spots.

Reuda and Piqueras showed their experience to set incredible lap times at the end to force their way through.

Piqueras crossed the line to snatch victory, but he exceeded track limits on the final lap which saw a three second penalty issued and a demotion.

Piqueras’ win made amends for his difficult Thai season opener, and Fernandez’s second confirmed his second podium of the season.

Antonio Rueda’s third place finish cemented a crucial podium for Red Bull KTM, edging out the Honda Team Asia rider Furusato.

Bertelle crossed the line in fifth spot despite leading for the vast majority of the second half of the race.

Almansa finished a second adrift to complete sixth place for Leopard Racing, who finished half a second ahead of Luca Lunetta.

Kelso recovered to finish seventh place after the two long lap penalties, finishing ahead of Japanese star Yamanaka and Stefano Nepa.

Joel Esteban finished in 11th, having fended off late pressure from CFMoto’s Dennis Foggia.

Scott Ogden and Adrian Cruces finished 13th and 14th for the CIP Green Power KTM outfit, as Cormac Buchanan rounded off the point scoring positions.

The post Angel Piqueras prevails to earn Moto3 win in Argentina appeared first on Motorsport Week.