Repsol rider closes brilliant first season in the World Championship in fifth overall. Viñales, eighth today, places third in the standings. Álex Márquez and Miguel Olivera crash out when fighting for top spots.
It was not an easy race today for the Moto3 riders, and the proof of this was the numerous crashes on the wet asphalt. Rins secured the title of Rookie Of The Year in the Moto3 class, finishing sixteenth and ahead of main rival Fenati. Álex Márquez and Miguel Oliveira were two of the riders to see their race fall apart through crashes, whilst Maverick Viñales placed eighth despite a lack of engine power.
At the start Álex Márquez made bold moves and took the lead, overtaking Miguel Oliveira and Luis Salom. The youngster’s joy lasted little time, as he suffered a small crash on lap four after losing grip on the front end. It was Oliveira who crashed on lap 16, as the Portuguese rider was unable to avoid Efrén Vázquez’ fall. He was in second when the accident occurred.
Maverick Viñales suffered from a lack of engine power and could not do anything but attempt to reach the end of the race. He finished eighth and took third in the overall standings. Álex Rins, having completed the first lap in eleventh place, dropped back to sixteenth. Despite the result, his goal today was controlling rival Fenati in the struggle for the best rookie honour in Moto3, and he managed to do so to complete a dream first season on the world stage.
Maverick Viñales >> Audio
8th a 18.495 sec.
“I’m very happy, because it is the first race that I have finished in the wet. I am also happy that I could ride the same times in the wet as yesterday and could do so with another engine, since we broke yesterday’s and had to change it. The first part of the race was difficult, I had to pass riders on the brakes. Finishing third in the World Championship is not a disappointing result. We will be even better next year; we have to try not to make the same mistakes as this year.”
Miguel Oliveira >> Audio
Fall
“It was a rather hard race, as conditions weren’t the best from the start. We knew that we could ride calmly, because we had the pace to be out in front. However, at the start of the race I was in front of Efrén [Vázquez] and couldn’t avoid his crash. That’s racing and now we have to look to the future.”
Álex Rins >> Audio
16th a 50.554 sec.
“We managed to finish the year as the top rookie. Although it was a difficult weekend because we were not going too well, in the end we finished off securing this honour and I am very happy. At the beginning of the season we didn’t think this title was possible, because Romano Fenati started strong, but we have been improving little-by-little until we succeeded. I’ll take everything that I’ve learned this year and in the last few races, because I learned a lot and this has made us take a step forward.”
Álex Márquez >> Audio
Fall
“In the wet we had a good pace, and we knew that we could be up there, but I didn’t think it was possible to be so far in front. I slotted into the lead and decided to push, because I felt very good… right up until I crashed. I maybe lacked a little experience, to have stayed calm and held back. It will be useful for the future. I want to thank all the team and the sponsors.”
