Alonso dominates as Holgado snatches second

It was a 14-lap thrilling showdown in Texas for the Moto3™ field, with twists and turns - kicking off Sunday into action with a dramatic race. There was less drama for David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) though as the Colombian took an unbelievable victory after a masterclass from start to finish - reducing the gap to the Championship leader to two points. In the fight behind, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) duelled rookie Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) in a thrilling drag to the line – the Spanish duo separated by just 0.013 in a race which will be spoken about for a long time to come.

There were plenty of talking points ahead of the race start, with a heap of penalties handed out after qualifying for slow riding, and a change to the front row due to Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) withdrawing from the race due to appendicitis - promoting Holgado to second on the grid.

However, once the action got underway, polesitter Alonso shot off into the distance, with Holgado chasing the Colombian in second. It was a tricky turn one, especially for SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Filippo Farioli who crashed at the start of the race. The drama continued with Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) clipping the back of Holgado's motorcycle – sending him running wide and tumbling down to 10^th with a big task at hand.

Meanwhile, MT Helmets – MSI’s Ivan Ortola’s weekend got worse, crashing on the opening lap before a second crash one lap later. Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP - MTA) was caught up in the Spaniard's first crash - dropping down to last in the running order.

At the front, Alonso began to check out – stretching a magnificent three-second lead from Holgado and rookie Piqueras in an unbelievable third. Six riders went to battle for the final podium places, putting on a thrilling show for the fans in Texas. The six-way battle soon reduced to five, with Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato becoming the next victim of the tricky turn 15, allowing Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) to shoot into third place before stealing P2.

As the race progressed Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Veijer put everything on the line, charging hard with seven laps remaining – setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. It looked like Alonso had a race on his hands, with the pace heating up behind and the Colombian’s leading dropping to under three seconds. However, Veijer then lost the rear – forcing the rest of the group to take avoiding action - promoting Piqueras into second. The group would eventually bunch up again with two laps remaining, allowing Holgado to complete a brave move and slice back into second.

On the final lap of the race, Alonso did not make one mistake, continuing to stretch his lead. Meanwhile, there was nothing left on the table in the battle for second, with Piqueras building a move from turn one – sending the Leopard Racing Honda down the inside of Holgado at turn 12. It did not take Holgado long to respond as at turn 19, the Spaniard stole second from the rookie before an epic drag race to the line. Holgado took it by 0.013 ahead of Piqueras, with Yamanaka only able to watch on from fourth. Still, that's a best GP result for the Japanese rider. 

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) rounded out the top five after further drama at turn one, dropping to 18^th on the first lap, and Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP’s Tatsuki Suzuki secured the best result of his season so far in sixth, finishing the race ahead of Kelso, who also got a late LLP that became a time penalty after his incident with Holgado. Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) ended the race in eighth place, the rookie having another solid weekend, with fellow debutant Joel Esteban bringing the second CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team machine to ninth. Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounded out the top 10 after serving three LLPs during the Grand Prix, just pipped fellow 3x LLP taker Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing).

The Moto3™ grid is now preparing for more action in two weeks’ time at the Circuito de Jerez—Angel Nieto, where everyone will be wondering if they can catch Alonso in the Spanish sun. So, make sure you don’t miss it and keep up to date with all the action on motogp.com!

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