After being injured only a few weeks prior, Máximo Quiles took the win at the Michelin Grand Prix of Aragón. Read on below for a quick recap of all the action and Moto3 race results at the Aragón GP.
Almansa Claims Top Spot in the Last Minutes of FP1
Brian Uriarte stormed ahead early on in the Friday morning Free Practice 1 session. But Máximo Quiles wasn’t far behind, despite the injury he sustained at Silverstone a few weeks earlier. However, Uriarte later found the limits of Aragón with a massive crash coming out of Turn 3.
Guido Pini and Leo Rammerstorfer had a close incident down at Turn 12. The #94 rider pushed into the rear of the Austrian rider, forcing both off the circuit before raising a hand in apology.
With all that drama earlier, Almansa was left alone to quietly improve his time attacks. The #22 finished the session on top with a 1:58.708.
Almansa Charges Ahead to Lead Moto3 Practice
Almansa proved his pace was no fluke, beginning the Moto3 Practice session with the first laps of the weekend in the 1:57s. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for everyone. Cormac Buchanan was violently bucked off his bike, bringing the yellow flags out at Turns 16 and 17. The New Zealand rider got up and sprinted to his bike, knowing only 14 riders would progress to Q2.
A few more tumbles and moments followed as the session continued. Ryusei Yamanaka slid out at Turn 12 but was back up and on his way to the pit lane. Adrián Fernández also had a tiny moment at Turn 14. Meanwhile, Almansa kept improving his time attacks. However, he ran into traffic that cost him a lap.
Uriarte and Eddie O’Shea were ultimately handed long lap penalties by the stewards for riding slow online. Despite the disruption, Almansa still completed Practice with a best time of 1:57.473.
Almansa Backs Up Friday’s Performance With Super Speed Saturday Session
Saturday did not get off to a good start for Fernández, who slid off into Turn 4. The #31 was fine, running through the gravel and dust to pick up his Leopard Racing machine.
Uriarte clocked the first 1:57 lap time of the day, jumping ahead of the rest of the grid. Quiles was the second to go to the top of the board as things heated up. But Almansa was even faster once again. The #22 clocked the fastest lap of the weekend so far with a 1:57.259.
Almansa Secures Pole Start and All-Time Lap Record
Q1 contenders had one last chance to move up into Q2 as the 15-minute qualifying session began. David González, filling in while David Muñoz is still in recovery, went to the top spot early with an impressive 1:57.456.
But Uriarte was improving lap after lap to not only finish the session in P1, but also break the all-time lap record with a 1:57.049. He advanced to Q2 with González, Buchanan, and Joel Esteban. Uriarte got straight down to business to go to the top spot in Q2, taking a wild overtake on Almansa.
Quiles was the next to take provisional pole position, but was just off the lap record. It wouldn’t take long, though, as the record was broken multiple times as times in the 1:56s rolled in. Despite a stellar performance so far, González spun out of qualifying coming into Turn 5. Esteban also fell victim to the same corner not long after.
With all the late-stage qualifying drama, Almansa was left to get the job done and clocked the final lap record with a 1:56.347. The #22 qualified in P1, with Marco Morelli and Quiles in P2 and P3, respectively.
Quiles Ends Almansa Domination to Win on Sunday
As riders lined up on the grid, the question was this: could Almansa make it a perfect weekend at Aragón? It was the fifth time this season the #22 has been on pole, last time out winning the race at Silverstone. On lights out, it looked like Almansa had moved early, but all seemed clear. Nicola Carraro didn’t see the finish of Lap 1, coming down between Turns 4 and 5.
Uriarte caught the slipstream of Morelli, overtaking him to make up spots with a long lap penalty to serve. Buchanan came down hard at Turn 10 and was slow to move afterwards. The yellow flags stayed out while the medical team moved the New Zealander trackside on a stretcher.
Another big crash came a couple of laps later, with Jesús Ríos flung over the handlebars and rolling out of Turn 17. Álvaro Carpe moved up to third to chase Quiles and Almansa as Morelli held on behind.
After biding his time, Quiles finally made the move on Almansa coming down the straight into Turn 1. Carpe picked off the #22 on the next lap, but Almansa took the tight move to come back. However, the battle cost them time as Quiles charged ahead.
Four riders, with four laps remaining, kept swapping positions, running wide and missing the apex. All of this pointed to tyre degradation, and it was just a matter of which three of the four would end up on the podium.
Further down the order, Valentín Perrone was handed a penalty to drop a position after causing contact in the second chasing pack. Carpe lost steam while Quiles went super wide while trying to maintain the lead.
Rico Salmela didn’t see the checkered flag, crashing at Turn 7 after suspected contact with his teammate, Perrone. On the final lap, Almansa kept with Quiles all the way to the last corner but fell short as Quiles crossed the line in P1.