Moto3 Valencia: Maiden win for Garcia in incident packed season finale

Sergio Garcia took victory in the eventful Moto3 Valencia Grand Prix, with the five way battle only unwinding in the run to the line in an eventful race.

The local hero put in a series of fast laps in the shortened, restarted race to make a case for the win in the lead group, squeezing underneath Andrea Migno heading into the final corner and holding on from the front in the drag to the line.

It is the first win for the sixteen year old Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda rider, a positive way to sign off his rookie season.

Migno battled him all the way to the line to give the departing Mugen Race team a great send off in his 100th grand prix, starting from pole on the KTM and fighting not just his race rivals but the cold and difficult track conditions. The Italian was just 0.005s behind as the chequered flag waved.

There were two teenagers on the podium with wildcard Xavier Artigas, also just sixteen, leading for many of the later laps in the shortened fifteen lap dash. His first ever world championship appearance for Leopard Impala Junior Team saw his track knowledge from the Spanish championship shine through, his differing lines and style seeing him to an impressive third on his debut, only losing the lead after running wide late in the race.

Tatsuki Suzuki was raced out of the podium places to fourth for SIC58 Squadra Corse, with the final rider in the group; Filip Salac; putting in personal best laps just to keep in contention as he claimed fifth for Redox Pruestel GP - his best ever race finish in Moto3.

The restart following the red flag allowed local rider Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) to take his original grid position of fourth after spilling oil on the sighting lap had seen him start from the back of the grid on the original start, he made the most of his second chance, with his bike no longer suspiciously smoking he lead the chasing group over the line for sixth, cementing his position as runner-up in the championship standings.

Marcos Ramirez had been over a second and a half ahead on the original run and was the biggest loser on the restart, he could only manage seventh for Leopard.

Celestino Vietti was rookie of the season after crossing the line eighth for Sky Racing Team VR46, his main rival Ai Ogura ( Honda Team Asia) was behind him in tenth, with Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) recovering from his involvement in the earlier incidents to split the pair in ninth.

Stefano Nepa (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) made up sixteen places to take eleventh with last years race winner Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) twelfth.

The remaining points on offer went to Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) in 13th Gresini’s Riccardo Rossi in 14th and Jakub Kornfeil in 15th on the second Redox Pruestel GP entry.

Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) missed the pit exit for the restart, he began the race from the back of the grid working his way up to 17th at the close.

Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) was close to a top ten finish in the big battle for the points places further down the order, but a long lap penalty ended his hopes, leaving him a distant 18th.

The injured Ayumu Sasaki rode bravely for Petronas to finish the race in 19th.

Albert Arenas slid out of a top ten finish after three laps - he remounted to cross the line 20th, with Darryn Binder fighting too hard to make up for his pit lane start, ending his run on the same lap.

Shortly after turn four was the scene of another pile-up after World Champion Lorenzo Dalla Porta crashed out for the first time this season, leaving Alonso Lopez, Tony Arbolino and John McPhee nowhere to go.

Raul Fernandez only lasted one lap longer, falling in the same place as his team-mate Arenas.

On just lap three of the original race start wildcard Carlos Tatay lost control in front of Celestino Vietti, his bike then went back across the track into the racing riders, with Makar Yurchenko, Jeremy Alcoba and Niccolo Antonelli all collected. Dennis Foggia took the brunt of the accident, he was hit badly - sent one way while his flaming Sky bike went the other. This brought out the red flags - waved to allow the Italian the time he needed to be moved carefully and safely from the track.

It was announced that all riders involved were conscious. After being moved to hospital it was reported that Foggia had no broken bones, but no memory of the crash. Antonelli’s bike couldn’t be fixed in time for the shortened race.

Jaume Masia exited before the red flag came out for the turn eleven multiple rider incident, in second and battling for the lead with Ramirez at the time he was sent cartwheeling into the gravel after the first right hand turn. Masia was ready for the restart but was declared unfit.

There had already been a sizeable delay to the start after Aron Canet and Ayumu Sasaki both fell at turn four on the sighting lap, Canet’s machine had deposited oil on to the track, requiring a clean-up before racing could get underway.