Moto3: Arbolino takes first win of 2020 in pivotal Valencia GP

The 14th round of the 2020 Moto3 World Championship, the Grand Prix of Valencia, took place in the Ricardo Tormo circuit, and for Albert Arenas it meant a first ‘match point’ in his search for a first world title. 

The holeshot went to Kaito Toba from the middle of the front row, as the Japanese made a fantastic launch on the Red Bull KTM. Further back, there was also a strong start for Tony Arbolino, who was into the top five from 13th on the grid after the first split.

Raul Fernandez was able to come through on pole sitter Darryn Binder and his teammate, Toba, before the end of the first lap, and led over the line for the first time. 

Toba’s race was over at turn five on lap two, as the Japanese rider high sided on the exit, and an unsighted Tatsuki Suzuki had nowhere to go – his race, too, was over. This was big for Fernandez, as it gave him a break of one second over those chasing behind – it was almost a carbon copy of what happened one week ago when Fernandez took his maiden win, only his gap after the crash this time was half the size it was a week ago. 

By lap 6, there was a breakaway group of eight fighting for second place behind Fernandez, who had opened his advantage up to 1.8 seconds.

That group was cut to five riders on lap eight, when a mistake from Jaume Masia dropped him behind Andrea Migno and Ai Ogura, and the trio then slowly drifted back from the fight for second.

By lap 15, there was a 2.9-second gap from Binder at the back of the second-place fight back to Ogura who had finally gotten to the front of the chasing trio, but the Japanese rider did not have the pace to bridge the gap, nor to get away from Migno and Masia behind.

As Ogura’s hopes of a podium, or even a top six, were fading, Arbolino was catching Fernandez, and on lap 16 the advantage held by the #25 was down to one second as they started the 16th lap.

Arbolino’s pace was only matched by Sergio Garcia, and the #14 led the #11 towards Fernandez out front and away from Arenas in fourth place, who would have to contend with his KTM stablemates, Deniz Oncu and Darryn Binder, in the closing stages to hold onto fourth place. 

Arbolino finally caught Fernandez on lap 18, Garcia still in tow, and now there was a three-way fight for the lead with five laps to go. It took Arbolino until the penultimate lap to find his way through on Fernandez for the lead, which he held as they started the final lap. 

Whilst Fernandez was no doubt trying to set himself up for a pass on Arbolino to reclaim the lead before the end of the race, Garcia passed him into turn one on the final lap to take second place. Fernandez responded at turn two, before there was another retaliation by Garcia at turn six, which was in turn responded to by Fernandez at turns seven and eight. Finally, a good run out of turn 11 gave Garcia the line into turn 12, and he took the line away from Fernandez such that the #25 could not respond into the final corner. 

While the battle for second place was being decided, it allowed Arbolino to clear off at the front and take a crucial first win of the season, and first since Assen 2019 for the #14. The 25 points take Arbolino to Portimao right in championship contention, as with one round to go the Italian is just 11 points back from Arenas, who held onto fourth place ahead of Binder and Oncu, after a mistake from the Turk on the penultimate lap cost him the chance to fight for fourth. 

Andrea Migno was able to get back to the front of his three-way battle with Ogura and Masia, and escape before the end of the race to finish seventh, while Ogura beat Masia to eighth, meaning the #79 has an eight-point deficit to Arenas with one round to go, while Masia’s championship is mathematically over with this ninth place. 

Jeremy Alcoba completed the top 10, ahead of John McPhee in 11th, the #17’s championship chances now officially done as well. Behind McPhee was Romano Fenati, who beat Stefano Nepa to 12th, while Niccolo Antonelli was 14th and Ryusei Yamanaka took the final point in 15th. 

Dennis Foggia was 16th, ahead of Barry Baltus, Yuki Kunii, Ayumu Sasaki who had a long lap penalty early on, and Davide Pizzoli who completed the top 20; while Carlos Tatay was 21st ahead of Jason Dupasquier, Riccardo Rossi and Celestino Vietti, whose championship ended on lap four when he crashed at turn 11. 

Maximilian Kofler’s race was not a lap old before it ended and, after the Japanese compatriots of Suzuki and Toba went down on lap two, the German was also joined on the side lines by Alonso Lopez and Gabriel Rodrigo who crashed together at turn 14, as well as Khairul Idham Pawi who went down on the penultimate lap.