Moto3: Acosta defeats Garcia in wet Styrian final lap showdown

The second half of the 2021 Moto3 World Championship got underway in Styria at the Red Bull Ring. Deniz Oncu was due to start from pole but was forced to start from the back of the grid after some drama on the grid.

At the start of the race, the track was wet, but with no rain forecast for a few hours and a dry line already forming when the riders made their sighting laps, the choice was open whether to take slicks or wets. In the end, the majority took wets, but Darryn Binder, Gabriel Rodrigo, John McPhee, Andrea Migno, David Salvador, Andi Izdihar and Deniz Oncu took slicks. There was also additional drama for Oncu, whose mechanics were working on the bike after the three-minute board was shown. That meant the Turk had to start from the back of the grid, instead of pole position.

When the race started, it was Romano Fenati who took the holeshot, ahead of Sergio Garcia and Pedro Acosta. Garcia took the lead from Fenato at turn nine on the opening lap, and Acosta followed him through soon after. The front three had already created a gap for themselves back to those behind, and soon the two Spaniards, Garcia and Acosta, had distanced themselves from Fenati. 

Acosta hit the front at turn three on the third lap, but Garcia responded a lap later. This led to Acosta sitting behind his compatriot and studying. He passed a few more times over the next 15 laps or so, but each time Garcia could respond. 

The two remained together for the entirety of the race, almost. Entering the final lap, Garcia led, but Acosta displaced him at the first corner. The #11 Aspar GASGAS rider responded at turn three, where Acosta had been so comfortable passing up to that point in the race. Garcia, then, was taking a risk by passing Acosta there, as the #37 was clearly strong on the brakes at that point. The two collided on entry, and Acosta took to the run-off while Garcia took off with the lead.

The third sector would be crucial for the result of the race, as if Acosta could stay close enough he could be in position to attack in the final two corners, which is exactly what happened. Acosta was on the limit in braking for turn nine, and he missed the corner slightly. The #37’s move prevented Garcia from turning in, and took the line away from the #11, who slid wide into the wet part of the track, lost the front and crashed. 

Acosta, himself, lost the rear on exit from turn nine, and landed on the green, which threatened a look from the FIM Race Stewards, but in the end the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider kept his win – his fourth of the season. 

Quite miraculously, Garcia was able to remount his GASGAS machine in time to keep hold of second place, just about ahead of Romano Fenati who demoted Jaume Masia from the podium in the final metres of the race. 

The battle for the win in Styria was more than that, of course, it was also the battle between the top two in the championship. Garcia trailed Acosta by 48 points entering Styria, so had the chance to bring that gap down to 43. Instead, with Acosta winning and Garcia taking second place, Acosta’s advantage increases to 53 ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix next weekend. 

With Masia having been denied the podium by Fenati, he took fourth place, ahead of Ayumu Sasaki, who made a good race after a difficult qualifying, while Darryn Binder was the top slick tyre runner in sixth, ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka. Next came two riders who took their best ever respective finishes in the World Championship, with Yuki Kunii in eighth and Maximilian Kofler taking ninth place in his home Grand Prix. Adrian Fernandez returned to the top 10 for the first time since Le Mans with 10th place – clearly a fan of a wet-but-drying track. 

Filip Salac was 11th on his return to both PruestelGP and racing, having missed Assen. Kaito Toba was 12th, ahead of John McPhee, Izan Guevara and Tatsuki Suzuki, who took the final point in 15th. 

Lorenzo Fellon was 16th, ahead of Jeremy Alcoba, Andrea Migno, Stefano Nepa and Gabriel Rodrigo who completed the top 20. Deniz Oncu was 21st, ahead of Dennis Foggia, and Riccardo Rossi was the final classified finisher in 23rd. 

Carlos Tatay did not start the race, and neither did Xavi Artigas, the #43 having returned and inconclusive PCR test. Only Andi Izdihar and David Salvador – two of the slick-shod riders – retired from the race, both having crashed out unharmed at turn three.