The penultimate race of the 2017 Moto3 season, the Malaysian GP, took place this Sunday at Sepang, and the Estrella Galicia 0,0 were able to ride in dry conditions throughout the entirety of the contest.
Enea Bastianini finished ninth in a dry warmup and gained a grid spot due to a penalty incurred by another rider. At the start of the race he moved up the field steadily, leaving behind his rivals before occupying third, at the head of the group chasing the two fastest riders. Enea went on the hunt to catch the front two, ten laps from the end, and managed to lead the race just two laps later. However, a move by another rider with three laps remaining hindered him, and he lost a few vital metres that proved difficult to recover. His efforts took him back into contention by the final lap, but he eventually had to settle for third place and his third podium of the season. He occupies sixth place in the World Championship with 130 points.
Aron Canet continued to suffer the same difficulties he did in practice on raceday. In the warmup he finished fifteenth and in the race he was part of a large group as he attempted to move up positions. Ten laps from the end, he managed to seize seventh place, two seconds off sixth in a group of ten riders. In the final stages of the race Canet managed to hold onto eighth position, although this result means he mathematically bids farewell to the possibility of finishing the season as Moto3 runner-up. Canet remains third in the standings with 192 points.
EMILIO ALZAMORA – “Bastianini had a great race, his result leaves us with a very good taste in our mouths”
“Enea Bastianini had a great race. He worked very well throughout the weekend and that brought results. Despite having had the chance to fight for victory, the contact he had with [Jorge] Martin on the last few laps hindered him. He finished in third place, but this result leaves us with a very good taste in our mouths because at the start of the race he was far off the lead group. He made a great comeback and after the touch with [Jorge] Martin he again recovered the lost ground.
Aron Canet has improved a lot in mixed conditions at this circuit, but in the dry we lacked that extra step to have a pace closer to that of the leaders. In the race he wasn’t riding comfortably, but instead was forcing things, which also made him more tired and prevented him from reaching the front. Now we head to Valencia, where he is very fast and last year took pole position, so we hope to finish the season with the best possible result.”
