David Alonso, once again! The world champion claimed victory in a dramatic Moto3 race at Sepang, edging out the competition by a mere 0.088 seconds.
Sunday’s race in Sepang promised challenging conditions for the riders, with soaring temperatures. Adrián Fernández lined up on pole position.
Daniel Holgado grabbed the holeshot, with David Almansa moving up from ninth to second. A yellow flag was soon waved following a crash involving Joel Esteban and Riccardo Rossi at Turn 2.
On the following lap, Holgado crashed at Turn 13 while battling for third position. The young Spaniard, who is challenging for second place in the championship, tangled with championship leader David Alonso, but only Holgado went down. Joel Kelso was promoted to third.
Holgado was subsequently transported to the medical center for evaluation.
Second in the championship @daniholgado96 is down and out! 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 3, 2024
That closes things right up with his rivals! #MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/7wAktZSu4i
Two laps later, A. Fernández’s race came to an abrupt end due to a mechanical issue. The Spaniard had secured his first Moto3 pole position earlier in the weekend.
Kelso moved into the lead and held it for four laps before being overtaken by Taiyo Furusato. Alonso was in third.
Tatsuki Suzuki was the next rider to retire, seemingly another victim of technical issues. The intense heat, reaching around 35°C, could have been a contributing factor. Shortly after, Nicola Carraro and Noah Dettwiler also crashed out.
With five laps remaining, Furusato led the race by 0.273 seconds over Alonso, who was closely followed by Ortolá. Collin Veijer and Kelso completed the top five.
On the following lap, Alonso, the world champion, took over the lead, and Ortolá soon passed Furusato. However, the Japanese rider responded and regained second place.
In the final sector of the race, Alonso and Furusato ran wide, but the #72 managed to retake the lead… briefly. Alonso passed back into the lead shortly after, and Jose Antonio Rueda was up to second with Ortolá in third.
Alonso secured another victory in the category, with Furusato finishing second 0.088 seconds behind. Rueda completed the podium in third.