David Alonso secured yet another victory this Sunday at the Moto3 Catalan GP in Barcelona. The race was highly competitive, as is customary in this category, with uncertainty until the very end. This marks the Colombian’s second consecutive win, making him the new leader of the championship.
Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM) got off to a good start, maintaining the lead. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) moved up from ninth to second place, with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) in third. Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar) had a less impressive start, initially falling to sixth.
🚦LIGHTS OUT IN #Moto3🚦@IvanOrtola48 nails the start! @daniholgado96 goes from 9th to 2nd into T1 🚀#CatalanGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/1lp2mAlVIi
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 26, 2024
On the second lap, Holgado lost several positions, dropping to sixth, while Veijer moved up to second and David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) took third. Ortolá managed to build a half-second lead at the front.
In the third lap, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Muñoz served Long Lap penalties, leading to more changes: Ortolá was overtaken, with Veijer taking the lead, followed by Alonso and Holgado.
In the early laps, the leading group was extensive, with eight riders separated by less than a second with 15 laps to go, constantly exchanging positions. Holgado regained the lead, and Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse/Honda) also made his way into the podium positions.
However, the situation remained highly volatile, with riders easily moving from the front to the back: for example, Holgado led for a while but dropped to sixth with ten laps remaining, as Veijer took the lead and Ortolá followed in second.
A leading group of 15 riders 🤯💨#CatalanGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/3ceLsuFCku
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 26, 2024
In the last ten laps, the leading group began to shrink: with five laps to go, only the top five riders were separated by less than a second: Alonso, Ortolá, Veijer, Holgado, and Lunetta, who had managed to gain a slight margin over the rest of the pack.
Defending his lead with all his might, Alonso faced intense pressure from Ortolá, Veijer, and, in the last lap, also from José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), but he continued to hold his ground.
It turned into a four-way battle for the win, but Alonso managed to fend off his rivals to secure his fourth victory of the year. Ortolá finished second, just 0.242s behind, with Rueda completing the podium. Veijer came in fourth, and Muñoz recovered to fifth place after serving his Long Lap penalty. Holgado finished sixth, losing the championship lead to Alonso.
