Maverick Vinales debuted last year in the now defunct 125cc class and immediately became Spain’s new rider to follow with everyone comparing him to Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa after winning four races last season.
Repsol was so impressed by him that they are now sponsoring him and in the inaugural Moto3 race in Qatar this youngster didn’t disappoint as he won the race with a big margin.
If Spain is used to celebrating wins, Italy has finally found somone to root for in the feeder class, Romano Fenati.
This 16-year old rookie grabbed the second spot after leading the race for the first four laps and building up an almost two seconds lead before Vinales shook off Alfred Sissis and Sandro Cortese and charged away and catching up with lap 6.
The two riders were almost evenly matched, exchanging the lead at the end of the straight a couple of times but Vinales decided he had enough of seeing Fenati’s white helmet and on lap 12 broke away and then built up a 4.
3 second lead to win the race.
The third spot on the podium went to Sandro Cortese, after a massive five-rider battle that involved Luis Salom, Miguel Oliveira (who won two races last year in the CEV on a Moto3) and Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Arthur Sissis with Cortese prevailing on the rest in the final corner.
Danny Kent never got into the battle and finished in 8th, while Louis Rossi took the ninth spot and last year’s 125cc CEV champion Alex Rins closed out the top 10.
Moto3 Qatar Race Results:01- Maverick Vinales – Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda M312 38.
40.
99902- Romano Fenati – Team Italia FMI – FTR Honda M312 – + 4.
30103- Sandro Cortese – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM M32 – + 18.
01304- Luis Salom – RW Racing GP – KALEX KTM – + 18.
20005- Miguel Oliveira – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda Moto3 – + 18.
74506- Zulfahmi Khairuddin – AirAsia SIC Ajo – KTM M32 – + 19.
05207- Arthur Sissis – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM M32 – + 19.
46608- Danny Kent – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM M32 – + 21.
09809- Louis Rossi – Racing Team Germany – FTR Honda M312 – + 21.
15310- Alex Rins – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda Moto3 – + 28.
73311- Alan Techer – Technomag CIP TSR – Honda NSF250R – + 29.
77512- Hector Faubel – BANKIA Aspar Team – KALEX KTM – + 29.
81313- Niklas Ajo – TT Motion Events Racing – KTM M32 – + 35.
94014- Alberto Moncayo – BANKIA Aspar Team – KALEX KTM – + 35.
98315- Jakub Kornfeil – Redox Ongetta Centro Seta – FTR Honda M312 – + 38.
64116- Efren Vazquez – JHK T-Shirt LaGlisse – Honda NSF250R – + 40.
21917- Niccolò Antonelli – San Carlo Gresini Moto3 – Honda NSF250R – + 50.
62918- Danny Webb – Mahindra Racing – Mahindra MGP3O – + 54.
75119- Ivan Moreno – Andalucia JHK LaGlisse – FTR Honda M312 – + 54.
98920- Adrian Martin – JHK T-Shirt LaGlisse – Honda NSF250R – + 1’05.
18321- Kenta Fuji – Technomag CIP TSR – TSR 3 Honda – + 1’21.
23922- Simone Grotzkyj Giorgi – Ambrogio NEXT Racing – Oral M3 – + 1’35.
79123- Toni Finsterbusch – Cresto Guide MZ Racing – MZ Honda Moto3 – + 1’41.
29124- Jasper Iwema – MOTO FGR – MOTO FGR 3 Honda – + 1’54.
29325- Jack Miller – Caretta Technology – Honda NSF250R – 1 lap