Deniz Öncü won the Moto3 Australian GP, in a race marked by heavy rain and extremely challenging conditions for the riders, leading to multiple incidents and the need for careful risk management.

The race featured very difficult conditions with heavy rain and strong winds, so caution was crucial. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) stood out in the early stages, with his teammate Collin Veijer in second place.

O conteúdo Deniz Öncü victorious in the Moto3 Austrian GP under intense rain aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

David Muñoz had a perfect Friday in Phillip Island. The Spanish rider also led the second practice session of the Moto3 Australian GP, showing his superiority on the opening day.

After the initial flying laps, Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM), who had been the fastest in the morning session, was the leader. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was in second, with Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team/KTM) in third. Despite not improving on his second attempt, Muñoz remained at the top, but Nepa moved into second place.

BOE Motorsports had reasons to smile when they saw their other rider, Vicente Pérez, move into second place, showing his speed in this stage of the session. With 25 minutes left, the top positions changed, with Nepa becoming the new leader, overtaking Muñoz and Pérez. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM) moved up to fourth.

Shortly after, Muñoz returned to the lead by only 0.090s. Rider #44 solidified his position, and in the following minutes, Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) moved into fourth. Knowing the importance of a good result for direct access to the second qualifying, the riders were looking for fast lap times while also preparing.

Nevertheless, the timesheet remained stable until the final 11 minutes. Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) caused another change, moving into the lead. The Australian was overtaken by Sasaki, and several other riders showed good pace in these last minutes, including Muñoz, who regained the lead. Nepa and Moreira also surpassed Sasaki.

Nothing changed until the end, and Muñoz finished at the top, beating Nepa by 0.073s. Moreira was third, Sasaki fourth, and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) fifth, ahead of Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda), who is the championship leader. The Spaniard was delayed by a technical issue on his bike still in the first minutes.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo David Muñoz becomes the «man to beat» after a perfect Friday at the Moto3 Australian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

David Muñoz started the Moto3 Austalian GP setting the pace in the first practice session. In his second appearance at Phillip Island, the Spanish rider was not intimidated by the challenging Australian circuit and was faster than all the others in the initial practice.

On a cool Friday morning with some wind, after the first flying laps, the home rider Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) was leading. He was overtaken by Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM), but he quickly regained the lead and held it for about seven minutes.

However, Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) spent most of the practice session at the top of the timesheets. He took the lead with just under 14 minutes left and remained there until the 28-minute mark. At that point, he was beaten by Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP).

Towards the end of the session, Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) stopped the clock at 1m37.638s to secure the lead definitively. The Spanish rider held off Sasaki’s improvement, finishing 0.265s ahead. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse/Honda) took third place, followed by Adrián Fernández (Leopard Racing/Honda) and Moreira. Masiá, the championship leader, ended in sixth place, 0.514s behind the leader.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo David Muñoz opens Moto3 Australian GP leading the first practice aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Without any break, the MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 World Championships head to Phillip Island this weekend for the Australian GP. It’s another crucial round in the battle for the titles in all categories.

After returning to winning ways last Sunday, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) leads in the MotoGP class. He holds an 18-point lead over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), who is his main opponent. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) is looking to close the gap, although the point differences make it difficult to re-enter the title race. In Phillip Island, races are usually highly competitive and intense, with small gaps between the riders, so a larger group at the front is expected.

In Moto2, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) can leave Australia very close to the title. With a sequence of four consecutive podiums, the Spaniard leads by 65 points, and after this round, there will be 100 points left to be awarded. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex) is his main pursuer, while the third-place rider is Jake Dixon (GasGas Aspar/Kalex), who is 40 points behind the rider immediately in front.

The Moto3 championship battle is more balanced. Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) leads with a 16-point advantage over Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who failed to score points for the third time this year in Indonesia. Right behind in third place is Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3), 17 points behind the leader, and 12 points ahead of the best rookie, David Alonso (GasGas Aspar).

Below are the complete schedules (CET) for the Australian GP.

Friday, October 19 (dawn)
00:00-00:35: P1 Moto3
00:50-01:30: P1 Moto2
01h45-02h30: FP1 MotoGP
04h15-04h50: P2 Moto3
05h05-05h45: P2 Moto2
06h00-07h20: Treino MotoGP

Friday, October 19 (night)
23:40-00:10: P3 Moto3

Saturday, October 20
00:25-00:55: P3 Moto2
01:10-01:40: FP2 MotoGP
01:50-02:05: Qualifying Q1 MotoGP
02:15-02:30: Qualifying Q2 MotoGP
03:50-04:05: Qualifying Q1 Moto3
04:15-04:30: Qualifying Q1 Moto3
04:45-05:00: Qualifying Q1 Moto2
05:10-05:25: Qualifying Q2 Moto2
06:00: Sprint race MotoGP (13 laps)

Sunday, October 21
00:40-00:50: Warm-up MotoGP
02:00: Race Moto3 (21 laps)
03:15: Race Moto2 (23 laps)
05:00: Race MotoGP (27 laps)

O conteúdo MotoGP heads to the Oceania: The schedule for the Australian GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.