CORTESE TAKES 8TH PODIUM IN 9 ROUNDS OF MOTO3 GP
published at 15.07.2012 / created by Marcia Hill
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese underlined his role as ‘Mr. Consistency’ on the Mugello circuit on Sunday finishing third in the Moto3 Grand Prix of Italy to take his eighth podium in nine rounds. The German rider retains the championship lead ahead of today’s winner Maverick Vinales of Spain.
http://www.ktm.com/factoryracing/moto3/teams/red-bull-ktm-ajo/details/racing/detail/Rider/rider-1.htmlSandro Cortese, Vinales and young Italian rider Romano Fenati made the final laps a nail biting affair on the racing circuit much favored by riders and fans alike when they pulled away from the following pack in the final laps and fought out a battle of attrition right to the flag.
The race started with a flash of brilliance from KTM’s Malaysian rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin who shot into the lead and managed to hold onto it for the opening laps before relinquishing it to the more aggressive riders. Cortese and his teammate Danny Kent of Britain, both on the KTM Moto3 factory bike also sent an early signal about their intentions and were well in the mix in the opening laps. Kent managed to survive a close encounter with Italian rider Antonelli and stayed well in the race while the third member of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, Arthur Sissis had to retire with technical problems after twice setting fastest lap mid race from about place 10-11.
Tactics and especially slipstream manoevers have evolved as crucial for this new class of racing and Cortese has proved himself to be up with the best. The race could have gone any way in the final shakeout but the young Italian rider Fenati was particularly hungry in front of his home crowd and managed to prevail over the KTM rider as the front three rushed the finish line. Just seven hundredths of a second separated first and third place. Cortese still leads the championship but he remains most threatened by today’s winner, the Spanish rider Vinales.
Unlucky was Luis Salom on the Kalex-KTM who went into the race already bruised and battered from a crash in free practice. He went down in the race after a touch with Alberto Moncayo of Spain, also riding the Kalex-KTM. Khairuddin, Hector Faubel and Niklas Ajo finished 9 through 11 for other solid results by riders on KTM-driven bikes.
Results Moto3 Mugello
1. Maverick Viñales (E), FTR Honda, +39:57.374 min
2. Romano Fenati (I), FTR Honda, +0.020 sec
3. Sandro Cortese (D), KTM, +0.071
4. Niccolò Antonelli (I), FTR Honda, +5.788
5. Danny Kent (GB), KTM, +5.836
6. Efren Vazquez (E), FTR Honda, +5.860
7. Alex Rins (E), Suter Honda, +5.906
8. Jakub Kornfeil (CZ), FTR Honda, +18.195
9. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (MA), KTM, +19.232
10. Hector Faubel (E), KALEX-KTM, +19.308
Other KTM
11. Niklas Ajo (FIN), KTM, +35.855
24. Brad Binder (RSA), KALEX-KTM, +1:07.228 min
DNF Arthur Sissis (AUS), KTM
DNF Alberto Moncayo (E), KALEX-KTM
DNF Luis Salom (E), KALEX-KTM
Standings Moto3 after 9 of 17 rounds
1. Cortese, 164 points
2. Viñales, 155
3. Salom, 104
4. Fenati, 85
5. Alexis Masbou (F), Honda, 75
Other KTM
6. Khairuddin, 66
10. Kent, 53
12. Faubel, 44
14. Sissis, 38
15. Moncayo, 36
18. Ajo, 21
28. Binder, 5
Manufacturers Standings Moto3 after 9 of 17 rounds
1. FTR Honda, 206 points
2. KTM, 165
3. KALEX-KTM, 133
Sandro Cortese enjoys the champagne moment on the podium at Mugello
Cortese proves his consistency with eighth podium
Danny Kent picks up 5th in Mugello
Arthur Sissis sets two fastest times before early retirement