Austria Moto3: Sasaki bounces back from double penalty for victory

Ayumu Sasaki dealt with his double long lap penalty early, then cut his way to the front for victory in the Moto3 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Lisa Lewis

21 Aug 2022

Ayumu Sasaki, Moto3 race, MotoGP, Austrian MotoGP, 21 August

Ayumu Sasaki completed two laps of the penalty loop, before charging through the field, looking in control of the Moto3 Austrian Grand Prix, round thirteen of the championship.

Starting by taking over at the front, the Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider was leading the race when he hit the long loop for the first time, which dropped the #71 to 17th, but on the back of the lead group.

Sasaki then took his second lap soon after (the penalty was awarded for running into the back of Sergio Garcia in Silverstone) which dropped him to 21st.

The Japanese rider never gave up and was soon able to latch on to the back of the lead group.

Hitting the front around the halfway mark, pulling up to second on the way to the new chicane, then taking Guevara with a decisive move, Sasaki then picked up the pace and commanded the race from the front for his second win, with his first coming back in Assen.

His friend and former Petronas team-mate Jake Dixon was among the first to congratulate Sasaki on track, as his Japanese flag got tangled in his back wheel while celebrating.

Where Sasaki needed no slipstream aid up font, it was what his fellow countryman Tatsuki Suzuki was hoping for behind. Instead he first had to contend with attention from both Deniz Oncu and David Munoz as they put in their claims for a podium spot, forcing the Leopard rider to move to defensive lines instead of being able to chase down Sasaki.

As they battled each other the #24 had a final chance but even in the slipsteam he could not pull past, finishing 0.064s behind as the top Honda by some margin.

It was rookie Munoz who won the battle behind for the final rostrum spot, with his late move on the BOE Motorsports KTM made to count.

Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rider Deniz Oncu was clear in fourth, with a gap back to the next group on track.

That was lead over the line by Sergio Garcia, which extends his title laead with both his GasGas team-mate Izan Guevara and Dennis Foggia (Leopard Honda) behind in seventh and a distant twelfth respectively.

The Aspar bikes were split by another impressive rookie, with MT Helmets-MSI rider Daniel Holgado having a strong race in sixth.

Daniel Holgado started from pole and initially held his own at the front before slipping back to eighth for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

John McPhee started from 18th on the grid after getting beaten by the clock in qualifying and not reaching his potential. The Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider has shown his pace earlier in the weekend after finishing free practice third and used that speed and his racecraft to climb to ninth by the chequered flag.

Kaito Toba completed the top ten for CIP Green Power after just holding off rookie Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) who had to settle for eleventh.

Foggia was a second further back, with Ryusei Yamanaka in close company on the second MT Helmets entry in 13th.
The remaining points on offer went to 14th placed Xavier Artigas (CMOTO Racing PreustelGP) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) in 15th.

VisionTrack’s Scott Ogden couldn’t match the comeback of compatriot McPhee and finished 21st, his team-mate Joshua Whatley was 29th.

Crashes and penalties

Carlos Tatay was taken out at turn three, after contact with Andrea Migno. Migno was handed a long lap penalty for his actions which saw him finish 23rd.

Ana Carrasco was also handed a long lap penalty for getting in Tatsuki Suzuki’s way back in Q1, She finished 28th.

Riccardo rossi was handed a long lap loop trip early in the race for cutting the chicane, the SIC58 Squadra Corse rider made a better job of a comeback in 19th.

Jaume Masia was the only other faller in the race, he remounted to finish one place higher in 18th for Red Bull KTM Ajo.