Japanese Moto3: Momentum with Masia after breakaway win

Jaume Masia used his rivals battling behind to pull out a gap and escape to victory in the Japanese Moto3 race at Motegi.

Lisa Lewis

01 Oct 2023

Jaume Masia, Moto3 race, Japanese MotoGP, 1 October

Masia, for the second race in a row, converted pole to victory as he took control of the Moto3 race and dominated proceedings,as he has done all weekend, to take round fourteen in the championship and a solo title lead.

The Leopard rider again started from pole but lost out at turn one when Deniz Oncu got a great start and took over out front.

It wasn’t until lap seven, where Masia took his chance and took over at the front again. The Spaniard released his superior pace, that had been on display all weekend.

The #5 was able to pull away as the three other riders in the lead group began battling each other, with no-one willing to let someone take charge and sit in behind and chase Masia back down.

That allowed breathing room out front, with the Honda rider leading over the line by 1.546s for the third time this season.

Home cheer for Sasaki after last lap battle

In the group behind, Sasaki was desperate to chase down Masia, but a desperate Oncu thought he was doing the right thing by pushing to take charge. His need to be in charge of the lead group contributed to the gap ahead, and his own downfall. Pushing too hard to stay in touch he slipped out of contention and into the gravel on lap eleven at turn nine.

With the Turkish rider out, the remaining duo settled down, with Sasaki able to try and chase down Masia.

The gap proved too huge, and the Japanese rider still had Holgado to worry about. Their battle came to a head on the final lap. The Spaniard made his move up the inside and came out in front under the bridge.

A huge final effort from the Liqui Moly Husqvarna rider saw him able to take back over, with his drive out of Victory Corner carrying him over the line ahead, giving the home crowd a superb second to cheer.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Holgado was secure in third.

Stefano Nepa got a great start alongside Alonso which saw him third in the early stages. That allowed the Angeluss MTA rider to be a threat in the chasing pack on track, working his way to the front of it over the closing laps for fourth.

He took over from teammate Ivan Ortola, who spent much of his time on track in a fiery battle with David Munoz (BOE Motorsports), with top rookie, GasGas Aspar’s David Alonso joining in with their paint swapping. They finished in that order.

Kaito Toba was nest to see the chequered flag in eighth for SIC58 Squadra Corse, just holding off compatriot Ryusei Yamanaka on the second Gaviota GasGas entry.

Jose Antonio Rueda was right behind them in a tight battle to the line in the main group, to complete the top ten for red Bull KTM Ajo.

Collin Veijer made up for his grid penalty the best, though still lost a place from tenth on the grid to finish eleventh on the second Husqvarna bike.

Taiyo Furusato tried to find a way past at home but could not make his moves stick, leaving him twelfth, but positively took just his fourth points finish of the season for Honda Team Asia at home.

The remaining points on offer all went to riders in the same group on track with Riccardo Rossi (SIC 58 Squadra Corse) 13th , Diogo Moreira 14th for MT Helmets-MSI and fellow penalty recipient for the handlebar infringement Joel Kelso fighting his way back into the points for 15th for the CFMotoPruestel Team.

The VisionTrack riders made progress from a tough qualifying, which did not go their way, but could not make it into the points in a close race. Scott Ogden was 18th and Joshua Whatley 20th.

Crashes, injuries and replacements

Lorenzo Salvador is out at CIP Green Power but was not replaced by the team. Romano Fenati missed the round after picking up a fractured foot. David Almansa (17th) was his replacement ahead of a full time Snipers move next year.

Oncu was not the only rider to crash out in Japan. Xavier Artigas was the first to exit, while Matteo Bertelle and Tatsuki Suzuki also failed to finish.

Where does that leave the championship?

Masia now leads solo with a total of 199 after Moto3 victory at Motegi.

Sasaki sits second in the title hunt, now six points behind the Spaniard, with former championship leader Daniel Holgado now third, nine points adrift.

David Alonso retains fourth but is forty points off the lead, while another DNF saw Oncu remain on 146 points.