The Moto3 race at Motegi broke from the established script, right at the end. Folger and Kent set the early pace, but rivals Cortese, Viñales and Salom strangely lacked a consistent pace. The pole lap had been 1’58.37, but nobody was able to go round in under 1’59 in the race itself. Folger led the way as the series leaders joined in the fight at the midway point, but it all led to an unforgettable final lap: On the opening corner, Salom pushed above his capabilities and threw away both his and Folger’s chances of victory with a reckless move, then Cortese went to ground after losing his nerve –he later got back on track and was able to finish the Japanese GP. Kent won the race, ahead of Viñales and Tonucci.
If there was a moral victor of the Japanese GP, it was MAPFRE Aspar’s Jonas Folger. Seventh on the grid, the German took the lead on lap two and held it four fourteen of the twenty times around Motegi. He set the pace for the lead group, but all this went to waste thanks to the impatience of a rival. Salom made an ill-advised push that denied him the victory. Folger had been going for his and the team’s second triumph of the 2012 campaign, but was denied the position that he deserved in Japan.
Teammate Luca Amato concluded a tough weekend of hard work in 22nd place.
The next round of the series takes place next weekend, in Malaysia.
Jonas Folger (DNF):
“Today I felt very strong. Although yesterday we had some problems in qualifying, today we had solved the issues for the warm-up session. I started very motivated, I knew I could fight for the win and I tried to split the group from the off. Then I was joined by Kent and we had a tough battle. As the laps went on I started to feel even more comfortable on worn tyres. I felt that the group was having trouble keep up with me, so I pushed to the limit every lap and by now I wanted the win more than anything. I knew that if I kept pushing hard, serious options would achieve. But then, on the final lap, Salom took me out. It was a shame because we had done a great job. I hope to have better luck in Malaysia."
22nd Luca Amato:
“This weekend we worked very hard, but we could not find the best set-up for this circuit. Nevertheless, I tried to learn a lot from my second Moto3 World Championship race. It was tough, but at least I was able to finish; little by little I will start enjoying myself more. The bike goes fast and has very good performance, I just need to adapt to it. We must continue working hard next weekend. I am convinced that through hard work, I'll gradually get used to this bike. I know I can ride much faster, and that is what I will try to do by any means necessary.”
Mapfre Aspar Moto3 Press Release
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