MotoGP Japan 2012: Danny Kent wins in a last lap of extreme madness in Moto3

OMG what we just saw in the race Moto3 held at the Japanese circuit of Motegi. Or rather, on the last lap, a last lap that leaves us without qualifiers to describe what we have seen. Suffice it to say that in said turn they have gone to the ground Luis Salom (sanctioned with five positions for the Malaysian grid), Jonas folger and Sandro Cortese, when they were fighting for victory. A madness that has ended up giving victory to a Danny Kent who has not hesitated to gamble in front of his partner Sandro, who had the title of champion mathematically in his pocket. Let's try to unravel this madness …

The traffic light went out and Kent, Folger and Salom came out very strong from pole. It also hooked up Zulfahmi Khairuddin, while Cortese and Maverick Viñales he was a bit behind schedule. From here on, we have witnessed some very quiet laps without major shocks, something unusual in the category, as we well know. The turns passed and Kent and Folger took turns, but without bothering at all, with Salom the third glued to them, and allowing them to open a gap, although not very significant. The only one who got a little out of this quiet script was Alessandro Tonucci, who was coming up and hitting axes left and right.

Midway through the race, the two groups came together, and with Khairuddin already behind, we were left with Kent, Folger, Salom, Cortese, Tonucci and Viñales as the excellent group that was going to play the victory. And it was clear that any of them could win the race. Nevertheless, the fight was still quite relaxed, with few overtaking and without many risks. At this point we have seen an exceptional Cortese, having everything very controlled and overtaking a rider per lap with amazing ease.

But all this tranquility was going to be interrupted, and in what way, in the last laps, but especially in the last. With three laps to go, they were all starting to try to get into good positions, and we did see ax blows without hesitation. The only thing we were worried about at the time was Maverick, who closed the group and was not seen with the spark to which he had us accustomed at the beginning of the season. And we get to the last lap in the following order: Folger, Cortese, Tonucci, Salom, Kent and Viñales. And from here … madness breaks out.

A madness that has ended like the rosary of dawn. From the outset, we saw Salom hitting a few axes very to the limit, so to the limit that he has tried to enter where he could not and has taken ahead a Folger who has made a race and that without eating or drinking he has been seen in the ground and logically without options. It must be recognized that Luis has been mistaken for a long time. The group was therefore reduced to four, and with Viñales occupying the fourth place and Cortese as the new leader, already everything was ready to crown Cortese as the first Moto3 world champion. But Kent had already warned that if he had a chance to fight for victory, he did not understand team or partner orders. And boy, has he shown it …

On the long back straight the German has slipped in, while Tonucci also took the opportunity to try to overtake him. At that point Sandro did not want to give his arm to twist, and ended up on the floor in the tunnel, almost taking Alessandro ahead, but with the luck that at least the bike has not stopped. It was finally sixth.

Thus, the race was won by Kent, getting the first victory of his life, Maverick entered second (who was going to tell him!), While Tonucci closed the podium, who by the way has made a surprising and brilliant race. Fourth came in, attention, Alex Rins, of which we are no longer surprised to see him in those positions, while Khairuddin entered fifth. Sixth as Cortese told you, seventh Miguel Oliveira, eighth Louis rossi, nineth Efren Vazquez and tenth Romano Fenati.

With all this madness, the general classification is still dominated with an iron fist by the German, who has in fact increased his advantage with the second. An advantage that is now marked in 56 points with Viñales, who is now second again after the fall of Luis, who remains at 61 points. Therefore, things are still very expensive for Sandro, who in Malaysia can put the finishing touch to this championship.

Spectacular the way in which we have started this race dawn. So of course it is impossible to fall asleep. That awful! We will have to see this last lap a thousand times to try to understand everything that has happened in it. Painful for those who have fallen, but once again it is clear that in motorcycling everything is unpredictable and that it is a beautiful and hard show. Hopefully the two races that remain follow this line. More emotion impossible.