Jaume Masiá secured the Moto3 world championship title last Sunday but didn’t escape controversy. In the Qatar GP race, on more than one occasion, he displayed very aggressive riding while battling his main rival, Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), and received assistance from his teammate at Leopard Racing, Adrián Fernández.

Sasaki and his team strongly criticized Masiá, but they weren’t the only ones. Former rider Mick Doohan also commented on the situation, responding to a Instagram post by Sasaki:

– I’m in shock, no penalty for the riding standards shown by the winning rider, and team. Racing should be hard, but fair, the winner did not win on talent, he knew he didn’t have your talent. Sensational ride Sasaki, you gave it all.

O conteúdo ‘I’m in shock; Jaume Masiá didn’t win on talent’ – Mick Doohan aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The defeat in the Moto3 World Championship didn’t sit well with Ayumu Sasaki. The Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP rider wasn’t able to keep the title fight until the end, witnessing Jaume Masiá clinching the championship at yesterday’s Qatar GP. And it happened in a way that left him displeased to the point of not congratulating his rival.

Quoted by the website Motosan.es, the Japanese rider lamented the move by Masiá’s teammate at Leopard Racing, Adrián Fernández: ‘Masiá… one or two times he was quite aggressive at turn six. But that was ok. Suddenly his teammate came in the middle; we lost everything four laps from the end. He slowed down in the middle of the track, and the gap to the front group increased’.

Sasaki believes that this wasn’t the right way to decide the title, so he didn’t congratulate Masiá, even mentioning a shameful situation: ‘I wanted to fight correctly with Masiá because if I had lost fairly, I would have understood and congratulated him. If everything had gone to Valencia, it would have been fine. But losing like this, I think I didn’t lose fairly. So, I can’t congratulate him because this is a shame, but it is what it is’.

O conteúdo Ayumu Sasaki didn’t congratulate Jaume Masiá: ‘This is a shame’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá clinched the Moto3 world championship title this Sunday. He achieved it with a victory at the Qatar GP in Losail, where he faced strong opposition.

The Leopard Racing Spanish rider appeared in the official broadcast interview in tears of joy, finding it hard to express himself moments after becoming the champion. Masiá stated:

– I’m not believing now. What to say? I just want to say thanks to my team, thank you one more time for believing in me. That’s it, we are world champions. I’m really happy.

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá emotional after the title: ‘What to say? That’s it, we are world champions’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá is the new Moto3 world champion. The rider who led the championship arrived at the Qatar GP with the chance to seal the title and succeeded. In a fiercely contested race with several riders fighting for top positions as usual, the Spanish rider managed the events well and, despite some aggression, had the skill to attack at the right moment and take the lead.

At the start, Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) made the holeshot to place himself first ahead of pole position holder Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was in third before being overtaken by Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM). The Brazilian took the lead in the first lap. Meanwhile, Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) progressed from tenth to eighth.

Öncü’s start seemed too good to be true and, indeed, it was: the Turkish rider made a jump start, receiving a penalty of two Long Laps, which dropped him from the leading positions. Position swaps were constant at the front during this initial phase. After two laps, Masiá was already in fourth. During the third lap, there was a dispute with Sasaki, in an aggressive move that led the Japanese rider to drop to eighth.

Ivan Ortolá (Angeluss MTA Team/KTM) was also in the mix and leading with 11 laps to go, with Masiá in second. Sasaki recovered to third and even took the lead shortly after. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) was also in contention. With nine laps remaining, Moreira was out of contention after a crash… in an incident that was Ortolá’s fault, earning him a penalty of two Long Laps.

The laps passed and the outcome wasn’t clear, with constant position changes and even more riders joining the front battle, such as Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse/Honda) and Adrián Fernández (Leopard Racing/Honda). After the penalty, Öncü also managed to get back in touch.

Three laps from the end, a situation emerged in the classification that would give Masiá the title, as he led and saw Sasaki drop to seventh. The Japanese rider completely lost the lead group and even dropped to ninth before starting to recover. However, he had to reach fourth considering Masiá was leading and distancing himself from Alonso.

The Spaniard clinched victory 68 milliseconds ahead of the Colombian and thus became champion: Sasaki tried hard to recover to the top three, but on the last lap, he collided with one of the rivals in front, dropping from fifth to sixth. Öncü completed the podium, with Rossi in fourth and Vicente Pérez (BOE Motorsports/KTM) surprising in fifth.

Results:

O conteúdo Here is the new champion! Jaume Masiá shines in the Losail night, winning, and getting the title aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá is on the brink of becoming the Moto3 world champion. This Sunday marks his first «match point» at the Qatar GP, although it won’t be an easy task.

The Spanish rider’s main contender is Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who will start from fourth. Meanwhile, the Leopard Racing rider will line up from tenth. It’s worth noting that qualifying isn’t always decisive in Moto3, as extensive groups often compete for top positions throughout much of the race.

To become champion this Sunday, Masiá needs to finish in the top four of the race. His chances then depend on Sasaki’s result. Here are the possibilities:

Jaume Masiá will be crowned champion at the Qatar GP if:

• He wins and Ayumu Sasaki doesn’t reach the podium
• He finishes second and Ayumu Sasaki places eighth or worse
• He secures third place and Ayumu Sasaki finishes at best in 12th
• He finishes fourth and Ayumu Sasaki doesn’t go beyond 15th.

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá can be the Moto3 world champion this Sunday – find out how aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá ended this Friday as the fastest man at the Moto3 Qatar GP. The best lap times of the day came under the lights at Losail.

Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team/KTM) initially led the session, ahead of Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) then took charge, with Öncü improving to hold onto second place. It’s worth noting that the times were already faster than those in the previous session.

As Masiá solidified his position, Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team/Honda) became his main rival, eventually overtaking him about 21 minutes from the checkered flag. With eight minutes left, Fenati was momentarily overtaken by Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) but quickly reclaimed the lead. Shortly after, Masiá set the first sub-2m06s lap time. Traffic with several riders on the track became a challenge at this stage.

Nothing changed at the top until the end. Masiá secured the lead with a time of 2m06.794s, beating Fenati by 0.546s. Veijer took third, followed by Ivan Ortolá (Angeluss MTA Team/KTM) and Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team/Honda) completing the top five. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Masiá’s main championship rival, finished eighth. Öncü, who led the first session, ended up in 14th place.

Combined standings P1 + P2:

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá outpaced rivals in the second practice session of the Moto3 Qatar GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá has already did the calculations he needs to secure the title in the Moto3 World Championship at the Qatar GP in Losail. The Leopard Racing rider has currently 246 points, against the 233 points from Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) who is in second.

Speaking to AS newspaper, the 23-year-old rider stated: ‘I haven’t thought too much about it yet, but I’m very happy to be in this situation. I know that if I finish first and Sasaki finishes fourth, second, or eighth, I’m not sure exactly. Anything could happen’.

On the other hand, Masiá also highlighted some of the keys to his successful season so far: ‘It’s a combination of things, primarily the team, which I believe has been crucial in everything, especially because of the environment I’ve had here, which I haven’t found anywhere else. Having confidence is crucial, both in the box and in day-to-day work with the team. I’ve been working with a psychologist since the beginning of the year, Mar Rovira. But I insist, it’s been several things that are helping me feel confident and be competitive’.

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá knows what he needs to do to become champion at Losail aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá secured the pole position for the Moto3 Malaysian GP. The championship leader ended the qualifying session with a clear advantage, setting a new lap record in Sepang and leaving the closest rival almost a second behind.

Among the first riders to hit the track, the leader was José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), ahead of Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP). However, most of the pack only completed their initial flying laps a bit later, and the leaderboard underwent a complete change. It was now led by Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), with Ivan Ortolá (Angeluss MTA Team/KTM) in second.

A new revolution in the standings occurred four minutes before the end when Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) took the first position, clocking in at 2m10s with a new lap record. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) had briefly reached third moments earlier but ended up in fourth.

No one else surpassed Masiá until the end, securing the pole position by 0.906s, with Veijer in second. Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team/Honda) briefly held third place near the end, with Ortolá in fourth and Sasaki in fifth.

Q2 results:

Overall qualifying results:

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá snatched the record and pole position in Moto3 at Sepang aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jaume Masiá was the fastest man in the first practice session of the Moto3 Malaysian GP. The championship leader demonstrated clear superiority on Friday morning in Sepang.

After the initial flying laps, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM) set the early benchmark, later surpassed by Deniz Öncü. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider briefly lost the top spot to Moreira before reclaiming it after the first ten minutes. However, Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda) took over shortly after.

The Spaniard led for just under 20 minutes before Öncü returned to the top. Towards the end, Masiá improved to 2m12.065s, securing an unreachable lead. Öncü finished second, 0.435s behind. Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team/Honda) secured third, 0.515s adrift, with Moreira in fourth and David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) in fifth. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), second in the championship, finished eighth.

Timesheet:

O conteúdo Jaume Masiá starts the Moto3 Malaysian GP on top of the first practice session aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Marquez, one of MotoGP’s biggest stars, doesn’t hide his admiration for young talent David Alonso. In a sport where competition is intense and each rider is focussed on their own career, it’s rare to see an established rider express such appreciation for a rookie but has clear, on his mind, who is the favourite to take the Moto3 world championship.

‘I watched Alonso’s performance and I couldn’t help but applaud him. He has shown impressive skill and determination since he entered the world scene’, said Marquez in an interview with AS. He recalled Alonso’s early days at the circuit: ‘I remember when he was just a rookie, coming to me for advice. He was always humble, wanting to learn and improve. That’s something I really value in him’.

With 205 points, Alonso is level on points with Holgado, while Sasaki, with 213 points, is in second place. Masia, with his vast experience, leads with 230 points.

Marquez, however, believes in Alonso’s potential: ‘He needs to trust in himself and believe that he can reach the top. Of course, there are riders like Masia, who have much more experience and are seen as favourites. But Alonso has something special. This is his debut year, and he’s already making a name for himself. I sincerely wish him every success’.

Alonso’s journey in MotoGP has only just begun, but with the support and praise of riders like Marquez, the future looks bright for the young rider.

O conteúdo ‘Alonso has something special but Masia is the favourite to win the Moto3 World Championship’ – Marc Marquez aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.