A tense 20-lap Moto3 grand prix kicked off Sunday’s race motion at Le Mans, with poleman David Alonso narrowing Dani Holgado’s championship lead together with his third win of the season.
Tech3 GasGas rider Holgado leaped Alonso off the road at first and ran within the lead for the opening eight laps, earlier than Intact GP’s Collin Veijer got here by way of on the Flip 6 right-hander on the ninth tour.
Veijer’s stint on the entrance didn’t final lengthy, as Holgado got here by way of once more at Flip 2 on the run as much as the Dunlop chicane on lap 11.
An enraged David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) demoted Holgado briefly on the Flip 7 left on the identical lap, however the Spaniard had been hit with a double lengthy lap penalty for an earlier collision with Ricardo Rossi.
Munoz immediately served the primary of these penalties and would later crash out of the race.
Holgado retook the lead when Munoz peeled off into the penalty lane, although a mistake at Flip 6 on lap 13 allowed Veijer again by way of once more.
The pair would commerce the lead twice extra on lap 15 – once they touched going by way of Flip 1 – and lap 18, earlier than Aspar’s Alonso jumped the pair of them at Flip 9 on the identical tour.
Alonso resisted a retaliation from Holgado throughout the ultimate few laps and acquired to the chequered flag 0.105 seconds away from the Tech3 rider to scale back his championship result in one level.
David Alonso, CFMOTO Aspar Workforce
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Pictures
Veijer accomplished the rostrum from the sister Aspar bike of Joel Esteban and MT Helmets – MSI’s Ivan Ortola.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard) was sixth regardless of two lengthy lap penalties for irresponsible driving in observe, whereas Ryuesei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), Jose Antonio Rueda (Ajo KTM), Tatsuki Suzuki (Intact GP) and Angel Piqueras (Leopard) rounded out the highest 10.
Moto3 outcomes:
| 1 |
D. Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Workforce |
80 | CF MOTO | 20 | 147.7 | 25 | ||||
| 2 |  D. Holgado Crimson Bull GASGAS Tech3 |
96 | GASGAS | 20 | 0.105 | 147.6 | 20 | |||
| 3 |
C. Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP |
95 | Husqvarna | 20 | 0.137 | 147.6 | 16 | |||
| 4 |
J. Esteban CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Workforce |
78 | CF MOTO | 20 | 0.234 | 147.6 | 13 | |||
| 5 |
I. Ortola MT Helmets – MSI |
48 | KTM | 20 | 0.136 | 147.6 | 11 | |||
| 6 |  A. Fernandez Leopard Racing |
31 | Honda | 20 | 0.185 | 147.6 | 10 | |||
| 7 |  R. Yamanaka MT Helmets – MSI |
6 | KTM | 20 | 0.161 | 147.6 | 9 | |||
| 8 |
J. Antonio Crimson Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing |
99 | KTM | 20 | 0.077 | 147.6 | 8 | |||
| 9 | T. Suzuki Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP |
24 | Husqvarna | 20 | 0.066 | 147.6 | 7 | |||
| 10 |
Á. Piqueras Leopard Racing |
36 | Honda | 20 | 1.062 | 147.5 | 6 | |||
| 11 |
L. Lunetta SIC58 Squadra Corse |
58 | Honda | 20 | 4.552 | 147.2 | 5 | |||
| 12 |
J. Roulstone Crimson Bull GASGAS Tech3 |
12 | GASGAS | 20 | 0.188 | 147.2 | 4 | |||
| 13 |  J. Kelso BOE Motorsports |
66 | KTM | 20 | 0.314 | 147.1 | 3 | |||
| 14 | T. Furusato Honda Workforce Asia |
72 | Honda | 20 | 3.559 | 146.9 | 2 | |||
| 15 |
D. Almansa Rivacold Snipers Workforce |
22 | Honda | 20 | 0.574 | 146.8 | 1 | |||
| 16 |
X. Zurutuza Crimson Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing |
85 | KTM | 20 | 1.925 | 146.7 | ||||
| 17 |  S. Nepa LEVELUP – MTA |
82 | KTM | 20 | 2.925 | 146.5 | ||||
| 18 |
N. Dettwiler CIP |
55 | KTM | 20 | 11.741 | 145.7 | ||||
| 19 |
N. Fabio LEVELUP – MTA |
10 | KTM | 20 | 0.858 | 145.6 | ||||
| 20 |
T. Buasri Honda Workforce Asia |
5 | Honda | 20 | 5.369 | 145.2 | ||||
| 21 |  J. Whatley MLav Racing |
70 | Honda | 20 | 13.619 | 144.3 | ||||
| dnf | D. Munoz BOE Motorsports |
64 | KTM | 16 | 4 Laps | 142.5 | Retirement | |||
| dnf | M. Bertelle Rivacold Snipers Workforce |
18 | Honda | 15 | 1 Lap | 147.2 | Retirement | |||
| dnf | S. Ogden MLav Racing |
19 | Honda | 10 | 5 Laps | 146.9 | Accident | |||
| dnf | R. Rossi CIP |
54 | KTM | 7 | 3 Laps | 147.0 | Accident | |||
| dnf |
F. Farioli SIC58 Squadra Corse |
7 | Honda | 1 | 6 Laps | 128.3 | Retirement |
Garcia triumphs in Moto2
Within the 22-lap Moto2 grand prix, Sergio Garcia scored a second win of the 2024 season after dominating from the off at Le Mans.
The MT Helmets – MSI rider leaped into first off the road after poleman Aron Canet plummeted down the order when he botched the beginning.
Garcia immediately pulled a seven-tenth lead over American Racing’s Joe Roberts and would proceed to increase his benefit to three.174s come the chequered flag.
The battle for the ultimate podium spots raged to the tip, with Ai Ogura coming from seventeenth on the grid to finish an MT Helmets – MSI 1-2 forward of Velocity Up’s Alonso Lopez.
Lopez had been in second coming into the ultimate lap earlier than being handed by Ogura at Flip 9, and fended off Roberts by 0.060s on the run to the road.
It marked the primary non-Kalex podium because the 2012 Valencia Moto2 GP, when Suter chassis occupied all three rostrum spots.
Honda Workforce Asia’s Somkiat Chantra was fifth from Canet, the Fantic Racing rider – carrying a fractured left ankle from a crash at Jerez – denied a heroic podium late on.
Fermin Aldeguer was seventh on the second Velocity Up staff bike from Marc VDS’ Tony Arbolino, Gresini’s Albert Arenas and Aspar’s Izan Guevara.
Gresini’s Manuel Gonzalez had been an early podium contender however crashed out of that battle on lap six.
Garcia now leads the championship by seven factors from Roberts, with Aldeguer 26 adrift in third.
