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Catalunya Moto3: Navarro claims maiden win in crash-filled race

Jorge Navarro claimed the first Moto3 victory of his career on home soil at Catalunya, while points leader Brad Binder recovered from a late-race incident to finish second.

Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0

Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0
Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0
Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0
Jorge Navarro, Estrella Galicia 0,0
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Navarro 's first Grand Prix win follows four second places in 36 starts, and is the Estrella Galicia team's first victory since Alex Marquez's triumph at Motegi in 2014.

Following a hectic opening few laps, which saw Enea Bastianini, Rio Hondo race winner Khairul Idham Pawi and Binder all lead.

Navarro dropped back to the lower echelons of the leading group after running wide, but was back in the lead in just three laps, having slipstreamed past championship rival Binder on the main straight.

Although Romano Fenati and Bastianini both stole the lead for a couple of laps, Navarro was back in control for the final stages.

He entered the final laps leading by half a second, taking the win by 0.564s at the chequered flag and dedicating his triumph to fallen Moto2 rider Luis Salom.

"Really emotional day for me. This morning I thought 'today I must win', and this victory is for Luis," said Navarro.

"I was always pushing 100 percent. I want to say thanks to the team because the bike was perfect for this race."

Binder fights back for second

Pole-sitter Binder spent the whole race within the leading group but dropped back to eighth in the closing stages when he was hit by Gabriel Rodrigo and forced to run wide at the Turn 14 chicane.

The South African impressively fought back to salvage second, holding off Italian duo Bastianini and Fenati at the finish.

"I don't know where Rodrigo was trying to go, because I was on the inside kerb," said Binder, whose championship lead over Navarro has been cut to 44 points.

"I was so lucky not to crash. I think I had the pace in the last three laps to win, but I'm happy to be on the podium because it easily could have been zero [points]."

Nicolo Bulega was the top rookie in fifth, followed by Aron Canet by half a tenth.

Fabio Quartararo finished seventh, 12 seconds down, followed by Leopard Racing teammate Joan Mir, Gresini's Fabio Di Giannantonio and Jakub Kornfeil.

The race saw no more than 13 riders crash, including Alexis Masbou, Maria Herrera, Jules Danilo, Hiroki Ono and Francesco Bagnaia.

Pawi and Rodrigo both crashed out while running withing the top five during the final laps.

Race results:

PosRiderTeamBikeTime/Gap
1 SpainJorge Navarro  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW 42:18.228
2 South AfricaBrad Binder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP +0.564
3 ItalyEnea Bastianini  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW +0.817
4 ItalyRomano Fenati  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +0.925
5 ItalyNicolo Bulega  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +1.531
6 SpainAron Canet  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW +1.581
7 FranceFabio Quartararo  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +13.605
8 SpainJoan Mir  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +13.672
9 ItalyFabio Di Giannantonio  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW +13.753
10 Czech RepublicJakub Kornfeil  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW +14.814
11 NetherlandsBo Bendsneyder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP +14.840
12 South AfricaDarryn Binder  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP3O +29.860
13 SpainJuan Francisco Guevara RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP +32.006
14 JapanTatsuki Suzuki  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP3O +33.305
15 United KingdomJohn McPhee  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30 +33.766
16 BelgiumLivio Loi  RW Racing GP BV Honda NSF250RW +34.986
17 GermanyPhilipp Ottl  Schedl GP Racing KTM RC 250 GP +36.384
18 ItalyAndrea Migno  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +41.731
19 ItalyAndrea Locatelli  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +42.985
20 ItalyNiccolo Antonelli  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW +59.035
21 ItalyFabio Spiranelli  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP3O +1:29.713
22 ItalyLorenzo Petrarca  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP3O +1:30.640
R Davide Pizzoli  Procercasa - 42 Motorsport KTM RC 250 GP  
R Karel Hanika  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP3O  
R Gabriel Rodrigo  RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP  
R Khairul Idham Pawi  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW  
R Jorge Martin  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP3O  
R Albert Arenas  MRW Mahindra Aspar Team Mahindra MGP3O  
R Francesco Bagnaia  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP3O  
R Adam Norrodin  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW  
R Hiroki Ono  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW  
R Jules Danilo  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW  
R Maria Herrera  MH6 Team KTM RC 250 GP  
R Stefano Valtulini  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP3O  
R Alexis Masbou  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30  

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