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USA
Race report

Mugello Moto3: Binder wins epic slipstream battle to stretch points lead

Brad Binder came out on top in a nailbiting slipstreaming epic at Mugello to extend his Moto3 points advantage as his main title rivals failed to score.

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The 20-lap race saw the top-five finishers covered by less than a tenth of a second, as Binder prevailed over Fabio di Giannantonio by a mere 0.038s.

Having seized the advantage on the run down to the first corner at the start of the final lap, the South African just gave himself the margin he needed to protect his lead as Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo battled over second place.

"Today's race was crazy - I was in first, 10th, eighth; it was so difficult to plan," said Binder. "But I tried to keep back in the group so I could arrive on the final lap at least in the top three."

Both Bagnaia and Quartararo found themselves outdragged on the run to the finish by 17-year-old rookie di Giannantonio, who had scored no points prior to Mugello.

Mahindra rider Bagnaia hung for third, marking his third podium visit of the year, as Niccolo Antonelli pipped Quartararo for fourth place.

Completing in the top 10 were Hiroki Ono, Joan Mir, Niccolo Bulega, Juanfran Guevara and Andrea Migno, who had started second but couldn't sustain his early speed.

Fenati, Navarro in trouble

It was a disastrous race for Binder's chief championship adversaries, as Romano Fenati and Jorge Navarro both failed to make the finish. 

Poleman Fenati fell out of contention when his Sky Racing KTM suffered a mechanical problem at the halfway stage, the Italian having been in the thick of the lead fight up to that point.

A short time after, Navarro found himself in the gravel at the last corner after making contact with Guevara, while his Estrella Galicia Honda teammate Aron Canet also fell at the final turn on the last lap.

Earlier on the final tour, Argentina winner Khairul Idham Pawi crashed out of the leading group, having led a race for the first time since his Termas de Rio Hondo triumph early on.

Binder now leads the championship by 49 points from Navarro, with Fenati a further 11 back in third.

Race results:

PosRiderTeamBikeTime
1 South AfricaBrad Binder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP 39:49.382
2 ItalyFabio Di Giannantonio  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW +0.038
3 ItalyFrancesco Bagnaia  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP30 +0.069
4 ItalyNiccolo Antonelli  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW +0.075
5 FranceFabio Quartararo  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +0.077
6 JapanHiroki Ono  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW +1.037
7 SpainJoan Mir  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +1.532
8 ItalyNicolo Bulega  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +1.538
9 SpainJuan Francisco Guevara  RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP +1.567
10 ItalyAndrea Migno  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +1.762
11 FranceJules Danilo  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW +1.791
12 ItalyEnea Bastianini  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW +1.792
13 SpainGabriel Rodrigo  RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP +1.933
14 SpainJorge Martin  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP30 +2.011
15 ItalyLorenzo Dalla Porta  Schedl GP Racing KTM RC 250 GP +2.041
16 BelgiumLivio Loi  RW Racing GP BV Honda NSF250RW +2.391
17 Czech RepublicJakub Kornfeil  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW +2.434
18 NetherlandsBo Bendsneyder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP +2.577
19 JapanTatsuki Suzuki  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP30 +2.775
20 Czech RepublicKarel Hanika  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP30 +4.289
21 SpainMaria Herrera  MH6 Team KTM RC 250 GP +4.916
22 MalaysiaAdam Norrodin  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW +34.654
23 United KingdomJohn McPhee  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30 +34.692
24 ItalyStefano Valtulini  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP30 +34.739
25 ItalyLorenzo Petrarca  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP30 +42.628
R Aron Canet  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW  
R Fabio Spiranelli  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP30  
R Khairul Idham Pawi  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW  
R Andrea Locatelli  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP  
R Jorge Navarro  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW  
R Romano Fenati  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP  
R Darryn Binder  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP30  
R Alexis Masbou  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30  

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