Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1219692
Nagashima, who qualified just 14th. "When I was three years old, I started racing with him. I knew him and his family very well, and I always followed him, from pocket bikes to the all-Japan Championship. Today, I was very comfortable in the last two laps. I saw that when Shoya won the race here, he [celebrated] like this. I did the same." With the Japanese rider gone, Baldassarri edged a four-way fight for second ahead of Bastianini, and Roberts missing the drag to the line in fourth, just 0.2 seconds out of second. The American, who was one of the five riders to choose the harder of the front tire options, said, "We gambled and went with the harder front, and I had a couple of moments on the left side. I was losing the front and had to save it. Then I had to play it safe in the left corners. But honestly, to be pole position and come away with fourth position, this is the best result I've ever had in my career so I can't be upset about that." Roberts just staved off the late charging Remy Gardner, who staged a fine recovery from early contact with Nagashima. Navarro was sixth, while Marcel Schrotter (Intact GP Kalex) and Aron Canet (Aspar Speed Up) completed a top eight covered by just 4.7 seconds. Moto3 If history could be used as a guide, this was always going to be close. Only one of the past five encounters here was decided by more than a tenth of a second. Even then, when Joan Mir won out in 2017, it was by the blink-and-you'll- miss-it margin of 0.135. Albert Arenas' (Aspar Team KTM) coolly executed triumph was as much a testament to the prowess of KTM's all-new 2020 RC4 as it was to the Spaniard's recently found coolness under pressure. This bout may well come to be remembered for KTM's 100th victory across all grand prix classes. But it just might mark the beginning of Arenas' push for the title. This was a typical Moto3 affair, with as little as 1.4 seconds covering the top 14 with a lap to go. Before then, Arenas had done the majority of the heavy lifting, storming into an early lead and dictat- ing the pace from the front for 12 of the 14 laps. But even then, he needed to stage a recovery. Con- tact with pole man Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Honda) on lap 15 dropped him to sev- enth, behind the Japanese rider, John McPhee (Petro- nas Sprinta Honda), Darryn Binder (CIP KTM), Tony Arbo- lino (Snipers Racing Honda), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Honda) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Gresini Honda). "Tatsuki pushed me wide at turn one, but I tried to stay calm and keep my pace," Arenas said. An all-out braking duel at turn one on the final lap saw Arbolino take out Binder, setting up a face-off be- P50 Roberts was denied a trip to the podium, but he came oh-so close. The Californian ended up a career-best fourth. IN THE WIND