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/591918
MOTOGP KICKER ROUND 14/OCTOBER 25 SEPANG/SELANGOR, MALAYSIA P64 MOTO 3: KENT CUTS IT FINE Talk about prolonging the agony. If Miguel Oliveira was to win today's race, then Danny Kent could still tie up the title, if he finished no lower than fifth. The Leopard Honda rider was seventh. What had earlier in the season seemed like a complete foregone conclusion will now go to a tense final round. Nico Antonelli was on pole, from top rookie Jorge Navarro and Oliveira, fresh from win number four in Australia. Kent was one of several riders dropped three places, to start from row three. It was not this, how- ever, that the Englishman blamed for not tying up the crown, but a familiar problem at circuits with long straights—his above-average size and weight tell against him. There was the usual furious front action, with a distinct leading group of eight taking shape after the first seven or eight laps of to-and-fro. Oliveira had most of the leading, but Jakub Kornfeil nosed ahead briefly, and Romano Fenati more than once. Pecco Bagnaia was a forceful presence on the red Mapfre Mahindra, also twice up front over the line, and Antonelli put on a charge with five laps to go. Kent seemed poised for a late charge, looking comfortable at the back of the group, but appear- ances were deceptive. Bagnaia crashed out after one nudge too many with three laps to go. By now, Oliveira's Red Bull KTM teammate Brad Binder was putting in a run, and led laps 15 and 16. One more change, as Navarro took to the front at the start of the last lap. The order was a lottery, but, once again, Oliveira was best at playing the odds, and with Binder riding shotgun they took the first two places, Navarro third. Then it was Antonelli, Fenati, Kornfeil and a "frus- trated" Kent, first to seventh covered by less than six-tenths of a second. Almost five seconds down, Enea Bastianini was a lone eighth, likewise Alexis Masbou and SaxoPrint Honda team-mate John McPhee in 10th. Kent (253) now leads the resur- gent Oliveira by 24 points. He has six wins; Oliveira now has five. Should the Portuguese rider win again at Valencia, Kent only needs two points to be champion. But he needs to be sure to finish. Bastianini (196), Fenati (176) and Antonelli (174) complete the top five. It's not inconceivable that Miguel Oliveira could complete one of the most astonishing title come- backs ever if it all goes his way in Valencia. Nicky Hayden and Jake Miller had an entertaining scrap with the American coming out on top.