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/689331
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7 / JUNE 5, 2016 CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA / CATALONIA, SPAIN P78 MOTO3 USUAL MAYHEM SEES A NEW WINNER Could points leader Brad Binder break an 11-race run whereby the pole starter has not won a Moto3 race? No, as it turned out, but through little fault of his own. The smallest class was a typi- cal all-action maelstrom, with a big leading pack still eight-strong at half distance, with the usual suspects and some unexpected fast chargers swapping back and forth. Binder (Red Bull KTM) led the first lap and several others, with Sky VR$6 KTM's Romano Fenati also taking to the front several times. Rookie Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia)—surprise Ar- gentine GP winner—also led one early lap and was well in the mix until he crashed out with two laps to go, as did with another former front-runner Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM). The lion's share went to Jorge Navarro (EG-Honda), in spite of a lap-eight error that dropped him to fifth. The Spaniard was eventu- ally able to escape to take his first GP win by half a second, but it might have been different, because a couple of laps before Rodrigo crashed, he clipped Binder's back wheel, knocking him to eighth, at the back of the gang with four laps to go, and lucky not to crash. In a ride reminiscent of his last- to-first Jerez win, Binder started the last lap fifth, but had forged his way through to second at the end. The surviving gang members were still close, first to sixth over the line in just over 1.5 seconds. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Honda) was third, his first podium of the year; then Fenati, Nicolo Bulega (Sky VR46 KTM) and fellow rookie Aron Canet (EG Honda). Fabio Quartararo (Leopard KTM) led the next group from teammate Joan Mir, Gresini Honda's di Giannantonio, with Kornfeil (Drive M7 Honda) still close in 10th. A high rate of attrition helped Brad's younger brother Darryn Binder to his first points, 12th on the top Mahindra after Aspar Mahindra's Pecco Bagnaia was knocked down from the leading group by Juanfran Guevara (KTM), who went on to finish 13th. In all there were 16 crashers, including Qatar winner Niccolo Antonelli. Binder's title lead shrunk by five points, 147 to Navarro's 103. Fenati has 80, Bulega 66 and Bagnaia 54. Jorge Navarro (09) fulfilled his early season promise with his first GP win.