Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Catalan Moto3: Binder wins as title rivals McPhee and Arenas collide

Darryn Binder grabbed his maiden Moto3 win in a dramatic Catalan Grand Prix in which championship rivals John McPhee and Albert Arenas collided

After crashing out of victory contention in the Misano double-header, CIP's Binder made a last-lap pass for the lead on Leopard's Dennis Foggia to grab the first win of his grand prix career.

Poleman Tony Arbolino - who will step up to Moto2 in 2021 with Intact GP - grabbed the holeshot off the line on his Snipers Honda and held the spot for the first two laps.

Arbolino was slipstreamed by Arenas and Binder on the run into Turn 1 on the third tour, before Gabriel Rodrigo on the Gresini Honda took the lead on lap four.

Petronas Sprinta's McPhee had worked his way up from 12th on the grid to third and was trailing Arenas on lap six when he lost the front of his Honda trying to go up the inside at Turn 4, wiping out the championship leader.

The lead, as usual in Moto3, changed hands a number of times over the next 10 laps, with Binder, Arbolino, Leopard's Jaume Masia, team-mate Foggia and Rodrigo all taking turns at heading the pack.

Foggia (below) retaliated on Binder on lap 15 at Turn 10 having lost the lead at Turn 1 the lap before to the CIP rider.

San Marino winner Foggia proved difficult to overtake and led onto the 21st and final lap ahead of Binder, Arbolino, Max Racing's Alonso Lopez and the EG 0,0 Honda of Sergio Garcia in the breakaway lead group.

Binder nailed his run through the first four corners and muscled his way up the inside of Foggia into the Turn 5 left-hander, forcing the Leopard rider wide and allowing Arbolino to come through into second.

Arbolino was unable to find a way past Binder on the run to the end of the lap, with the CIP rider getting to the chequered flag 0.103 seconds clear.

Binder joins his KTM MotoGP-mounted brother and 2016 Moto3 champion Brad as the only South African to have won in the lightweight class since its switch to the Moto3 formula in 2012.


Foggia held onto third to complete the podium ahead of Garcia and Lopez, while Masia and VR46's Celestino Vietti took the chequered flag in sixth and seventh.

However, both were docked one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap, promoting Max Racing's Romano Fenati to sixth. SIC58's Niccolo Antonelli and Rodrigo completed the top 10.

Ai Ogura crossed the line 11th on his Team Asia Honda and moves into the championship lead, though only by three points over Arenas.

McPhee remains third and 24 points adrift of Ogura, while Arbolino's podium lifts him into contention and joint fourth in the standings with Vietti - the pair just 27 points down.

Moto3 Catalan Grand Prix results - 21 laps

Pos Rider Team Gap
1 Darryn Binder CIP - Green Power 38m32.507s
2 Tony Arbolino Rivacold Snipers Team 0.103s
3 Dennis Foggia Leopard Racing 0.157s
4 Sergio Garcia Estrella Galicia 0,0 0.232s
5 Alonso Lopez Sterilgarda Max Racing Team 0.386s
6 Romano Fenati Sterilgarda Max Racing Team 1.436s
7 Jaume Masia Leopard Racing 1.218s
8 Celestino Vietti SKY Racing Team VR46 1.293s
9 Niccolo Antonelli SIC58 Squadra Corse 1.928s
10 Gabriel Rodrigo Kommerling Gresini Moto3 1.932s
11 Ai Ogura Honda Team Asia 2.012s
12 Filip Salac Rivacold Snipers Team 2.536s
13 Raul Fernandez Red Bull KTM Ajo 3.572s
14 Stefano Nepa Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3 4.800s
15 Ryusei Yamanaka Estrella Galicia 0,0 5.042s
16 Barry Baltus CarXpert PruestelGP 5.656s
17 Ayumu Sasaki Red Bull KTM Tech 3 6.729s
18 Kaito Toba Red Bull KTM Ajo 13.556s
19 Jeremy Alcoba Kommerling Gresini Moto3 14.205s
20 Riccardo Rossi BOE Skull Rider Facile Energy 14.437s
21 Yuki Kunii Honda Team Asia 23.202s
22 Jason Dupasquier CarXpert PruestelGP 25.032s
23 Maximilian Kofler CIP - Green Power 35.469s
24 Khairul Idham Pawi Petronas Sprinta Racing 35.496s
- Andrea Migno SKY Racing Team VR46 Retirement
- Carlos Tatay Reale Avintia Moto3 Retirement
- Davide Pizzoli BOE Skull Rider Facile Energy Retirement
- Deniz Oncu Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Retirement
- Jose Garcia SIC58 Squadra Corse Retirement
- John McPhee Petronas Sprinta Racing Retirement
- Albert Arenas Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3 Retirement

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Emilia Romagna Moto3: Fenati takes victory with last-lap pass
Next article French Moto3: VR46 rider Vietti wins to reignite title hopes as McPhee crashes

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe