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

Moto3 Algarve: Acosta crowned champion as Binder wipes out Foggia

Rookie Pedro Acosta is the 2021 Moto3 world champion after winning a dramatic Algarve Grand Prix, in which main title rival Dennis Foggia was wiped out on the last lap.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Making his Moto3 debut at just 16 years old, Ajo KTM rider Acosta sensationally stormed to his first win in just his second race having started from pitlane – and from there won four more races on his way to becoming the first rookie lightweight class world champion since 1990.

Poleman Sergio Garcia grabbed the holeshot off the line as Foggia dropped a place to fifth, while championship leader Acosta made up two spots from 14th.

Foggia stormed into the lead at the start of the second lap, out-dragging the four riders ahead of him, with Acosta picking his way through a handful of bikes to move up to seventh by the Turn 5 hairpin.

Leopard rider Foggia attempted to break away on lap three, putting six tenths between himself and Petronas Sprinta’s Darryn Binder, but was soon reeled in again.

Acosta continued his charge towards the front, moving to the fringes of the podium by lap four and wrestled third from Foggia’s team-mate Xavi Artigas through Turns 3, 4 and 5 on the sixth tour.

On lap nine Acosta took second away from Binder, but was demoted by KTM Ajo team-mate Jaume Masia into Turn 1 four tours later.

Masia then mugged Foggia at Turn 3 for the lead, nudging the Leopard rider out wide and allowing Acosta to come through into second.

Acosta then moved into the lead at Turn 5 – though Masia would ease past again across the line at the start of lap 14.

On the run into Turn 5 Aspar’s Garcia sneaked into second, while Acosta bizarrely looked behind him, which allowed Foggia to come back through into third.

Acosta was then swallowed into sixth and right in the danger zone as the lead group really bunched up.

Foggia returned to the head of the pack at the start of lap 15 and held firm for the next four tours before Acosta came through at Turn 3 on lap 19 – only for the Leopard rider to find his way back into the head of the pack with a daring raid on the inside of Turn 11 on lap 20.

Acosta launched his final attack on the lead at Turn 3 on the last lap having retaliated on Garcia taking second from him at Turn 1, and pulled off the move on Foggia.

But drama struck the Leopard rider as Binder charged into Turn 3 too hot trying to overtake Garcia and wiped both riders out, ending Foggia’s title hopes.

Acosta took the chequered flag for his sixth win of the season and secure the 2021 Moto3 world title.

Andrea Migno shadowed him on the Snipers Honda, with Avintia KTM’s Niccolo Antonelli rounding out the top three ahead of Binder and Gresini’s Jeremy Alcoba.

Izan Guevara recovered to sixth having had to serve a long lap penalty on his Aspar GasGas, with Tech3’s Ayumu Sasaki taking seventh having done the same.

Romano Fenati was eighth on the Max Racing Husqvarna, with Artigas and SIC58 Honda’s Tatsuki Suzuki completed the top 10 on the road.

But Binder was subsequently disqualified from the result for his last-lap collision, moving those behind him up a spot and promoting Prustel GP’s Filip Salac into 10th.

A late crash for the sister Ajo KTM of Masia left him 18th at the chequered flag.

Moto3 Race Result

Cla Rider Laps Time Gap
1 Spain Pedro Acosta 21 38'04.339  
2 Italy Andrea Migno 21 38'04.693 0.354
3 Italy Niccolo Antonelli 21 38'05.219 0.880
4 Spain Jeremy Alcoba 21 38'06.107 1.768
5 Spain Izan Guevara 21 38'06.178 1.839
6 Japan Ayumu Sasaki 21 38'06.213 1.874
7 Italy Romano Fenati 21 38'06.311 1.972
8 Spain Xavier Artigas 21 38'06.672 2.333
9 Japan Tatsuki Suzuki 21 38'07.762 3.423
10 Czech Republic Filip Salač 21 38'10.930 6.591
11 Mexico Adrian Fernandez 21 38'11.279 6.940
12 Spain Carlos Tatay 21 38'13.731 9.392
13 Daniel Holgado 21 38'14.269 9.930
14 Joel Kelso 21 38'14.335 9.996
15 Italy Alberto Surra 21 38'14.755 10.416
16 Italy Stefano Nepa 21 38'15.989 11.650
17 France Lorenzo Fellon 21 38'16.034 11.695
18 Italy Riccardo Rossi 21 38'16.075 11.736
19 Spain Jaume Masia 21 38'17.955 13.616
20 Japan Yuki Kunii 21 38'34.340 30.001
21 Japan Ryusei Yamanaka 21 38'34.522 30.183
22 Indonesia Andi Gilang 21 38'34.588 30.249
  Japan Kaito Toba 13 39'30.980 8 Laps
  Italy Dennis Foggia 20 36'15.358 1 Lap
  Spain Sergio García 20 36'15.564 1 Lap
  United Kingdom John McPhee 4 7'16.382 17 Laps
  South Africa Darryn Binder 21    

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation

Related video

Previous article Emilia Romagna Moto3: Foggia wins to keep title hopes alive as Acosta takes third
Next article Leopard slams Binder for ‘throwing away our hard work’ in Moto3

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