2012 Catalunya Moto3 Race Result: Epic Battle For 2nd Behind Clear Winner

Results and summary of the Moto3 race at Barcelona:

Maverick Vinales has won his second race of the year, taking victory in indomitable style at Barcelona. The Blusens Avintia rider got away from a big group early, and went on to win unchallenged, claiming back important points in the championship.

Vinales got away early with Le Mans winner Louis Rossi and Efren Vazquez, and quickly got a small gap to a large chasing group containing Hector Faubel, Alex Masbou, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, Alex Rins, Sandro Cortese and Luis Salom. The three leaders spent the first few laps fighting amongst themselves, but nobody could make a real impression. That allowed the chasing group to catch the trio, and the ensuing melee allowed Maverick Vinales to get away at the front. Once he had a small gap, he could concentrate on just posting laptimes and he quickly pulled a comfortable gap. The Spaniard was never going to be caught after that, and went on to win the race by nearly 8 seconds.

Behind him, the tussle for 2nd made for great viewing, but it also made it impossible to predict who would come out on top. Louis Rossi looked like having a good chance at getting away, but as he was caught and battled for 2nd, his exhaust came partially loose and spent the rest of the race flapping about, though still attached. It came down to a battle on the final lap, from which Sandro Cortese emerged victorious, taking 2nd ahead of Miguel Oliveira, despite suffering the after-effects of a nasty crash yesterday. For Oliveira, it was his first ever Moto3 podium, despite having been close several times.

Cortese's strong finish means that he keeps the damage in the championship limited. Vinales has closed the gap some, but Cortese leads by 7 points, at 87 to Vinales 80.

Results: