2012 Aragon Moto3 Race Result: Three-Way Battle To Line Ends Dramatic Race

Results and summary of a drama-filled Moto3 race at the Motorland Aragon circuit:

Luis Salom has won his second race of the year at Aragon, taking charge on the final lap to lead a hard-fought battle across the line for victory, ahead of Sandro Cortese and Jonas Folger.

The real drama of the race started even before the warm up lap had been completed. Maverick Vinales, the 2nd-placed man in the championship fight, had his Avintia Blusens Honda cut out on him half way round the track, forcing him to abandon the race even before it had even started. Disgusted, he threw his bike to the floor.

The race turned into classic Moto3 battle. The long downhill back straight allowed any rider who got passed to use the slipstream to get back into touch, resulting in a large group staying together to the end of the race. But the fast back straight allowed the KTMs to dominate with their extra horsepower, with Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Sandro Cortese and Danny Kent all leading the race at some point in time.

Cortese, though, looked the best candidate for the win, leading for much of the race and immediately challenging whenever he was passed. He was attacked regularly, fielding challenges from Efren Vazquez, Jonas Folger, Danny Kent, Luis Salom and Alex Rins, while Louis Rossi got close to the front, but not close enough to lunge for the lead.

As the final lap started, Salom led across the line, with Sandro Cortese and Jonas Folger close behind. Cortese attacked Salom at Turn 5, a location where riders had been passing each other all day, and took back the lead, while Jonas Folger snapped at the heels of the leading pair. Salom would not be denied, however, and on the way into Turn 12, the start of the bus stop chicane at the top of the back straight, Salom took back the lead from Cortese and held off the counter-attacks all the way to the line. Cortese clung on to 2nd, ahead of Jonas Folger, the Aspar rider converting his pole into another podium.

Salom's second win was even more impressive than his first, the Mallorcan in great pain after damaging a collarbone yesterday in a massive highside, then highsiding again during the morning warm up. Salom's victory moves him into 2nd place in the title chase, helped a great deal by Vinales' DNF. But Cortese's lead in the championship now looks positively luxurious, at 51 points with 4 races left to go. Cortese looks set to clinch the inaugural Moto3 title in the next couple of races.

Results: