Angel Piqueras prevailed in a fantastic last lap battle with Adrian Fernandez and Jose Antonio Rueda to win the Moto3 race in Argentina.
Fernandez crossed the line by 0.036s behind but was unfortunate to not take the win after Piqueras exceeded track limits on the final lap.
Matteo Bertelle claimed pole for the second time in as many races but relinquished his lead into Turn 1.
Ryusei Yamanaka took the lead but it lasted for only the first few corners as Leopard Racing’s Almansa took over proceedings.
He ran wide at Turn 1 on Lap 2, demoting him to third as the KTM duo of Alvaro Carpe and Rueda slotted through.
The Spanish trio swapped positions once again as David Almansa recovered passed the duo to establish the lead once again.
LevelUp rider Joel Kelso was issued with two long lap penalties prior to the race starting, which he took on Laps 2 and 3, respectively, which saw him rejoin the race in 25th place.
After the long straight on Lap 4, Piqueras made the most of an open door to take the lead, while the rookie Carpe fell down to fifth place.
Almansa pounced to take the lead once again as the Leopard Racing rider looked the strongest pace setter thus far.
During the early phase of the race, no major groups formed as all riders focused on improving their positions. However, they all navigated the Termas de Rio Hondo using varied racing lines.
The first crash of the race saw 13th place rookie Guido Pini lose the front on Lap 7 as he was eyeing a move on British rider Scott Ogden.
Almansa’s counterpart Fernandez stormed his way at Turn 3 through to provide a 1-2 for the Leopard outfit.
His lead only lasted for one lap as both riders swapped positions at the same corner.
At the halfway stage, championship leader Rueda sneaked his way through pole-sitter Bertelle and Almansa to sandwich the Honda duo.
Fernandez lost four places down the back straight to drop down to fifth place, but Honda Team Asia rider Taiyo Furusato rose up to second for the first time.
Furusato took the lead a lap later heading into the same corner, producing an impressive performance after qualifying 14th.
The second half of the race continued with the same level of chaos, keeping the entertainment flowing and leaving no clear winner in sight.
Marco Uriarte’s race ended at Turn 11 on Lap 12, losing the front of his MLav Racing Honda.
The leading eight riders established a minor advantage over the rest of the field, forming over a half second advantage.
Bertelle was the leader heading into the final three laps, building a stronger gap between himself and the rest of the field.
Carpe crashed out on the final lap after trying to catch up to the podium spots.
Reuda and Piqueras showed their experience to set incredible lap times at the end to force their way through.
Piqueras crossed the line to snatch victory, but he exceeded track limits on the final lap which saw a three second penalty issued and a demotion.
Piqueras’ win made amends for his difficult Thai season opener, and Fernandez’s second confirmed his second podium of the season.
Antonio Rueda’s third place finish cemented a crucial podium for Red Bull KTM, edging out the Honda Team Asia rider Furusato.
Bertelle crossed the line in fifth spot despite leading for the vast majority of the second half of the race.
Almansa finished a second adrift to complete sixth place for Leopard Racing, who finished half a second ahead of Luca Lunetta.
Kelso recovered to finish seventh place after the two long lap penalties, finishing ahead of Japanese star Yamanaka and Stefano Nepa.
Joel Esteban finished in 11th, having fended off late pressure from CFMoto’s Dennis Foggia.
Scott Ogden and Adrian Cruces finished 13th and 14th for the CIP Green Power KTM outfit, as Cormac Buchanan rounded off the point scoring positions.
