Sergio Garcia secured his third win of 2022 in the Italian Moto3 ecnounter after GasGas team-mate Izan Guevara was demoted from the win after the flag due to track limits.
Guevara looked strong throughout the 20-lap contest as he initially was part of a three-man group – the Spaniard joined by Diogo Moreira and Deniz Oncu – that crafted a near-second lead over the rest, though they ultimately fell back into the pack at around a quarters distance.
From this point onwards it was a case of survival as the lead group was eventually whittled down to just seven riders as the race entered its climactic stages, Moreira having held the lead as the final lap began – though the Brazilian was swamped on the run to Turn 1 and dropped to sixth, Guevara having now moved into the lead.
Guevara managed to hold the lead most of the way around the lap tour before series leader and team-mate Garcia tried to dive through down the inside at the final bend, though Guevara managed to hang on and keep his bike ahead as the field took the chequered flag – though Garcia would ultimate be gifted the victory as it was deemed Guevraa had exceeded track limits on the final lap.
Behind the GasGas duo came Tatsuki Suzuki, who managed to recover from a late long-lap punishment – received for touching Oncu and causing the Turkish pilot to crash – to chase down a near two-second deficit to the lead group to lead only a few circulations from home, though his victory hopes were dashed as he was shuffled back on the final lap.
Home hero Andrea Migno – running a special livery on his Snipers entry – ended up fourth ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka, who scored his third straight top ten.
Moreira’s hopes of a strong result were cruelly ended as he went down at the final corner on the last lap, a touch with Riccardo Rossi causing him to lose the rear end of his bike under power.
Ricardo Rossi therefore took sixth ahead of Ivan Ortola, with Avintia duo Elia Bartolini and Matteo Bertelle grabbing eighth and ninth, while Adrian Fernandez completed the top ten.
Oncu eventually managed to recover for a single point in 15th after remounting his Ajo KTM, with Jaume Masia ending up only 17th after an early run through the gravel.
Pole-man Dennis Foggia looked set to check out as he pulled out nearly a second over his pursuers as the race passed mid-distance, though disaster struck as he lost the rear of his Leopard Honda on the exit of Turn 7, the Italian’s race over there and then.
John McPhee would also see his race ended with a crash at the high-speed Turn 14, the Scot’s MAX Racing machine then being collected by an unlucky Daniel Holgado who was left nowhere to go.
