Red Bull KTM Ajo's Luis Salom leads the Assen Moto3 field
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom leads the Assen Moto3 field2013 Assen Moto3 ResultsSpoiler Alert: Moto3 Championship results from the Assen TT circuit in the Netherlands listed below
After a hard-fought battle at Saturday’s Iveco TT Assen Moto3 race, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom took the win. This helped him increase his Moto3 points lead by 10 points ahead of Maverick Vinales.During the final moments of the race, Vinales looked like he would take home the win. But he lost the first position to Salom, and had to settle for second. Taking the final podium position was the Moto3 pilot who led most of the 22-lap race, Alex Rins.On Friday, Miguel Oliveira became the first-ever Portuguese rider to clinch pole position in any class. He also earned the first Moto3 pole for Mahindra Racing. He would finish the race fourth and involved in a titanic five-rider battle for the lead, with Salom picking up his third consecutive win and fourth of 2013.Salom started fourth, having lost provisional pole position after running off-track in qualifying. He took second in the early stages of the race before dropping back to fourth position and holding station. His late-race attack – fast becoming a typical strategy of the Mallorcan – would begin in earnest three laps from home, pulling an impressive move on Rins for second.It looked as though Viñales had the race won thanks to the fight taking place behind, but the Team Calvo rider’s wide line on the exit of Ramshoek was just the invitation Salom needed on the last lap. They would cross the finish line just a tenth of a second apart, with Alex Marquez dropping to fifth as Estrella Galicia 0,0 teammate Rins completed the podium.Rins headed the field for the majority of the race and by Lap 10 had pulled out a lead of 1.3 seconds, but this was quickly decreased as Salom in particular upped the pace of the chasing group. 19 seconds behind the top five, Jonas Folger was sixth for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3, with Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller a further eight seconds in arrears.Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Arthur Sissis, Ongetta-Rivacold’s Alexis Masbou and Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo rounded out the top ten, while both CIP Moto3’s Juanfran Guevara and Ambrogio Racing’s Danny Webb were injured in crashes; the Spaniard was taken to Assen hospital for a CT scan following a first-corner accident, whereas the Englishman fractured his right wrist and was attended to in the Clinica Mobile.Salom’s feat marks only the second time a rider has won three consecutive races in the Moto3 class.2013 Assen Moto3 Results:
