Foggia Dominates at Mandalika to Lead Title Chase
Mandalika International Street CircuitDennis Foggia (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) rode a remarkable race in today’s Indonesian Moto3 Grand Prix, escaping the pack to win by 2.6 seconds and thereby take the lead of the 2022 Moto3 World Championship.
Moto3 races are always hectic and it took the 21-year-old Italian several laps to fight his way into the lead. This was the perfect way to be, because once he was clear of his rivals he was able to run the fastest cornering lines, without worrying about defending his position.
The pace of Foggia – who so nearly won the 2021 Moto3 World Championship – was super-fast and relentless, until he was more than five seconds clear of the pack. The situation was very different behind him, with up to 11 riders battling for the runner-up position.
Among that group was Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team Honda NSF250RW), who went into the race leading the title chase after winning the season-opening race in Qatar two weeks ago. The 26-year-old Italian was riding superbly, fighting for position as hard as any of his rivals. Unfortunately, several collisions disturbed his progress and finally another rider collided with him on the very last lap, taking him out of the race through no fault of his own.
Honda’s victories with Migno and Foggia puts the marque at the top of the 2022 Moto3 Constructors World Championship. Honda has enjoyed huge success in Grand Prix racing’s smallest 125cc/Moto3 category, winning the trophy for the first time in 1961. This year Honda chases its 21st constructors title in the class.
Migno’s unfortunate exit left Foggia’s new team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) as Honda’s second finisher in tenth place, only two seconds short of a podium result.
There was great joy for Honda rookies Scott Ogden (Visiontrack Racing Team Honda NSF250RW) and Mario Suryo Aji (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW). The British 18-year-old and Indonesian 18-year-old finished the race in 13th and 14th position – hugely impressive performances from the youngsters, considering the speed of the race and the hot and gruelling weather conditions.
Aji had started from the front row of the grid following a stunning performance in yesterday’s qualifying session. He started well and gradually slipped down the order as his much more experienced rivals got the better of him. However, most important of all he learned a huge amount by riding so closely with such powerful riders.
The Moto3 paddock has one weekend off before heading to South America for round three, the Argentine GP, on April 3.
I have no words! It was impossible because it was so hot! The race was incredible, especially after an unlucky qualifying and a crash which finally put me in position six on the grid. Even so, we knew we had a good pace for race. In the five last laps it was close to impossible to breathe – it was so, so hard, so I think this is my best race of my life. I’m really happy, so I want to say thanks to my team, my family, my friends and my girlfriend. See you in Argentina!
After Qatar, finishing the race in a good position was very important and although we wanted to do better, ending up tenth is important, because every point counts in the championship. We'll keep trying, many thanks to the team!
The bike worked good. At first it was a bit difficult to do the lap time and I got overtaken by a few people. Then I started to get into a good rhythm around half distance and I could see the group in front of me, then I started catching and passing some guys. If I can get a good start and get away in the second group at the next races things will be better for me.
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The result isn’t what we wanted, but after five laps, I started to struggle with grip. Suddenly the rear tyre dropped a lot and I needed to manage it. But I have found many positive things from this race. My first front row and my first points. That makes me confident for the next race. I would like to say thanks for all the support I’ve received this weekend.
