With the long lap penalty loop out of action due to heavy overnight rain, the Moto3 race at Assen saw a multitude of post-race time penalties. Despite this, Rivacold Snipers Team’s Jesus Rios rode a brilliant race, going from 21^st to fifth across the 20 laps.

The race didn’t get off to the best of starts for Honda’s lightweight riders, with Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing), Guido Pini (Leopard Racing), Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Eddie O’Shea (GRYD Racing) all losing positions off the line. It didn’t take long for them to recover places and in the opening laps there were three Honda riders battling in the leading group of eight: Kelso, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia).

Further back Rios had already made his way into the top-ten by lap 4 and continued to set fast lap times that saw him battling his way through the field. The Spaniard joined the podium battle on lap 10 and was a permanent figure in the chasing group, once the leading two riders were able to open a gap to those behind.

With the absence of the long-lap penalty loop, penalties picked up for taking shortcuts or for exceeding track limits were given as time penalties instead. This meant that at the chequered flag several riders, including a number of Honda riders, were demoted places. Although Rios had been battling for the podium, he was ultimately sucked back into the pack crossing the finish line in seventh place, before being promoted to fifth once penalties were taken into consideration.

Kelso took the chequered flag in sixth place, but was demoted to eighth after taking a shortcut on the opening lap. Fernandez was classified in ninth (after receiving a penalty for exceeding track limits, while there were also points finishes for O’Gorman in tenth and O’Shea in 15^th.

Outside of the points, SI58 Squadra Corse’s Leo Rammerstorfer, who was able to rejoin after a Turn 5 crash with 4 laps to go, was 17^th, while two penalties for Pini meant that he ended the race in 18^th and Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team) was another rider who rejoined after a crash and was 19^th.

There was heartbreak for Pratama, who had been challenging for a podium, as he was victim to a Turn 4 crash on lap 8. Honda Team Asia team-mate Zen Mitani also picked up a DNF after a Turn 11 crash on the third lap around TT Circuit Assen.

There will be a short break before Moto3 action returns at Sachsenring, for the Grand Prix of Germany (10-12 July), which is the final round before the championship’s summer break.