The eighth miracle of Mir in Aragon
At his favourite circuit, MiracleMIR produced a perfect last lap to seize his eighth win and achieve something never done before in Moto3: eight wins in a single season. Mallorca’s talent extends his championship lead 80 points over his rivals. A good showing too from Polanco, 24th.
The sun finally came to the MotorLand Aragon circuit, affected for most of the morning by an unusual and cold mist that forced the Warm Up to be delayed due to poor visibility and consequent postponed the race until 11:40 am local time and saw the race cut to just 13 laps. The two Leopard Racing Team riders, Joan Mir and Aaron Polanco (substitute for Livio Loi), launched from the second and the eighth row respectively.
A good start when the lights went out earned both riders several positions, jumping Foggia at the end of the first lap for the 4th position; Polanco became stuck at the rear in traffic and was 28th. The first four (Mir, Martin and the EG duo) seem to have more speed and moved ahead on the brakes. On the fifth lap, Oettl tried to put the wheel of his KTM in front, but Mallorca’s talent immediately saw him overtaking the German. The on the seventh lap MiracleMIR attacked at the end of the straight to take the lead.
The group, however, recovered very quickly and Di Giannantonio was able to join the part at the front. Meanwhile, the rookie Polanco tightened his teeth and fought with more experienced riders, recovering five positions up to 23rd and put Binder in his view finder. The last lap started with Mir in fourth position, but the home hero felt the support of all his fans and did not disappoint. A simply sublime first lap saw him take control and then fend off all the attacks of his rivals, eventually cutting the line in first just ahead of Di Giannantonio and Bastianini.
For Joan Mir it is the eighth victory of the season, an absolute record for the Moto3 class since its establishment in 2012 as a World Championship. Mallorca’s talent extends his lead to 80 points and the title is just a few points away. In Honda’s home in Japan (Motegi, October 13th-15th), Leopard Racing Team Leader will play the first match-point …
#36 Joan MIR – 1st:
“It was another amazing race! The race was short but intense … shameless (laughs!) Because my tyre was at the limit. I really did not expect a win here: I felt the affection of the fans who came here for me and thank everyone. I tried to handle it in the last lap, but I had to be careful to not push too much. The braking was the most important, not just for this race, but throughout the season. In Japan there will be the first match-point, but I do not want to make the calculations for the title, I will continue in this way even in the last races. To be honest, I’m quieter now: this was a key battle! I would have liked to be Champion in Spain, but now I want it to come before Valencia (laughs)!”