30
October
2018
|
09:45 AM
Europe/Amsterdam

Dunlop’s 2018 FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships still wide open ahead of penultimate round

Moto2 & Moto3 InFocus: November
 
Dunlop’s 2018 FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships still wide open ahead of penultimate round

The MotoGP and Formula 1 world championship may have already been decided, however, the Dunlop-shod 2018 FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships are still wide open with two rounds remaining. Jorge Martin leads the Moto3 campaign despite an injury to his hand and holds a 12 point lead over Marco Bezzecchi. Francesco Bagnaia is top of the Moto2 tables, 32 points ahead of Miguel Oliveira. While the two World Championships are still to be decided, Dunlop’s ForeverForward is also very much open with just a single point separating Oliveira from Andrea Migno.
 
Heading into the penultimate round at Sepang, the Dunlop engineers have selected the softer rear Moto2 tyres, as the event is traditionally held in very warm conditions, the softer tyres offering optimum grip and durability. Two weeks later the season finale takes place at Valencia, a track notoriously hard on tyres, where the harder options will be available.
 
October Recap – Dunlop riders continue to turn tables on their heads
Round 15 took place at the brand new Buriram International Circuit in Thailand, where riders selected a mixture of rear tyres but where the medium compound just had the edge. Fabio Di Giannantonio took a second Moto3 win of the year, as championship contender and pole-sitter Bezzecchi crashed out on the final corner of the last lap. Championship leader Martin came through from 13th to fourth. Lorenzo Baldassarri secured his first Moto2 pole of the year, but it was Bagnaia who recorded his seventh win. Several riders set their fastest times on lap 20, underlining the grip and durability of the Dunlop tyres on the new track.
 
Gabriel Rodrigo took a career third Moto3 pole in round 16 at Twin Ring Motegi. Bezzecchi just beat Darryn Binder on the dash to the line for his third win of the season. Binder was subsequently beaten to third by 0.001 sec as Lorenzo Dalla Porta secured his maiden Moto3 podium. Martin crashed out, putting him just a single point ahead going to Australia. Bagnaia took a sixth Moto2 pole of the year but was beaten to the flag by Fabio Quartararo who was subsequently disqualified after his tyre pressures were deemed to be under the minimum required, handing the win to Bagnaia. Tyre performance once again was excellent with several riders posting their fastest times on the last lap.
 
Phillip Island was the venue for round 17; the most demanding track on the schedule for tyres proved no problem for Dunlop, both races offering up close finishes and consistent lap times throughout. Martin took Moto3 pole, but it was Albert Arenas who won a 15 rider battle for the win, the top ten covered by just 0.406sec at the flag. Bezzecchi fell on lap 11 after contact with Rodrigo, with Martin finishing fifth to hold a 12 point lead. Brad Binder took a third Moto2 win of the year by 0.036 from Joan Mir. The top 15 Moto2 finishers were covered by 14.076sec. Neither Bagnaia or title rival Oliveira were able to challenge for victory, and Bagnaia now holds a 32 point lead.
 
#ForeverForward 2018
Miguel Oliveira holds a slender one point advantage at the top of Dunlop’s ForeverForward overtaking league, which rewards riders for their fightbacks through the field. Andrea Migno gained 13 places in Australia to close the gap to the Moto2 title contender, but it was Tatsuki Suzuki top mover, gaining 19 places from his start position. Fellow Moto3 rider Dennis Foggia moves into third after a staggering 22 place gains in Thailand saw him come from 25th to third, his first podium of the season, and set the fastest lap of the race. Jakub Kornfeil is just one point adrift in fourth, after a consistent improvement through the field including 13 places from his start position in Thailand.
 
#ForeverForward after round 17:
 
1
Miguel OLIVEIRA
Moto2
113
2
Andrea MIGNO
Moto3
112
3
Dennis FOGGIA
Moto3
101
4
Jakub KORNFEIL
Moto3
100
5
Joan MIR
Moto2
82
6
Steven ODENDAAL
Moto2
81
7
Joe ROBERTS
Moto2
75
8
Kaito TOBA
Moto3
73
9
Jules DANILO
Moto2
72
10
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Moto3
70
 
 
The full #ForeverForward table can be seen here.
 
Round 18: Sepang, Malaysia –  4 November 2018
  • Sepang is traditionally warm so the Dunlop engineers have selected the softest spec rear Moto2 available, the 0R1
  • The Moto3 options include the medium rear and hard rear 
Sepang Track Facts:
  • Length: 5.543km
  • Left Turns: 5
  • Right Turns: 10
  • Energy level: Mid
  • Left:right bias: 35%/65%
Sepang Tyre Allocation: 
 
Moto2
Front: Medium '2' (yellow) 
Rear: Extra Soft ‘0R1’ (yellow) / Medium ’3’ (blank)
 
Moto3
Front: Soft ‘S’ (black on yellow) / Medium ‘M’ (black on silver)
Rear: Medium 'M1' (black on silver) / Hard ‘H3’ (yellow on black)
 
Sepang 2017 Highlights
  • Qualifying, lap and race records were broken across both classes last year
  • Miguel Oliveira took Moto2 victory
  • Franco Morbidelli claimed the title even before the race when Thomas Luthi was unable to start due to a fractured ankle
  • The event was the first dry race since 2015, and despite light rain for the final four laps, the Moto2 race was nine seconds faster 
  • In Moto3 Adam Norrodin achieved his first lap record, but later crashed out of the race
  • The Moto3 race was 18 seconds quicker than the 2015 race
 
Round 19: Valencia, Spain –  18 November 2018
  • Valencia is notoriously hard on tyres
Valencia Track Facts:
  • Length: 4km
  • Left Turns: 9
  • Right Turns: 5
  • Energy level: Mid
  • Left:right bias: 65% / 35% 
Valencia Tyre Allocation: 
                   
Moto2       
Front: Soft ‘343’ (black) / Medium '2' (black on yellow)
Rear: 3 (yellow on black) / Hard ’S1’ (black) 
 
Moto3
Front: Soft (black on yellow) / Medium (black on silver)
Rear: Soft ‘S1’ (black on yellow) / Medium 'M1' (black on silver)
 
Valencia 2017 Highlights
  • Valencia marked the first win of the season for the current Moto3 leader Jorge Martin 
  • Last year’s Moto3 race was eleven seconds quicker than the previous year
  • Race record, lap record and pole position records were all broken in Moto3, breaking the previous records set in 2014
  • Miguel Oliveira took Moto2 victory, his third consecutive win