ALL KTM SWEEP AT MOTO3 SEASON OPENER IN QATAR!

Luis Salom’smove was a copybook performance in the closing stages of the race reminiscent of last year’s World Champion Sandro Cortese of the same factory team. Cortese has now moved up to Moto2 and Salom has slipped very comfortably into his place with teammates Zulfahmi Khairuddin of Malaysia and Australian teenager Arthur Sissis.

Spanish talent Maverick Viñales was second, riding a great race having to deal with the pain of a yet to heal hand injury. He lost the top of his finger in a training crash recently and had to have corrective surgery. He only had the stitches removed in Qatar. Alex Rins and Alex Márquez completed the four way, all Spanish, all KTM sweep, underlining that this year’s Moto3 series is set to deliver the same thrilling racing action as the debut series did in 2012.
 
It was clear from the moment that the riders accelerated off the start grid that this was going to be a battle between a handful of riders who quickly made their presence felt. Salom started on pole, the first of his career but right alongside him was Viñales, who this year is also riding the KTM RC250 GP. Rins, also on a KTM, joined the battle at the front in the opening phase along with Jonas Folger of Germany on the very competitive KALEX-KTM.

Salom’s victory meant that the Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory Team has begun the season with the same winning ways as it closed 2012. Khairuddin finished sixth and Sissis was eighth to underline the team’s strength.

Pit Beirer,Head of KTM Motorsportswas in Qatar to watch the opener. “This year we made another big step with the bike and clearly this has paid off. There has been a tremendous amount of work by the mechanics and engineers both at the Mattighofen factory and with the teams and I have to thank them for that. It looks like this year KTM has really arrived back in the road racing scene.” He said all indications are that there will be a lot of competition between the teams running the KTM Moto3 bike and KTM-drive KALEX. “Competition is going to be tough and it’s going to be a very exciting year,” he added.

Results Moto3 Qatar, Round 1
1. Luis Salom (E), KTM, 38:26.859 min
2. Maverick Viñales (E), KTM, +0.417 sec
3. Alex Rins (E), KTM,  +0.423
4. Alex Marquez (E), KTM,  +0.701
5. Jonas Folger (D), KALEX-KTM, +0.916
6. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (MA), KTM, +17.489
7. Miguel Oliveira (P), Mahindra, +17.566
8. Arthur Sissis (AUS), KTM, +19.355
9. Niklas Ajo (FIN), KTM, +28.966
10. Efren Vazquez (E), Mahindra, +28.995
Other KTM
13. Jasper Iwema (NL), KALEX-KTM, +39.216
17. Philipp Oettl (D), KALEX-KTM, +50.846
19. Toni Finsterbusch (D), KALEX-KTM, +51.218
20. Ana Carrasco (E), KTM, +51.266
22. Jakub Kornfeil (CZ), KALEX-KTM, +53.745
25. Florian Alt (D), KALEX-KTM, +55.236
26. Eric Granado (BR), KALEX-KTM, +1’03.601

Standings Moto3 after 1 of 17 rounds
1. Salom, 25 points
2. Viñales, 20
3. Rins, 16  
4. Marquez, 13
5. Folger, 11
6. Khairuddin, 10
7. Oliveira, 9
8. Sissis, 8
9. Ajo, 7
10. Vazquez, 6
Other KTM
13. Iwema, 3

Manufacturers Standings Moto3 after 1 of 17 rounds
1. KTM, 25 points
2. KALEX-KTM, 11
3. Mahindra, 9

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