Almansa has learnt his lesson: “I did everything I could to make sure that doesn’t happen again”

The start to the race weekend at Motegi did not go ideally for David Almansa. In Friday’s qualifying, the Intact rider had to settle for 10th place, though this at least secured him direct entry into Q2 on Saturday. There, Almansa stepped up a gear and snatched pole position ahead of the KTM Ajo duo, Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe. Championship leader Maximo Quiles had to settle for fourth on the grid.

In Sunday’s Moto3 race, everything initially went according to plan. Almansa managed to hold onto the lead after the start, but was overtaken by Uriarte after two laps. Carpe also overtook him shortly afterwards. Almansa stayed in contention and, on lap 9 of 17, he reclaimed the lead. He then managed to extend his lead, although Quiles closed in during the final laps. The Aspar rider set the fastest lap of the race and attacked Almansa. Almansa successfully fended off Quiles’ attacks – crossing the finish line 0.046 seconds ahead of Quiles.

“It was a very difficult race for me. That’s why I can hardly believe the result, because the feeling on the bike wasn’t 100 per cent right. But step by step and lap by lap, I learnt and understood how the tyre works,” said Almansa. “At the start of the final lap, however, I made a mistake in the first corner, which cost me time there. Later on in the final sector, though, I defended very well and was able to win.”

Almansa learnt from Misano

At Misano, Almansa had to admit defeat to his rival Quiles. At Spielberg, disaster struck with a crash and an early exit from the race. “It’s an incredible feeling; I’m so happy. I learnt a lot at Misano when Max Quiles overtook me right up to the finish line. On Sunday, I did everything I could to make sure that didn’t happen again,” explained the Spaniard. “I’m really pleased about this and everything else, because last time in Austria the weekend ended in the worst possible way, and here we didn’t get off to a good start to the weekend, but with every session we learnt and improved. The team did a brilliant job, prepared the bike well and gave me the right instructions to adapt my riding style and adjust to the conditions. Many thanks to the whole team for their support and hard work.”

With his victory in Japan, David Almansa has reclaimed second place in the World Championship standings. The 20-year-old now has an eight-point lead over Carpe, who finished third at Motegi. And Maximo Quiles has had to postpone his early title celebrations.

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09.10.2026 - 02:55