DNF in Jerez for John McPhee after last lap crash, Pawi finishes 22nd

A podium finish and even a win looked likely for John McPhee in today’s Moto3 race, but a last lap crash prevented him from crossing the line. Fellow PETRONAS Sprinta Racing rider Khairul Idham Pawi made progress to finish 22nd.

When the lights went out for the first Moto3 race since March, McPhee didn’t have the best of starts and found himself slipping back from third off the line. Biding his time in the first half of the race, the Scot made his way back up to the leading pack to go second at the halfway point. An intense battle, characteristic of the Moto3 series commenced, which saw him lead in the closing laps. McPhee was third going into the last lap and looked to be in with a chance of the race win. Unfortunately, crowding in the final corner left McPhee with nowhere to go and he crashed out. However, his second place last time out in Qatar was good enough to keep him third in the championship standings.

Meanwhile, team-mate KIP struggled with his Honda NSF250RW, experiencing difficulties in the 36C heat. The Malaysian rider, who made his racing return in Qatar after recovering from injury, is still working on adapting to the Moto3 bike. KIP made steady progress throughout the race, avoiding a first lap collision, and took the chequered flag in 22nd.

The pair will only have a few days to wait until they are back in action at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto again for the Andalucía GP (24-26 July).

Khairul Idham Pawi
22nd (+28.844)

We struggled yesterday so we knew it was going to be difficult going into today’s race. I’m still adjusting to the bike after the time away and working towards having the best set-up. We had some issues with the front end in certain corners, so this is something we will work on before next week’s race. I did have some good battles with the riders around me but now we focus on improving for the next race.

John McPhee
DNF

Unfortunately that’s racing. I gave everything I had today and tried my best on the last lap. I didn’t get a great start and I had to overwork the tyres a bit to get back to the sharp end, but it means I’ve got more knowledge ahead of the next race. The good thing is I felt strong all race. It’s unfortunate about the result, but these things happen and we’ll try again next week. We know now that we can turn up at every race and be near the front, to be within the podium positions. Knowing that is a massive confidence boost, everything is working well with my bike and we’re doing everything we can as a team.