Round three of the Moto3 championship was a scramble for position in a crash-filled race at COTA, but not for Da🐲vid Alo⭕nso who lead from start to finish as the chaos unfolded behind.

The CFMoto Valresa Aspar rider started from pole, his first, and got a superb start - immediately pulling out ꦫa lead.

There was p🌃anic behind and contact and crashes aplenty with fallers f🎉rom the very first turn.

A group of four formed behind, with Coll🤪in Veijer leading the charge, and with the seven📖teen year olds tyres visibly degrading out front the gap came down rapidly.

When Veijer flew out of contention Daniel Holgado took over the chase, but the evasive action to miss the Netherlands rider haꦓd seen the gap reopen - Alonso lead over the line comfortably, by 5.🅘163 seconds for his sixth Moto3 win.

The Colombian c❀elebrated by tossing his gloves at fans waving his national flag.

Holgado had his own battle on the final lap with A🔯ngel Piqueras staking hi﷽s claim for second, pushing his way ahead. By turn nineteen Holgado had edged his way back in front with the duo side by side to the line, in photo finish territory.

The Red Bull Gas Gas rider just edged ahead, with rookie Piq🍒ueras picking up his first podium finish in third for﷽ Leopard.

Their tussle took Ryusei Y♒amanaka out of contention, the MT Helmets - MSI rider putting on a great show to work forward form 23rd on the grid for his best ever finish.

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David Munoz took over at the front of the chasing group, but by the time he hit the position the gap to the leaders was too large to brid𝓰ge, leaving the BOE Motorsports rider to come home in fifth.

Sixth went to an experienced per🌟formance from Tatsuki Suxuki, who avoided all the on track trouble for Li𒐪qui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP.

Joel Kelso was immediately up against it after running hugely wide following his contact on the first lap with Holgado. The Australian rejoined and worked his ꦑway up to the lead group, but began to struggle at the back. Trying to stay with the group resulted in a crash. The BOE Motosports rider remounted rapidly and finished seventh, h﷽olding the position despite receiving a three second penalty after the race for the contact on the first lap.

Kelso was not the only rider with penalt💧ies to deal with in Texas.

Penalty loop busy in Moto3

Aft♋er practice there were several warnings handed out for slow riding, and a penalty to Matteo Bertelle. The warnings were not heeded meaning Adrian Fernandez, Riccardo Rossi, Joshua Whatley, Filippo Farioli, Joel Esteban, Luca Lunetta and Jacob Roulstone were all sanct🍎ioned and needed a trip around the long lap loop. Bertelle was again judged to be riding slowly, so his was doubled with Fernandez also seeing his punishment increase to a double long lap penalty after further infringements.

Of all those running the loop, ಞrookie Roulstone made the best of the race - coming home in eighth behind his fellow countryman for Red Bull GasGas T🐟ech3.

E♛steban was ninth for CFMoto As♑par, with Bertelle staging a comeback to complete the top ten for the SIC58 Squadra Corse.

Fernandez placed eleventh on the second Leopard♓, just ahead of Nicola Carraro (LevelUp MTA) i💯n twelfth.

Xabi 𝔍Zurutu💟za finished his debut grand prix appearance 13th on the second Red Bull KTM entry.

The fi🐻nal points went to Noah Dettwiler (CIP Green Pow♔er) in 14th and Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in 15th.

Jose Antonio Rueda out from the front row.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Rueda had put in a strong showiꦯng in qualifying, pushing a dominant David Alonso all thꦰe way to the end of the session for a close second on the grid.

The Spaniard did n♏ot get to line up i💮n position on the grid - missing the race after undergoing emergency surgery on Saturday night for appendicitis.

Crashes, Injuries and Replacements

Most of the riders who crashed du♏ring the race rejoined.

That was not the case for Taiyo Furusato or Scott Ogden, who was shown the black flag.  Ivan Ortola retired to the pits. Last season's race winner crashed twice - the first saw him needing to be chased down by Stefano Nepa, his teammate last season, to ensure he got his own bike back in the confusion. The second being a strange, violent fall in which he was flung  fr🍃om his KTM before he called it a day and headed back to the garage late in the race.

David Almansa and Tachakorn Buasri were b🍨oth also absent following crashes earlier in the race weekend.

Championship Standings

Second was enough for Holgado to retain🌺 the overall lead, taking his total to 65 points. Alonso’s win sees him move to just two points behind, while Joel Kelso moves into third overall ꧅on a distant 28.

Ortola is fourth after his DNF. Suzuki moves into fifth after a consistent start to the 🐬season.