Martin vs Canet…vs Bastianini?

The Italian and two Spaniards were the quickest trio at Losail...is that a sign of things to come?

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) dueled it out for the honour of the first race win of the year right down to the wire, and with the two having been tipped as title contenders, is that what we can expect for the season?

Martin thinks so – but with Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) also putting in a supreme show of pace to battle for the lead before a crash, the Spaniard says he thinks it’s more a three-horse race.

“There are still a lot of races, my target is to win races.” Martin begins with a disclaimer when asked about whether the duel for the race could become the duel for the title. “And at the beginning, Enea was with us. I think us three are in front of the others. I want to just stay in the top three, win races, and then maybe at the end of the year we can fight for the title. It’s amazing to start the year like this.”

After nine poles in 2017 but his maiden win only coming in Valencia, taking the upper hand from the off is an important step for the Spaniard. But compatriot Canet, meanwhile, immediately mentioned the Championship in his post-race interview – but then did underline the same need for consistency.

“I’m very happy because it’s 20 points in the Championship,” affirms the EG 0,0 rider. “In the first race of the year, second position is so good. But we don’t need to look at the Championship, we need to try and take the most points possible…”

Points is something Bastianini will now need to gain back on the two men who fought for the win. It could be a costly crash for the Italian come the end of the season – but then, titles were never won and lost in a day.