Leopard Racing’s Joan Mir held off a tense assault from championship rival Romano Fenati to take victory in a damp Czech Grand Prix.
The championship leader’s sixth win of the 2017 season sees him extends his advantage over Fenati to 42 points ahead of next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix – the scene of Mir’s maiden victory one year ago.
Pole man Gabriel Rodrigo was the man to beat off the grid, the Argentinian taking the holeshot into the first corner. This was short-lived, however, as Fenati found traction on the outside of Turn 1 and out-dragged Rodrigo through Turn 2.
Rodrigo’s RBA team-mate Juanfran Guevara upheld the team’s honour, taking the lead away from Fenati a corner later.
On the third lap, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Bo Bendsneyder passed Guevara, the pair swapping position on a number of occasions across the next 10 laps while Fenati debated third with the likes of Mir and the fast-starting Nakarin Atiratphuvapat.
Fenati launched a renewed push for the victory in the final few laps, the Italian taking the lead on the 14th lap.
Guevara struck back a lap later, with Mir springing into life on the following tour and hitting the front of the pack for the first time.
The Spaniard immediately pulled out a gap, but Fenati reeled him in again over the final laps. The Italian looked for a way around the outside of the penultimate corner, but Mir held sway to take the chequered flag.
Aron Canet suffered a poor qualifying and had to start from 17th. His afternoon was made all the more complicated when he was caught up in a tangle between Jules Danilo and Maria Herrera on the opening lap.
The Spaniard was forced to carve his way through the pack, and by lap 14 he had found himself on the tail of the battle for the final podium slot.
With the bit between his teeth, Canet carved past Guevara and Bendsneyder on the final lap to take third step on the rostrum.
Last year’s Brno Moto3 winner John McPhee recovered from 19th on the grid to take sixth ahead of Marcos Ramirez, Tatsuzki Suzuki, Adama Norrodin and Atiratphuvapat.
Andrea Migno salvaged 11th in conditions not typically favoured by the Sky VR46 rider, with Albert Arenas – who started last – Philipp Oettl, Dennis Foggia and Ayumu Sasaki completing the points paying positions.
German wildcard Tim Georgi fought inside the top 10 in the early stages, but his challenge faded as the track began to dry and he crossed the line 18th. Pole man Rodrigo was a late crasher.
