Red Bull KTM Ajo rider takes second consecutive win. Arthur Sissis and Zulfahmi Khairuddin experience misfortune and place outside the points. Salom’s win gives KTM the Constructor’s title in Moto3.

Round eleven of the Moto3 World Championship saw a sixth victory for Luis Salom, who won the race despite still riding injured with a fractured left heel. The British Grand Prix went to the Spaniard, although his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammates had a less enjoyable time at Silverstone: Zulfahmi Khairuddin stalled his bike before the race and Arthur Sissis experienced a setback on the final laps. The duo finished twentieth and twenty-fourth, respectively. Salom leads the overall standings with a 26-point advantage.

The Spanish Red Bull KTM Ajo rider took his sixth win of the season at the Silverstone circuit, with the same strategy as always: Taking the lead on the final laps and trying to kill off the race. On this occasion, Salom remained patient in a leading group consisting of four familiar foes: Maverick Viñales, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez. He waited until past the middle of the race to begin to show his cards. With two laps remaining, the World Championship leader took the lead and held it definitively, crossing the finish line with a 0.049s advantage. With this latest win, KTM have already sealed the Constructors’ World Championship title in Moto3.

Zulfahmi Khairuddin’s day was complicated when he stalled his bike on the grid. This forced him to start from pitlane in last place. Despite this, the Malaysian rider was able to finish twentieth. His teammate, Arthur Sissis, was also unlucky –suffering a crash when fighting for ninth place and eventually crossing the line in twenty-fourth.

With six races remaining in the season, Luis Salom leads the World Championship with 233 points –26 ahead of Viñales in second. Arthur Sissis is eleventh with 51 points and Zulfahmi Khairuddin twelfth with 50.

Results (Race)
1. Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 38:17.291
2. Alex Rins (KTM) +0.049
3. Alex Marquez (KTM) +0.698
4. Maverick Viñales (KTM) +0.849
5. Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra) +20.561
20. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +48.952
24. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +49.853

Moto3 World Championship
1. Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo)   233 points
2. Maverick Viñales (KTM)   207 points
3. Alex Rins (KTM)   200 points
4. Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM)   120 points
5. Alex Marquez (KTM)   117 points
11. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 51 points
12. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 50 points

Luis Salom >> Audio
“The truth is that it was a difficult race, although we did a good job and overall the weekend has been pretty good. At the end of the race it was very important to push and it worked out for us. To achieve two consecutive wins is very important for me –especially after the crash at Indianapolis. We knew that these two races could be very important for the championship and we took good results at both. I have to thank the whole team for the work that they are doing. Next up are Misano and Aragon, which are circuits that I like.”

Arthur Sissis >> Audio
“I made a good start and was riding pretty fast, so I was able to overtake a few rivals. I tried to reach the front group, but I struggled a lot with the riders in between and lost touch. It was a tough battle. Then, going into Turn 8, I crashed. I re-entered the race because the bike hadn’t stopped, but it was quite damaged. However, I wanted to continue because there were only three laps remaining and I thought I would be able to finish.”

Zulfahmi Khairuddin >> Audio (English) // Audio (Bahasa)
“On the warm up lap I noticed something strange with the bike on the last corner and, when I took my place on the grid, the engine stopped. I tried to start the bike again by pushing it but I couldn’t, so had to enter pitlane to start it with the starter and begin the race from there. I tried to catch up, but from so far behind it was very hard work. In any case, it wasn’t a good race, because I wasn’t able to reach the front group. We have to move on and focus on Misano, where I hope everything goes well.”

Aki Ajo >> Audio (English) // Audio (Finnish)
“It’s amazing what Luis [Salom] did again today, especially after three races in as many weeks –two ridden with an injured foot and him winning both. I’m speechless. It has been really hard and I am very grateful to the team and all our sponsors, because together we are supporting him a lot. He’s done a great job at the last two rounds and has shown everyone who’s he on track. I want to congratulate the entire team for their effort. For Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Arthur Sissis it was not an easy weekend. Fahmi’s bike stopped on the grid and he had to go from pitlane. The bike worked well but he was unable to fight hard and ride like he normally does.  With Arthur, it was quite amazing to see how he battled after the difficulties he had in the qualifying session. He fought a lot and was up into the top ten, where it is always tough. He lost a little pace and, when he regained it, he lost the front. At least he tried his best, and we should be positive ahead of Misano.”

*Audio solely for radio use