The 18-lap Moto3 contest opened up Sunday’s race programme and proved to be another typical Barcelona slipstream fest.
Championship leader Alonso prevailed as he faced high pressure on the final lap to score a fourth win of the season.
The Aspar CFMoto rider was one of numerous names to take turns heading the field at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but crucially led the pack onto the final lap.
Facing intense examination from Ivan Ortola, Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer, Alonso kept the chasing pack at arm’s length as he navigated the final tour.
The Colombian still led as he rounded the final few corners, ensuring there would be no attack on him on the run to the line, with Alonso taking the chequered flag 0.242 seconds in front.
Ortola held onto second on his MT Helmets – MSI KTM, with Rueda completing the podium on his Ajo KTM.
Rueda snatched third from Intact GP’s Veijer with a last lap overtake at Turn 4, while David Munoz navigated an earlier long lap penalty to finish fifth on the BOE Motorsports KTM.
Tech3 GasGas rider Dani Holgado faded to sixth having led at several stages, with SIC58 Honda’s Luca Lunetta seventh. The top 10 was completed by Jacob Roulstone (Tech3), Filippo Farioli (SIC58) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Honda).
Alonso has opened up a championship lead of 14 points over Holgado, with Veijer 43 adrift in third and five ahead of Ortola in fourth.
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Ai Ogura, MT Helmets MSI
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
MT Helmets – MSI’s Ogura came from 10th on the grid to beat team-mate Sergio Garcia by 3.816s to end a 28-race victory drought.
The Japanese rider found great pace in the latter stages of chaotic race to overhaul Garcia into Turn 1 on lap 18 of 21.
Ogura then proceeded to dart away into the distance to secure his first win of the season and lead a team 1-2.
Garcia led from pole in the early stages before MotoGP-bound Fermin Aldeguer (Speed Up) overtook him on lap two.
Aldeguer pulled away from Garcia but was reeled in again midway through race, before the future Ducati MotoGP rider was handed a long lap penalty on lap 15 for exceeding track limits too many times.
As Aldeguer went to serve his long lap penalty at Turn 1, he crashed out.
This released Garcia into the lead, though he was battling fading rubber and succumbed to Ogura’s advances.
Aspar’s Jake Dixon completed the podium in third ahead of Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider Jeremy Alcoba, who came from 22nd to fourth.
Senna Agius was fifth on his Intact GP-run bike ahead of Gresini rider Albert Arenas. Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), Alonso Lopez (Speed Up), Joe Roberts (American Racing) and Tony Arbolino (Marc VDS) completed the top 10.
Garcia leads the championship by 21 points from Roberts, with Ogura third and Aldeguer fourth. A crash for Aron Canet leaves him sixth in the standings.
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Source: Autosport