David Munoz took advantage of mixed conditions at Motegi as he dominated to take victory in the Japanese Moto3 race.
Munoz took the lead of the race as rain began to descend on the Motegi circuit, and rode a perfect race after the sun came back out as he sealed his third victory of the season.
Polesitter Jose Antonio Rueda had the best start to the race as he was easily able to maintain the lead into the first corner.
Joel Kelso also made a storming start to the race, moving up to second, demoting Valentin Perrone into third.
Munoz pushed the Argentine further back into the group as he moved up into third place by the end of the first lap.
To stop the championship leader from breaking away out front, Kelso forced Rueda to sit up on the exit of Turn 5 as the Australian resumed the lead of the race.
Munoz didn’t need a second invitation as he took advantage of Rueda’s lack of momentum, overtaking his compatriot into second place.
The championship leader continued to move backwards in the lead group, getting demoted to fifth after being overtaken by Maximo Quiles and Perrone.
The fast Spanish rookie decided to make his move as the rain began falling, pulling an aggressive move on Munoz before sweeping past Kelso for the lead of the race.
Minor mistakes kept coming in the first group as the conditions continued to change, with fellow rookie Perrone taking the lead from Quiles on Lap 5.
With the Argentine and Spaniard squabbling, the door was opened for other riders to take the lead of the race, as Munoz moved to the front ahead of home hero Taiyo Furusato.
The Japanese rider’s fortune wouldn’t last long, as he suffered a highside and saw an unfortunate early end to his race.
David Almansa was the rider to benefit the most from Furusato’s misfortune, as the Spaniard, who started from the back of the grid due to a penalty, moved into the podium positions.
However, the Spanish rider was put immediately under pressure by Quiles, who wasted no time in regaining third place.
As the sun came back out, the rookie tried to move up the order as he pulled an aggressive move on Perrone for second.
The Argentine tried to respond, but Quiles made sure he took the position and attempted to close a two second gap to Munoz out front.
Angel Piqueras crashed out of eighth but was able to rejoin in 11th due to the split between the groups after the rain, gifting Rueda an opportunity to win the title next time around in Indonesia.
Almansa also crashed out of the race on the penultimate lap after an exciting duel with team-mate Adrian Fernandez, bringing the fight for the final two spots on the podium down to just three contenders.
Rueda used his initiative to make an early move on Perrone for third and gave himself the best opportunity of breaking Quiles’ momentum on the final lap of the race.
The championship leader eventually outsmarted the rookie, pulling a neat move on Quiles on the final lap of the race to confirm second place.
At the front, Munoz ran out as the victor in a dominant fashion, taking the flag by 1.618s over Rueda, who will have a chance to take the title at the next round in Indonesia.
Perrone attempted an audacious move on Quiles at the final corner with the pair almost level over the line, but it was the Spaniard who maintained the last spot on the podium.
Fernandez inherited fifth on the final lap following team-mate Almansa’s crash, while Ryusei Yamanaka earned a sixth-place finish at his home race.
Guido Pini took seventh over the line after serving a double long lap penalty for qualifying infringements, while Joel Kelso finished narrowly behind in eighth.
Luca Lunetta produced a strong ride in ninth ahead of Dennis Foggia, who rounded out the top 10.
Piqueras was 11th despite his crash, narrowly edging out a group of four riders led by Jacob Roulstone and Matteo Bertelle.
Alvaro Carpe struggled in the mixed conditions early in the race and took the flag in 14th, while Stefano Nepa completed the points finishers in 15th.
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