Tony Arbolino snatched victory from Lorenzo Dalla Porta in the final metres for victory at the Italian Moto3 grand prix at Mugello.
Arbolino, who qualified on pole for his home race, got a relatively poor start and slipped back in the early stages of the 20-lap contest.
He soon recovered however and was a fixture inside the top ten throughout, and challenged the rapid Dalla Porta throughout the last couple of laps.
The Italian crucially got a good exit out of the final corner and used the slipstream to great effect, pipping Dalla Porta to the line by just 0.029.
Dalla Porta held on for second, but had looked good for the win having led over the line more times than anyone else.
The Team Leopard rider was supreme in the final sector, always finding a way to lead significantly out of the final corner and over the line, but was unable to hold back the pole-man at the death.
Jaume Masia moved into the lead with just a lap to go, but was unable to hold the Italian duo behind and was forced to settle for third at the flag, just 0.078 from victory.
SIC 58’s Niccolo Antonelli made it four Italian’s in the top five, with Dennis Foggia joining him just behind in fifth for the VR46 squad.
John McPhee staged a strong comeback from 17th on the grid, making up 11 positions on the start to immediately move into sixth by the end of the first lap, but ultimately failed to have the pace to challenge the leaders, while Aron Canet secured seventh for the Max Racing team behind the Scotsman.
Tatsuki Suzuki could only manage eighth in the end despite running up-front for most of the race, slipping back in the closing stages much like CIP Green Power racer Darryn Binder, who fell back from a podium position to finish tenth in the last couple of laps.
Celestino Vietti split the two in ninth in the second of the VR46 KTM machines.
Gabriel Rodrigo, who looked to be one of the only riders with pace to potentially pull a gap on the field on his own, crashed out early on as he slid off his Team Gresini Honda and into the gravel at Turn 8.
Previous Mugello race winner Romano Fenati crashed out late on with ex-team-mate Andrea Migno, the two tangling at Turn 15 and sliding off into the gravel. They both retired as a result.
Aron Canet continues to lead the Moto3 rider’s standings heading to Barcelona in a fortnight’s time, but by a now reduced margin, as Dalla Porta closes to just three points behind the Spaniard following his runner-up result.
