Pole-sitter Niccolo Antonelli of Italy won a crash-hit Moto3 race at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno on Sunday for the first-ever podium finish of his career.

The 19-year-old Honda rider beat his compatriot Enea Bastianini on another Honda and third-placed South African KTM rider Brad Binder.

Britain's Danny Kent, on a Honda, retained his overall Moto3 lead with 199 points despite finishing seventh at Brno, ahead of Bastianini with 154 and Italy's Romano Fenati on 122.

Antonelli took 25min 56.866sec to cover the 12 laps on the 5.4-kilometre (3.36-mile) circuit, a reduction from an originally scheduled 19 laps due to two multiple crashes in the very first lap.

The riders saw the red flag before the end of the first lap, stopping the race after two crashes involving eight riders in the first three turns.

Argentinian KTM rider Gabriel Rodrigo was taken to hospital with a foot injury while Japanese Honda rider Hiroki Ono ended up at the mobile clinic after the crash.

Niklas Ajo of Finland badly damaged his KTM bike in the crash and was not able to rejoin the race when it restarted following a 30-minute delay.

A ten-man group comprising the podium finishers formed shortly after the start, with several riders taking turns up front before Antonelli turned the race into a one-man show with two laps to go.
Source: AFP