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Deniz Öncü has claimed a brave Moto3 win in wild conditions at Phillip Island with Australian Joel Kelso appearing on his maiden podium.
Ayumu Sasaki lost the lead on the final lap, coming across the line in second, pulling back the gap in the championship.
The drama kicked off before the race even started with four riders crashing on their way to the grid.
Daniel Holgado who had a nasty highside into Turn 4, the Tech3 rider coming to the grid without the front fairing but with blood on his forehead.
Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSi) was the first to go down at Turn 12, when the conditions remained fairly stable.
Vicente Pérez (Boé Motorsports) and Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) joined the list of riders crashing before the race start.
Rain was falling as the lights went out, Sasaki kept his advantage from pole position for the first tour, with the order remaining fairly stable until they came over the line for the second lap.
Kelso (CFMoto Racing Prüstel GP) dropped to fourth, with Adrian Fernandez slipping past the Japanese rider to take the lead.
The treacherous conditions caught out David Alonso at Turn 4, with the GasGas rider being the first to go down in the wet during the race.
Husqvarna rider Sasaki began to fall back with both Öncü and Kelso making their way around him, shuffling the championship contender down the order.
At one point Fernandez was pulling away from the lead group, stretching his advantage to almost a second, however as the conditions slightly improved the gap was clawed back.
Moreira called his race on Lap 6 after his sighting lap incident, coming to the garage to retire.
It did turn into a race of attrition as multiple riders made mistakes, Turn 4 caught out both Filippo Farioli and Iván Ortolá on Lap 8.
Just two laps later David Munoz crashed at Turn 11 from seventh.
With 10 laps to go Öncü was stalking Fernandez in the lead, pulling away from Kelso in third.
Hayshed then claimed two victims on consecutive laps with Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) crashing from the lead group on Lap 12 and David Salvador (CIP Green Power) highsiding.
Sasaki made his way through on Kelso at lap 14, and was poised when Öncü had a couple of moments, making his way around the Red Bull rider.
Dramatically, Fernandez then slid out of contention at Turn 11 having led since the second lap.
The Leopard racer’s mistake promoted Sasaki to the lead with only a handful of laps to go.
Kelso and Öncü at this point were dicing for second with the Turk eventually drawing away from the Australian.
Öncü set his eyes then on Sasaki, with the pair putting a gap on Kelso.
Sasaki was doing all he could to hold off Öncü, on the final tour of the Island but the gap was narrower than ever.
Öncü showed his bravery into MG, getting through the inside of #71 rider and beating him to the line.
Sasaki followed him through with Kelso rounding out the podium.
Fernandez recovered from his crash to claim fifth, with Veijer leading him to the flag.
Riccardo Rossi (Sic58 Squadra Corse) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) claimed positions sixth and seventh.
Jaume Masià (Leopard Racing) kept the lead of the championship with eighth position, though that was looking unsure at points during the 21-lap race.
Bertelle, despite crashing on the sighting lap finished in ninth with Lorenzo Fellon (CIP Green Power) rounding out the top 10.
Moto3 now heads to Thailand (October 27-29) with four rounds to go in the championship.
