Sports

Bitter Pole Position: Ramadhipa Finishes 10th at Misano

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•4 min read

Indonesian rider Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa finished 10th in Race 1 of the 2026 FIM JuniorGP Moto3 finale at Misano after receiving a six-second time penalty.

Key Facts

Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa, pebalap binaan Astra Honda Motor yang membela Honda Asia-Dream Racing Junior Team, finis di posisi ke-10 pada Race 1 seri penutup FIM JuniorGP Moto3 2026 di Sirkuit Misano, Italia, Minggu (18/10/2026).
Ramadhipa memulai balapan dari pole position setelah mencatat waktu 1 menit 41,430 detik pada sesi kualifikasi kedua (Q2), Sabtu (17/10/2026), unggul 0,047 detik atas Giulio Pugliese.
Pebalap Indonesia itu sempat bersaing di barisan depan: naik ke posisi kedua pada lap 8, turun ke posisi ketiga pada lap 9, lalu terlempar ke posisi kelima usai bersenggolan dengan Yaroslav Karpushin di tikungan pertama lap 10.
Ramadhipa kembali naik ke posisi ketiga pada lap 12 dan posisi kedua pada lap 14, tetapi gagal menjalani hukuman Long Lap Penalty hingga balapan berakhir sehingga diganjar penalti tambahan 6 detik.
Sebelum seri Misano, Ramadhipa mengoleksi 113 poin dan menempati peringkat keempat klasemen sementara, terpaut 23 poin dari Karpushin di posisi ketiga dengan 136 poin.
Pada seri sebelumnya di MotorLand Aragon, Spanyol, 27 September 2026, Ramadhipa finis kedua pada Race 1 dan keempat pada Race 2.
Race 1 di Misano juga memastikan gelar juara dunia Moto3 Junior 2026 menjadi milik Carlos Cano, yang finis keempat dan mengunci gelar sebelum musim berakhir berkat konsistensinya sepanjang musim.

Bitter Pole Position

Young Indonesian rider Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa had to settle for a 10th-place finish in Race 1 of the 2026 FIM JuniorGP Moto3 season finale at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy, on Sunday (18/10/2026). This came despite the rider nurtured by Astra Honda Motor starting the race from pole position.

Failing to serve a Long Lap Penalty (LLP) before the end of the race was the culprit. Ramadhipa was handed an additional six-second time penalty that knocked him out of front-row contention down to tenth place.

The result was an anticlimax following Ramadhipa's dominant display throughout the weekend in Misano. He set the fastest lap time of 1 minute 41.430 seconds in the second qualifying session on Saturday (17/10/2026), edging out Aspar CF-Moto KTM's Giulio Pugliese by 0.047 seconds.

Drama-Filled Race Progression

Ramadhipa got off to a good start, but Giulio Pugliese grabbed the holeshot, dropping the Honda Asia-Dream Racing Junior Team rider down to second place. The pressure mounted as Fernando Bujosas overtook him on lap two and claimed the race lead on lap three.

Fierce competition among the lead group offered a glimmer of opportunity. On lap eight, Ramadhipa advanced to second place and shadowed Bujosas, but slipped back to third on lap nine under relentless pressure from Pugliese and Yaroslav Karpushin.

At the start of lap 10, an aggressive overtake by Karpushin in turn one resulted in contact between the two riders. Ramadhipa lost several places and dropped down to fifth, while Bujosas remained in front ahead of Pugliese, Karpushin, and Kiattisak Singhapong.

The Overlooked Penalty

A window back to the front pack opened up on lap 12 after several riders were handed Long Lap Penalties. Ramadhipa moved up to third, then claimed second place on lap 14. However, he was also obligated to serve the same penalty himself.

Ramadhipa did not immediately serve the LLP and maintained his position through lap 15. He was still battling Karpushin through the final sector, while track limits violations were spotted again toward the end of the lap. By the time the chequered flag was waved, the penalty remained unserved.

Consequently, the stewards imposed an additional six-second penalty, relegating the rider from Sleman, Yogyakarta, to 10th place. A podium finish that was well within reach slipped away.

Fading Top Three Hopes

This setback severely damages Ramadhipa's chances of breaking into the top three in the final standings. Prior to the Misano round, he sat fourth with 113 points, trailing 23 points behind Yaroslav Karpushin in third on 136 points.

Ramadhipa's momentum had actually been solid. In the previous round at MotorLand Aragon, Spain, on 27 September 2026, he finished second in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2. His competitive pace was also apparent from free practice in Misano, where he finished second twice. Of note, Race 1 at Misano also sealed the 2026 Junior Moto3 world title for Carlos Cano, who finished fourth to wrap up the crown before the season concluded.

Ahead of the final round, Ramadhipa expressed his determination to fight until the end. 'I am ready to fight in this last round and want to conclude the season with a positive and proud result. The opportunity is still open. I will do my best to secure a podium. Please support me,' he said. One race remaining at Misano stands as his final opportunity to improve his championship standing.