Late braking into the corner, both riders were veterans, and overtakes at this distance were almost flawless. After turn two, they swapped positions again.
At this moment, the KTM
Looking at the KTM
At turn eight, the KTM braked late and dove to the inside to attack Rainsna. The sudden appearance of the racing car startled Rainsna, who responded hastily.
Just before crossing the finish line, the team had already signaled them, but they hadn't expected the KTM to catch up so quickly.
"At turn eight, the KTM overtook Rainsna. I wonder if Rainsna will counterattack."
Rainsna knew very well that he absolutely could not give up his position. Once he did, it would be difficult for him to catch up again.
Soon, at turn nine, Rainsna began to prepare his counterattack, and his moves were very sharp.
"Wow, it seems Rainsna was holding back against Luns earlier. This overtake is completely different."
After separating from Luns, Rainsna's moves became noticeably sharper. It seemed he had also held back during his earlier battle with Luns, just not as obviously.
The two racing cars roared past on the track amidst the rain and fog. Rainsna began to try new lean angles. He had ridden very conservatively in the first half of the race, but if he continued to be conservative, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold off the rider behind him.
The KTM's performance in the rain was a deeply ingrained memory for every GP rider.
As Rainsna's lean angle through the corners increased, his bike began to shake violently. The race was now on the eighth lap, nearing the halfway point. There was still some standing water elsewhere on the track, but the racing line had significantly less water.
"Rainsna is starting to go all out."
From the stands, Viñales said calmly. At turn nine, Rainsna found his position back with a later, deeper braking maneuver, and then quickly pulled away. His cornering lean angle had increased from around sixty-three degrees to sixty-five degrees.
While a lower lean angle caused more violent shaking, it also significantly increased cornering speed.
Exiting turn nine, Rainsna's speed increased as he tried to shake off the KTM rider behind him. The KTM rider sensed his intention and stayed close behind.
From the current situation, Luns, Rainsna, and the KTM rider had not yet pulled away from each other and were still within the same group.
Leaning into turn ten, Rainsna's lean angle was sufficiently low, and the KTM rider behind him still couldn't get close.
"Do you think Rainsna can hold him off?"
In the pit box, Zhang Mingzhi asked Viñales.
"He can't."
Viñales replied without hesitation.
Zhang Mingzhi nodded and turned his gaze back to the screen.
Seeing Viñales' decisive response, Su Mojin, who was beside him, was a bit puzzled. She thought it should at least be a fifty-fifty chance, and even if he couldn't hold him off, it wouldn't collapse so quickly.
Viñales was telling the truth. Rainsna hadn't been able to hold off the KTM in the rain at Honda last year, so how could he do it this year after changing teams? It was only a matter of time.
As Rainsna's speed increased, the KTM rider behind him also gradually accelerated.
The race was already past the halfway point, and he had to give it his all. This was his home track, and he couldn't afford to lose here. Even if he couldn't win, he had to get on the podium.
As the KTM rider pushed harder, the gap between them began to close.
The RC16's exhaust roared in the rain, and the KTM rider's lean angle also gradually increased. Due to the advantage in grip, his lean angle could even be lower than Rainsna's.
"He's getting serious now."
Viñales spoke again from the stands.
The KTM rider was naturally skilled in wet conditions, and now with the bike, and racing on home turf, with all these buffs, no one could stop him from getting on the podium.
The racing cars roared past, and the two bikes quickly entered a new lap. On the straight, the KTM's straight-line speed was no less than the GP23, though it didn't have any advantage.
At the end of turn one, they braked hard, all three cars braking heavily into the corner, then accelerating out.
Luns had now opened up a small gap with Rainsna. After turn two, through the series of corners, it was another opportunity for the KTM to make a move.
Without hesitation, he decisively overtook between turns three and four.
The KTM rider braked late and passed Rainsna to move into fourth position.
Rainsna, still having the capacity to fight, did not give up and chased closely, biting at the heels of the KTM rider, looking for an opportunity.
Opportunities were not easy to find. After turn four, the KTM rider defended very tightly, keeping his bike close to the inside line, adopting a strategy of giving up speed to defend fully. He was confident that with his bike's advantage, Rainsna would not be able to keep up with him in the long run.
Admittedly, the KTM rider's experience at this stop was far superior to the others. In the subsequent turns nine and ten, Rainsna attempted to make a move again but was blocked by the KTM rider each time.
Watching the KTM racing car gradually pull away, Rainsna gritted his teeth and prepared to push harder.
How could he easily give up in his first race after changing teams?
In the next corner, Rainsna's lean angle decreased again, and the frequency of his bike's shaking increased another notch. Rainsna was challenging his own limits.
As time passed, the rain began to lessen, and the standing water on the track gradually dissipated. The race officials waved flags, opening the pit lane for riders to change tires, though it was highly unlikely anyone would do so.
Even though the rain had lessened, as long as there was water, racing with slick tires was suicidal.
"Pay attention to Rainsna. He's closing in again. It looks like he's preparing to make a move."
Without delay, controlling the violently shaking racing bike, Rainsna's speed picked up again after three corners, and he slowly closed in on the KTM rider ahead.
At this moment, the KTM was riding with haste, almost catching up to Luns ahead.
The racing cars crossed the finish line, and the pit boxes of Matt and KTM simultaneously displayed signs to inform the riders of the situation on the track.