Moto3: Who is Lorenzo Dalla Porta, 2019 world champion?

The number 48 seizes the world crown to become the first Italian champion in the lightweight category since Andrea Dovizioso in 2004.

Anecdotally, Lorenzo Dalla Porta became known in France on the Circuit Carole in 2014, by winning a round of the FSBK Moto3 on a “Peugeot” (FTR/Oral) entered by the Italian importer of the French brand’s scooters.

Today, 5 years later, Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) is the 2019 Moto3™ World Champion. After a hard-fought victory at Phillip Island to clinch the world crown, the Italian born June 22, 1997 in Prato, Tuscany, became the first Italian to win the entry category of the World Championship since Andrea Dovizioso won the title in 2004 in 125cc.

Dalla Porta made his first appearance in the Moto3™ World Championship in Indianapolis in 2015, replacing Isaac Viñales at Husqvarna Factory Laglisse, the same outfit with which he rode at the time in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship. During the rest of the season he only crossed the finish line once, at Phillip Island, and achieved his best result of eighth place at Silverstone, making an impressive debut.

The following season, the Italian made more than a few appearances on the international scene. At Mugello, he replaced Philipp Öttl at Schedl GP Racing, scoring a point, then at Assen, he replaced Jorge Navarro at Estrella Galicia 0,0, scoring his second Top 10 in Moto3™. Later in the season, he then joined the Championship full-time, replacing Romano Fenati at Sky Racing Team VR46 at Silverstone. The same year, he continued his campaign in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship and Dalla Porta was crowned there during the 2016 season finale in Valencia.

In 2017, the Italian joined Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra and definitively qualified for the World Championship. Although the year was more difficult for Dalla Porta, especially due to his previous good results, he did enough to attract the attention of Leopard Racing for the following season, and joined the renowned team for 2018.

This change was an immediate success and Dalla Porta reached the podium at the season opener at Losail, having obtained third place. From there, a few solid races followed, with the Italian achieving numerous top 10s before his first victory, achieved during the second half of the season, on his home turf at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Further podiums followed in Thailand, Japan and Malaysia, placing Dalla Porta in the top five overall at the end of the year.

In 2019, hopes came to fruition even more, and Dalla Porta had an impressive season. Once again he started with a podium in Qatar, this time on the second step, and the Italian finished on the podium two more times, at Le Mans and Mugello. He missed the mark at Catalunya, through no fault of his own, but returned to prominence at TT Circuit Assen before taking his first victory of the season at the German GP.

Two other podiums at Brno and Silverstone allow him to fight for the head of the standings with his main rival, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team). Another podium finish in Buriram, bolstered by a second victory of the season at Twin Ring Motegi, puts him in command of the standings ahead of the Grand Prix at Phillip Island. There, drama occurred at the start of the Australian GP when Canet, his closest rival, fell in the first laps, leaving Dalla Porta to head towards his objective. In a classic Moto3™ showdown around one of the toughest circuits on the calendar, the number 48 gave up nothing to take his third victory of the year and secure the world crown.

Well done Champion!