Tatsuki Suzuki claimed his maiden career victory in the Moto3 category at the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday.

Pole-sitter Suzuki, 21, engaged his Honda in a thrilling seven-rider battle at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, near Rimini in eastern Italy.

The 23-lap race was littered with crashes with several competitors failing to finish.

Suzuki's victory was charged with emotion as he races for the team of Italian Paolo Simoncelli, whose son Marco died after an accident in 2011, with the Misano circuit named in his honour.

"It's fantastic. We've been trying to win for a long time and we've often had to pull out," said Suzuki who finished 0.112 seconds ahead of Britain's John McPhee and Italian Tony Arbolino's 0.201 to complete a Honda sweep.

Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta finished eighth but extended his overall world championship advantage as leading challenger Aron Canet of Spain was forced out with mechanical problems.