Phillip Island MotoGP

Jack Miller and Alex Marquez talk about the crash - Rins on completing the Phillip Island trifecta, wins here in Moto3, Moto2 and now in MotoGP.

“We know that the conditions here at Phillip Island can be a bit tricky with the wind and cool conditions, but despite this, all of the tyres worked well, and this was particularly the case with the asymmetric fronts which gave the riders the confidence to push in the corners. He paid for the force he had to make with the tire drop in the last five laps and he couldn’t fight for something better but his race speed was there and he was fighting. “A tough race because Brad was hit twice and had to recover positions but he was in the leading group and he kept the pace. I got a good start and I was able to manage the tires very well, we lacked a little bit of mileage but the feeling was good. I understand he was trying to pass Marini and had some issues or whatever he had, a little ambitious and just smashed me in the middle. We were probably a bit closer to the front this race than in the previous ones, but the pace of the race overall was slower than we thought it would be. “I had a good pace but I was struggling to overtake and that limited me a lot. It means a lot to me, it means a lot to the people who have helped me in this tough season, and to all the doctors, to all the physios that I work with. We have to be happy: we have always been in the group in front, we have calculated the consumption of the tires in the best possible way and continue on this positive trend. Then I tried in the first laps to overtake many riders, and then when i saw on the pit board that Fabio was out, a win is ok but if they overtake me on the final lap, it’s ok. “For me, the second place was so important, when I came back after the injury, the test in Misano, then the race in Japan, the race in Thailand. “During the race was not that easy, sincerely the pace was not so high, so managing the rear tyre, finding traction, and lap by lap I was overtaking someone until I arrive in the top four.

PHILLIP Island continued to throw everything at riders and fans on final day, Sunday, October 16, for the Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix ...

"Is there any track in the world that can produce action like that that... Initially there was plenty of concern about his welfare, but Miller got up and hobbled away from the track, beaten but unbroken as the fans gave him a raucous cheer in support. But by race time, 2pm, the sun was out as Emily Williams sang a rousing rendition of the Australian National Anthem and the big race was underway.

Race Reports along with results and updated championship points standings covering MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races at Phillip Island.

Meanwhile up front it was Garcia, Guevera, Sasaki and Oncu tussling over the lead. Kelso was off the line well but got a little bit dusted up through the first turns before settling in behind Guevera after the championship leader had a big moment over Lukey Heights. The Japanese rider looked like incurring a big blow to his title hopes as he struggled in midfield, but then Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed out of third position with less than 10 laps to go and the tables turned completely. They remained in that order at the last lap board but it was not over yet… With seven laps to go it was closer than ever up front.. That was until lap ten when the Frenchman ended up on the deck at turn two after losing the front. Up front Jorge Martin was continuing to lead while Marc Marquez shadowed. Jack Mliller went under Pecco Bagnaia at turn ten later on that lap but Bagnaia was having none of it and refused to yield the position and sweeping back across Miller’s nose as they tipped into turn 11. Jack Miller was eighth at this early juncture but then made his way up to fifth place over the first couple of laps. Behind the Repsol Honda was Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo with Pecco Bagnaia in fifth. Aleix Espargaro headed row two ahead of Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco. Johann Zarco topped that damp session with a 1m36.804 early on when the track was still mainly dry, some nine-seconds slower than the 1m27.767 recorded by Jorge Martin on his way to pole position on Saturday afternoon.

Quartararo survived a mistake-laden second lap but eventually had to concede fifth place to a charging Jack Miller, while Alex Marquez was fending off the VR46 ...

Ducati Aleix Espargaro is now trailing the Italian by 27 points, while Bastianini is still in mathematical contention with a 42-point deficit. Aleix Espargaro faded to ninth in the final couple of laps, with Binder rounding out the top 10. Marquez had a particularly eventful few laps, peppered with a couple of close encounters with the likes of Rins and Martin, but the Honda man kept finding his way back near the podium. A decisive move did eventually come at his favourite turn two with 14 laps remaining, Rins taking control of proceedings, while Bagnaia, Marquez and Bezzecchi profited to demote Martin by the end of that same lap. It was nowhere near the end of that podium story, with 10 men still in contention in the leading group with half a dozen laps left. While all that was unfolding, Rins had been sniffing around Marquez for a couple of laps and eventually made his move with 18 laps to go – then immediately having a go at Martin but less successfully. However, the Yamaha man didn’t get to enjoy the comeback for long, dramatically crashing out at turn two just one lap later. The Suzuki man pulled a duplicate overtake on Bagnaia one lap later, while Aleix Espargaro saw an opportunity to attack Miller as well, the Australian appearing to lose ground after the fast start. The notable absences from the limelight in the early laps were Enea Bastianini, who lingered in 17th position and Johann Zarco, who struggled with the start and dropped to 19th. The Island ruled that the premier class shall enjoy summer for their 27-lap-long shenanigans, the gloomy downpour of a few hours prior quickly forgotten and action getting underway on a dry track under blue skies. Pecco Bagnaia had to trade the first place trophy for the third place one on the final lap, but still leaves Australia as the championship leader, after a nightmare Sunday for Fabio Quartararo.