The final flyaway race in Malaysia wraps up this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit. As Johann Zarco seals Moto2 Championship honours, Francesco Bagnaia survives a chaotic Moto3 race to win. In MotoGP, Andrea Dovizioso wins from the pole to become the ninth winner on the season.
Johann Zarco Seals Moto2 Championship; Bagnaia survives chaotic Moto3; Dovizioso Wins MotoGP
Moto3 Recap
South Africa’s Brad Binder holds pole position, flanked by Spain’s Jorge Navarro and Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia. Binder may have wrapped up the world championship, but the battle was on for second place. As an extra for of motivation for Navarro, Italian rider Enea Bastianini sits out due to injury. The start was fairly normal, although it looks as if Bagnaia jumped the start. Replays suggest that it was a clean getaway. Then it happened, Spain’s Jorge Martin gets a little out of shape and goes down. Spain’s Aron Canet and Juanfran Guevara, and Germany’s Philipp Oettl collect him. To the relief of the paddock, Martin, who took the worst of the accident, was conscious. However, he had to be taken for a medical check up for head injuries.
To the surprise of many, the stewards elect not to red flag the race. In a bizarre incident, three riders in the top four lose the front end of their bikes on the same corner. This being the notorious Turn Seven. Bagnaia was the only one to escape unscathed. Before long, a number of riders begin to fall foul of the conditions. Strangely enough, there was not a drop of rain on the track until the race was over.
The red flags are shown after Spain’s only female rider Maria Herrera clipped the back of Belgium’s Livio Loi and broke her collarbone. This meant that Bagnaia won the race by a comfortable margin. Behind him is the battle for second and third. This between Czech Republic’s Jakub Kornfeil and Netherland’s Bo Bendsneyder. Sadly for the Dutch youngster, he was running second when the red flags came out, but on the previous lap he was third.
Moto3 Points Finishers
- France’s Fabio Quartararo
- Italy’s Andrea Locatelli
- Spain’s Marcos Ramirez
- Argentina’s Gabriel Rodrigo
- Malaysia’s Khairul Idham Pawi
- Belgium’s Livio Loi
- South Africa’s Darryn Binder
- Malaysia’s Hafiq Azmi (standing in for the injured Scottish rider John McPhee)
- Italy’s Niccolo Antonelli, Stefano Valtulini, Lorenzo Petrarca and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Moto2 Recap
In Moto2, France’s Johann Zarco qualifies on pole. He has Italy’s Franco Morbidelli and Spain’s Axel Pons alongside him. Switzerland’s Tom Luthi was unable to continue his winning form in Malaysia. It is Zarco who takes top honours. He shrugs off a string of poor results to seal the championship. The best that Luthi could muster is sixth place. Joining the Frenchman on the podium is Morbidelli and Germany’s Jonas Folger. Britain’s Sam Lowes and Spain’s Alex Rins see their hopes of challenging Zarco fade away. As Lowes drops it in the gravel and Rins ends the race in a lowly 14th place.
Moto2 Points Finishers
- Italy’s Lorenzo Baldassari
- Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin
- Swiss rider Luthi
- Spain’s Alex Marquez and Xavi Vierge
- Italy’s Luca Marini
- Spain’s Isaac Vinales
- Italy’s Simone Corsi
- Malaysia’s Ramdan Rosli
- Australia’s Remy Gardner
- Spain’s Alex Rins
- Belgium’s Xavier Simeon.
MotoGP Recap
The MotoGP race proves absolutely thrilling. Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso starts on pole position with compatriot Valentino Rossi and Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo in second and third. A great start sees six riders battle it out for the win. Rossi, Dovizioso, and Lorenzo were joined by the returning Italian rider Andrea Iannone, Spain’s Aleix Espargaro, and reigning world champion Spain’s Marc Marquez. Soon Espargaro begins to fall back down the order and in his place. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow resumes the battle.
Unfortunately for Marquez, his luck ran out yet again and he found himself on the floor. Crutchlow and later Iannone soon join him on the sidelines. Rossi and Dovizioso trade blows on several occasions. Meanwhile Lorenzo is left in a forlorn third, 11 seconds behind the leader. After a while, Rossi’s tires give up and he drops back. Dovizioso takes an emphatic victory and the Yamaha’s had no answer. Behind them was the delighted Avintia Ducati pair of Spain’s Hector Barbera and France’s Loris Baz.
MotoGP Points Finishers
- Spain’s Maverick Vinales and Alvaro Bautista
- Australia’s Jack Miller
- Spain’s Pol Espargaro and Spain’s Marquez, who managed to rejoin the race.
- Italy’s Danilo Petrucci
- Ireland’s Eugene Laverty and Aleix Espargaro
- Britons Bradley Smith and Scott Redding.
