- 2017-10-22
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ MotoGP Australia: Marc Marquez wins at Phillip Island, rival Andrea Dovizioso is 13th
The Round 16 on MotoGP 2017, Australian Grand Prix Race ran at Phillip Island on October 22. Moto3 and Moto2, both races started in the wet condition. But the rain let up when MotoGP race began.
Pole-sitter Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) took his sixth victory of this season, while his main rival Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) struggled to 13th position. He's now 33 points behind Marquez on world title ranking.
Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) came back to podium since his leg injured. His teammate Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) passed Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech3) on the final lap and finished 3rd place. Rookie of the Year, Johann Zarco battled against Marquez, Rossi, Vinales and Andrea Iannone (Suzuki Ecstar) until the final lap. But he could not reach the podium.
Local hero, Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) led the race in the beginning, but he finished 7th place.
Marc Marquez (P1):
"I tried to go out and warm the tyres and stay calm. but then after only a few laps there was the first contact and I thought ok...this will be tough! It was a big group, like Moto3. I realised halfway through I had to attack, or they would overtake me. I have some marks on my leathers and my bike, but I was aggressive too! A crash or a zero would have been a disaster but it was time to attack and I knew it was an important race to increase the distance in the Championship.
We had a meeting before the race and they asked me if I wanted to know where Dovi was. And I said no. Then in the middle of the race I had a question mark but then I saw when I was in Turn 4 he was at Turn 3, so I controlled it. I was trying to control where Dovi was and calculate everything, then with eight or so laps to go I said ok, and was able to be a few tenths quicker and open a small gap. Victory was important,” affirms the number 93. “It was like the 2015 race with lots of overtakes, and the points advantage makes me very happy. There’s time to breathe and understand our options now. Now it’s time to take points."
Valentino Rossi (P2):
"I think I had the potential to stay with Marquez until the end because I was fast. But when at one moment I thought that I was in the perfect position, Iannone arrived in the hairpin like crazy, and Marquez went away. But I think that anyway it was difficult to win. The level of aggression and contact raised a lot, especially when the young riders arrive from Moto2. Also Zarco is always very aggressive. You get angry, but anyway it doesn't change anything. This is the game if you want to play, it is like this. It is a bit more dangerous, but this is the way if you don't want to stay at home. To fight especially with Zarco, and then arrived Iannone, the two worst riders for fighting. I remember I had the fight with Iannone in 2015 and he beat me on the last lap so I try the maximum, so it was a great race I enjoyed a lot."
Fourth place, Johann Zarco said;
“It was an amazing race today in Australia and I am so happy that I could fight for the victory. Marquez broke away at the end, yet I still managed to lead the Grand Prix. After the tricky start, where I had to close the throttle to avoid touching someone, I lost a lot of positions. However, I was strong and I then overtook many riders and it was an amazing feeling. I had some moments on the track that I thought I would never live in my life so it was very good to take this experience. I could also analyse my rivals and see how they were so fast. On the last lap, I was running in 3rd and trying to get 2nd, and I attempted to overtake Rossi at the final corner on the acceleration. I changed my line to pass him and instead of 2nd, I finished 4th. It's a big shame to miss out on the podium but I need to enjoy what I achieved today.”
Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Pri Race Results- Marc Marquez / Repsol Honda / 40m 49.772s
- Valentino Rossi / Movistar Yamaha / 40m 51.571s
- Maverick Vinales / Movistar Yamaha / 40m 51.598s
- Johann Zarco / Monster Yamaha Tech3 / 40m 51.614s
- Cal Crutchlow / LCR Honda / 40m 53.617s
- Andrea Iannone / Suzuki Ecstar / 40m 53.643s
- Jack Miller / EG 0,0 Marc VDS / 40m 55.391s
- Alex Rins / Suzuki Ecstar / 41m 1.980s
- Pol Espargaro / Red Bull KTM Factory / 41m 6.023s
- Bradley Smith / Red Bull KTM Factory / 41m 6.034s
- Scott Redding / Octo Pramac / 41m 11.424s
- Dani Pedrosa / Repsol Honda / 41m 11.440s
- Andrea Dovizioso / Ducati Team / 41m 11.464s
- Karel Abraham / Pull&Bear Aspar / 41m 15.882s
- Jorge Lorenzo / Ducati Team / 41m 15.940s
- Tito Rabat / EG 0,0 Marc VDS / 41m 16.024s
- Alvaro Bautista / Pull&Bear Aspar / 41m 26.149s
- Loris Baz / Reale Avintia / 41m 29.426s
- Sam Lowes / Factory Aprilia Gresini / 41m 30.172s
- Hector Barbera / Reale Avintia / 41m 35.673s
- Danilo Petrucci / Octo Pramac / 41m 38.540s
- Broc Parkes / Monster Yamaha Tech3 / 41m 47.483s
All photos copyright by MotoGP.- source : MotoGP
