2018 MICHELIN AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX - PART 4 - JUST BIKES

2018 Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix - Part 4

MotoGP Race – Droughtbreaker!

If may have missed some punters’ attention, but Yamaha came to the Australian Grand Prix not only winless for the 2018 season, but with a losing streak that stretched back to last year’s Dutch TT round.

Despite two Yamahas on the front row of the grid at Phillip Island, few would have put money on Yamaha reversing that trend in what’s been a lacklustre season for the brand.

In a race that proved to be full of surprises, the first came on the opening lap, when polesitter Marquez was swallowed up off the line and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing Ducati) took the holeshot from the third row of the grid. The Italian’s race effectively ended at the next corner, though, when the slipper clutch on his Ducati failed to release and he had to sit up and take to the gravel.

In front of an estimated crowd of 36,600 (the highest race day total since 2012), Miller led the field into lap 2, but would be down to fourth a lap later, when first Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), then Marquez began to assert their dominance.

The pivotal moment of the race came at the start of lap 6, when Marquez and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) attempted to slipstream past Miller. As Marquez moved across, Zarco clipped the back of his bike at close to 340km/h, which sent the Yamaha cannoning into the back of the Honda and Zarco sliding down the grass alongside turn 1. Amazingly, the Frenchman was unhurt but his bike was destroyed. The impact dislodged the seat on Marquez’s Honda RC213V and also damaged the rear tyre, forcing his retirement.

Overlooked while all this was going on was the fact that Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had gained three places on lap 7, but when he took the race lead a lap later he definitely had everyone’s attention.

Up to this point, Vinales’s best finish for the season had been second at CotA, but now he was on track to not only break a personal drought but Yamaha’s winless streak, too.

It briefly looked like it would be a double delight for Yamaha, when some aggressive passing moves from Rossi saw him in second behind his team mate.

It’s well known that Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) has no love for Phillip Island, so it was unsurprising when the ‘Little Samurai’ crashed at turn 4 on lap 9 in his farewell appearance at the track. Ten laps later, Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) would crash out at the same corner.

Midway through the 27-lap race, Vinales was building a solid lead, with Rossi holding down second, but the ride of the day was from Alvaro Bautista (Ducati Team). Normally on a satellite Ducati, the diminutive Spaniard showed the benefits of factory machinery to overtake Dovizioso for third and chase after Rossi. Holding down second briefly, Bautista would be part of a four-way fight that included Rossi, Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

As the pair traded position, Vinales was able to skip away, with his YZR-M1 seemingly on rails as he built his lead. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also benefitted and was able to close up to the chasers to make it a five-way fight for the runner-up position.

Five laps from the finish, Iannone took second place, while Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM) retired with a technical issue. The podium looked set from there and ultimately would prove to be so, despite a late effort from Rossi.

While he clearly eased off in the final laps, Vinales’s winning margin was still an impressive 1.54 seconds over Iannone, with Dovizioso completing the podium.

The victory for Vinales was his first since Le Mans last year and broke a 25-race winless streak for Yamaha, while second for Iannone equalled his best ever race finish in the premier class. Fourth for Bautista was his best result since last year’s Argentine round.

Miller was seventh behind Rossi, while Jones was the final finisher in eighteenth place.

“Honestly, this season has been difficult, so I needed that win, we needed that win, Yamaha needed that win,” Vinales said in the post-race press conference. “For sure, the win will give us a lot of motivation (for next season).”