MotoGP 2018

Round 11 – Red Bull Ring – Race Report – Race Results

Summary

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) put on a show to remember at the Red Bull Ring with the pair dogfighting all the way to the flag in an instant classic that saw Lorenzo come out on top and claim his third win of the season.

Teammates in 2019, the five years in which Lorenzo and Marquez have shared the track have produced some legendary different battles at different circuits, but this time it was Lorenzo on top. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), completed the podium in third this time around.

Race Report

It was Marquez who had the initial advantage as he bolted away into the distance over the first laps, putting the hammer down early and leaving the Ducati duo of Lorenzo and Dovizioso trailing him by half a second, a second, then seven tenths as the gap was a constant concertina but a sizeable one nonetheless.

In clear air the number Marc’s tactics seemed immediately clear, and the bigger focus over the first laps was on the two Ducati men locked together behind him – almost close enough to look like one bike at a passing glance.

Dovizioso looked threatening and feinted a number of times but the Italian didn’t make a move. With the gap at the front staying constant and Marquez no longer gaining ground, the tide then began to turn as Lorenzo slowly reeled him in.

By 11 laps to go the Ducatis were right back on the tail of the Honda but Lorenzo just ran it wide at Turn 3. Using the grunt of the Borgo Panigale machine, however, the number 99 recovered quickly to fire himself back into second and the lead trio remained in line, nothing between them… before Lorenzo decided to make his move.

Right on Marquez’ tail over the line and passing the reigning Champion into Turn 1, Lorenzo pulled the pin and took over at the front as teammate Dovizioso ran wide and dropped off the lead duo.

But that lead duo didn’t stay the same way around for long as they dueled it out, heading a bit wide at one point before Lorenzo was back ahead and the two regrouped.

With 3 laps to go Lorenzo went wide at Turn 3 and Marquez went through, but of course the Ducati struck back – with a brutal move at Turn 9. On the penultimate lap Marquez again attacked at Turn 3, but Lorenzo led the two over the line to begin the final lap – and the gloves were most definitely off.

Locked together, the big attack came again at Turn 3 as Marquez dived straight for the inside – but Lorenzo held his line and was able to regain the ground immediately on the exit. Pushing hard and the Repsol Honda in second squiggling around in the braking zones, Marquez looked threatening around the remainder of the final lap but the ‘Spartan’ was not for being caught – taking the victory in style and denying Marquez the chance at a final lunge.

Jorge Lorenzo – P1

“It was an incredible race, maybe one of the best of my career, quite simply spectacular! Winning with Ducati on this circuit, where I had never won before, after a close quarters battle with Marquez, has a really special taste. Before the race I had thought about which strategy to use, and I decided to do like Brno, administering the tyre wear well and then attacking in the final part of the race, especially because I was one of the few riders who had chosen ‘soft’ tyres and my riding style allowed me to conserve them until the end. When I found myself fighting against Marquez I knew that it was going to be difficult to pass him, so I decided to improvise by making the best use of the Desmosedici GP’s acceleration and it worked perfectly. Now we’re third in the championship standings, but above all I’m proud and very pleased with the way we’re working because the feeling with the bike is better and better all the time and I believe we can fight for the win in many other races. Now let’s just enjoy this moment with all the team and I’m also very happy for them.”

Marc Marquez – P2

“Today I enjoyed the race a lot because I finished second but really gave it everything. In Brno I didn’t have enough confidence, while here, I tried. I started to push hard from the beginning as I had chosen the hard rear tyre with the target of trying to open a gap early on, because I knew that Dovi and Lorenzo would be very fast at the end of the race, when the tyres dropped. That was our strategy today and for a short while I believed I would be able to carry it out, but soon they caught me again. It was a great battle. I tried to defend, to change my lines, but it was impossible. This is a track where they’re very strong, especially on the straights. In these situations we try to manage at our best, and we also have our very competitive points; we were very strong on braking and entering the corners. For sure we will use those strengths and have our say at other tracks. So far we’ve always been right there, always on the podium, and that’s the most important thing. We lost only five points on Lorenzo and gained more on Valentino, who’s second in the standings. We’re happy with this result; we’ve done a great job here.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P3

“At the start of the race unfortunately I was never able to get in amongst the battle for first place, because I couldn’t pass Jorge even though at that moment I was quicker than him, but to do that I used up the rear tyre too much, it dropped off a lot ten laps from the end, and this affected my race a bit. From that point onwards, I wasn’t able to do much because I couldn’t link up the corners very well. Pity, because we were pretty good under braking, but every race has its own story and we must always try and interpret the tyres in the best possible way.”

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“I’m pleased, because both of our riders were always competitive throughout the entire weekend here at the Red Bull Ring, both in practice and in the race and in all weather conditions. Today, Jorge was truly awesome and he impressed me in many aspects. All year he’s been braking really hard and you can see that he’s improved a lot from this point of view. Pity about Andrea, who for sure could have aimed a lot higher, but a podium is in any case always an excellent result. I also want to congratulate Marquez, because he really gave us a hard time on this track, which on paper was more favourable for us. Well done to him.”

Behind ‘DesmoDovi’ in third, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) put in an impressive performance to take fourth as top Independent Team rider to put his Spielberg demons to bed after two fifteenths over the past two years, with Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) also able to bounce back after a tough race at the venue last season to complete the top five. Petrucci now leads the Independent rider standings by a single point from Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), with Crutchlow only another point back.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) put in a stunning ride through the field, with the rider from Tavullia moving through from fourteenth on the grid to fight off Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) in a high-calibre battle for sixth. Behind the two, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took eighth after mixing it at the front nearer the start, making for a solid result at a more difficult track for the Hamamatsu factory.

Johann Zarco took ninth as he beat with Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) to the line – with Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) for close company. The three took P9, P10 and P11 respectively.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), meanwhile, took P12 in a more difficult race after a difficult weekend, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in thirteenth following an early run off for the 2016 winner. Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took points for home factory KTM and put in a good race for fourteenth, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) completing the points as top rookie – just ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).

Jack Miller started well and moved up four positions at the first corner and then engaged in a duel with Pedrosa before overtaking Iannone on lap seven to take 12th. From there on though the Australian’s tyres went away which led him into making a mistake on lap 15 that pushed him out of the potential points, the Pramac Ducati rider eventually crossing the line 18th.

Jack Miller – P18

“It’s a shame because the first part of the race was very good. I was pushing hard then the front wheel temperature rose too high and I was unable to keep the pace. It was a very difficult weekend. I can’t wait to be in Silverstone”.

Next up is Silverstone, the stage of the first serious showdown between Lorenzo and Marquez back in 2013. Will we see another repeat? Find out in two weeks as MotoGP heads to the UK.

Video Highlights

2018 MotoGP Round 11 – Austria – MotoGP Race Results

1. LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 39’40.688
2. MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.130
3. DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Ducati Team 1.656
4. CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR LCR Honda 9.434
5. PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Alma Pramac Racing 13.169
6. ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 14.026
7. PEDROSA Dani SPA Repsol Honda Team 14.156
8. RINS Alex SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 16.644
9. ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 20.760
10. BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Angel Nieto Team 20.844
11. RABAT Tito SPA Reale Avintia Racing 21.114
12. VINALES Maverick SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 22.939
13. IANNONE Andrea ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 26.523
14. SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 29.168
15. NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda 30.072
16. SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 30.343
17. ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 31.775
18. MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Racing 34.375
19. MORBIDELLI Franco ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 40.171
20. REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 53.020
21. ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Team 53.261
22. LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 54.355
23. SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Racing +1 lap

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

1. MARQUEZ Marc SPA 201 Repsol Honda Team
2. ROSSI Valentino ITA 142 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
3. LORENZO Jorge SPA 130 Ducati Team
4. DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA 129 Ducati Team
5. VINALES Maverick SPA 113 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
6. PETRUCCI Danilo ITA 105 Alma Pramac Racing
7. ZARCO Johann FRA 104 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8. CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR 103 LCR Honda
9. IANNONE Andrea ITA 84 Team Suzuki Ecstar
10. RINS Alex SPA 66 Team Suzuki Ecstar
11. PEDROSA Dani SPA 66 Repsol Honda Team
12. MILLER Jack AUS 61 Alma Pramac Racing
13. BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA 57 Angel Nieto Team
14. RABAT Tito SPA 35 Reale Avintia Racing
15. ESPARGARO Pol SPA 32 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
16. SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL 24 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
17. MORBIDELLI Franco ITA 22 EG 0,0 Marc VDS
18. ESPARGARO Aleix SPA 17 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
19. SMITH Bradley GBR 15 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
20. REDDING Scott GBR 12 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
21. NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN 11 LCR Honda
22. KALLIO Mika FIN 6 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
23. ABRAHAM Karel CZE 4 Angel Nieto Team

MotoGP Constructor Standings

1. Honda 236
2. Ducati 208
3. Yamaha 183
4. Suzuki 118
5. KTM 41
6. Aprilia 27

MotoGP Team Standings

1. Repsol Honda Team 267
2. Ducati Team 259
3. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 255
4. Alma Pramac Racing 166
5. Team Suzuki Ecstar 150
6. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 128
7. LCR Honda 114
8. Angel Nieto Team 61
9. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 47
10. Reale Avintia Racing 35
11. Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 29
12. EG 0,0 Marc VDS 22

Moto2

Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) maintained his 100 per cent record of winning when on pole at the eyetime Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich after a brilliant battle with main Championship rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) which went all the way down to the final corner.

Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) secured third place at the Red Bull Ring in another last lap battle, as Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) crashed out on the final corner.

The start nearly ended in disaster for Bagnaia, the Italian initially getting the better launch but then getting bogged down in the second phase, with Fabio Quartararo (+ Ego – Speed Up Racing) making contact on the inside forcing both wide – Bagnaia slotted into fourth, but Quartararo had to rejoin outside the top 20.

That left Oliveira with a 0.8 gap at the front, with Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) second and Bagnaia recovering to third. It was only a matter of time before the Italian would make his move past Navarro, and that’s exactly what he did on Lap 6 to set his sights on the Portuguese rider out in front. The gap hovered just below the one second barrier, before Bagnaia gained nearly half a second on the KTM rider at the mid stage of the race, with it soon becoming clear the Kalex machine had the better front grip.

There was nothing to choose between the two Championship protagonists until Bagnaia made his first move at the penultimate corner on lap 21, only for Oliveira to snap straight back at the final corner. It was mirror, signal, manoeuvre with two laps to go, after Bagnaia had tried at Turn 1 – only for Oliveira to use the KTM’s superior rear grip to power past on the exit.

And so, it came down to the last lap. Oliveira led until the penultimate corner when Bagnaia made his move. Again, the Portuguese rider lunged back up the inside at the final corner but couldn’t hold the inside line, with Bagania switching back up the inside to force his way past to take the lead in Championship standings again.

There was also drama just behind, with Marquez crashing at the final corner after battling for the final podium place with Marini and the Italian securing his third consecutive rostrum. Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) was right in the hunt for the podium, the Italian eventually coming home fourth, with Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto3) securing his best result of the season in fifth – his third consecutive top ten.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was sixth after having to drop a position for exceeding track limits, with Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Quartararo and Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) rounding out the top ten in Austria.

Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) finished just outside the top 10 in 11th, with Danny Kent (+ Ego – Speed Up Racing) equaling his best result of the season in 12th. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team), Stefano Manzi (Forward Racing Team) and Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) completed the top 15.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40), teammate Augusto Fernandez and Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) were involved in a crash at Turn 3 on lap 4 – riders ok. Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors), Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) and Federico Fuligni (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) all also crashed out – riders ok.

Remy Gardner had qualified well and was with the leading group and looking comfortable before a crash on lap four put him out of the race. Despite the crash Remy knows that he has the speed to challenge for regular front running positions and is looking to make amends next time out.

Remy Gardner

“It’s a really disappointing end to what has been a really good and positive weekend. I was strong from FP1, and even went fastest in the damp on Saturday morning. I made a good start and held position before passing a few people. I was lucky to avoid the three rider crash just ahead of me on lap three but then I lost the front all on my own at turn six. My fault, I was just pushing too hard too soon. Hopefully at Silverstone I can bounce back with a good result.”

2018 MotoGP Round 11 – Austria – Moto2 Race Results

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) KALEX 37’45.914
2. Miguel Oliveira (POR) KTM +0.264
3. Luca Marini (ITA) KALEX +5.953

Moto3

Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) sealed his second race win of the season after leading from start to finish at the eyetime Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, beating a hard charging Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) to second, with the truly heroic Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) completing the podium after a stunning race just over a week after surgery on a broken left wrist.

Bezzecchi was the man to get the holeshot from pole, with Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), Martin and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) tucking in behind the Italian and the four creating an immediate gap to fifth in the opening lap. Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) then joined the fray after bridging the one second gap a few laps later, but a mistake from Dalla Porta dropped him back into the clutches of the second group.

Back at the front and it was Bezzecchi holding station, no one able to get close enough to make a move, with Martin, Arenas and Masia interchanging behind. The Championship leader threatened to make the break in the latter stages, creating a gap of 0.6 on two separate occasions, but the miraculous Martin was able to claw his title rival back in, the final two sectors a particular strong point for the Honda rider, setting us up for a classic final couple of laps.

It was time to cue the jaws music, with Bastianini setting the fastest laps of the race in the latter stages to reel in the leading group. Bezzecchi was half a second clear at the front and with Arenas running wide at Turn 1, Bastianini then had Martin and Masia firmly in his sights. Martin was passed at Turn 6, then Masia ran slightly wide at the penultimate corner to allow Bastianini through, with Martin slicing his way up the inside of his fellow Spaniard to claim the final podium place on the final corner – Bezzecchi in the meantime claiming his second win of the season to extend his lead in the Championship to 12 points.

Arenas came home fourth, just ahead of Dalla Porta and Masia in 5th and 6th – some late heartache for the number 5 rider as he missed out on a maiden podium. Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crossed the line in a fantastic seventh, with Rodrigo slipping down to eighth by the time the checkered flag was waved. Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) was ninth at the Red Bull Ring, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) rounding out the top ten.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was just 0.015 behind Canet, with John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) producing a fantastic comeback rider to finish 12th from 30th on the grid. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP), Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) completed the top 15.

The day belonged to Bezzecchi in terms of Championship standings, but how important will this third place prove for Martin? Simply stunning from the Spanaird, who now gets two weeks rest before the British GP at Silverstone.

2018 MotoGP Round 11 – Austria – Moto3 Race Results

1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) KTM 37’13.198
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) HONDA +0.473
3. Jorge Martin (SPA) HONDA +0.544