News 23 Oct 2016

LCR Honda's Crutchlow claims Australian MotoGP victory

Top 10 for Miller as Jones breaks through for maiden grand prix point.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) has taken a stunning second GP win at Phillip Island, as the Brit kept calm and kept his gap at the front ahead of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales completing the podium.

There were no miracle starts for those front-runners starting further back, with Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) getting the best from P12 to move up to ninth and teammate Valentino Rossi gaining two places to 13th, with Viñales moving up only one.

It was Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who got the holeshot from the front row, with pole-sitter Marquez the biggest loser off the line – before the 2016 MotoGP world champion swept back around the outside of Doohan Corner to take back P2 and then fight off Espargaro through Lukey Heights and down into turn 10.

The fight for second between Crutchlow and Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) saw the Brit emerge on top, as Rossi was charging through the field – picking off Pol Espargaro and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), then setting his sights on Aleix Espargaro and soon getting past.

Nearly three seconds clear at the front, there was suddenly a Repsol Honda sliding through the gravel at turn four and Marc Marquez was out of the race. Crutchlow then found himself in the lead as Rossi began his hunt for the LCR machine, over two seconds back.

As the British rider continued pulling away, Rossi than got a warning shot at turn four that saw him run deep and lose ground, as the new fight for the final podium spot saw Aleix Espargaro locked in battle with Dovizioso and Viñales soon getting involved.

After swapping positions in a three-way fight, turn four then claimed another victim as Aleix Espargaro lost his Suzuki machine with five laps to go and teammate Viñales broke the resolve of Dovizioso to take the final place on the podium.

After his storming start, Pol Espargaro took a solid result as he crossed the line in fifth, ahead of a struggling Jorge Lorenzo, who was unable to make up big ground after his good start.

Further back saw Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) leading a seven rider fight for seventh of home hero Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Hector Barbera (Ducati Team), Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden.

Repsol Honda-mounted Hayden put in an impressive one-off return to his 2006 championship-winning colours as he battled well within the points, before Miller took turn four a little over-enthusiastically and Hayden was the casualty, sliding out.

Ducati Team’s Hector Barbera was another crasher, leaving Redding to lead compatriot Bradley Smith over the line for seventh, with the top 10 completed by Petrucci and Miller.

It was a rewarding race for 2015 Australian champion Mike Jones, scoring a single point for 15th position and finishing ahead of former Moto2 champion Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda), as well as Hayden after he remounted.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) has taken his first ever back-to-back victories in the world championship, as he slip-streamed Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli to the line, taking the Italian in a stunning photo finish. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese completed the podium for his first rostrum in over a year.

Luthi got the holeshot from pole and as you were at the front, with a key loser off the line proving championship leader and reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport). As Luthi then had a big moment, Morbidelli then struck for the lead, but the Swiss rider hit back as the front row set off at the head of the race.

From a tough starting position of 15th for championship contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40), the Spaniard was up into P6 with 20 laps to go.

Then Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was the first big name to crash out as the Brit suffered his fifth fall of the weekend early on, before Rins then saw his title chances take another big hit as he ended up in the gravel soon after and Zarco began his fight back and got up into the top 10, but ended ninth at race’s end.

With Lowes and Rins both crashing out and Zarco down in P12, Luthi was the big winner, cutting his deficit in the title fight significantly as the penultimate round of the year at Sepang approaches.

He took over second in the title, now only 22 points down. It was a forgettable race for Aussie Remy Gardner (Tasca Racing Scuderia), crashing on lap one and later crashing out altogether from his home grand prix.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a stunning win from pole at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, clear at the front as chaos reigned the Moto3 class in a 16-rider battle for P3. Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing) followed the South African home in second, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) taking his first career podium in third after winning the last lap group battle.

An original race saw crashes early on for some of the front-runners, including Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), with a crash at Lukey Heights then seeing John McPhee (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) highside out and collect a number of other riders – including Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3).

The red flag came out, with a re-started race set for a distance of 10 laps. Bastianini was unable to make the restart, but Navarro lined up once again for the new race, as did Fabio Quartararo. Having fought up into second before the red flag, the Leopard Racing rider then faced the prospect of doing the task all over again.

The restart saw Binder and Locatelli escaping at the front, before the new champion began to pull away, leaving Locatelli in a lonely second. Further back, the battle for third saw riders heading into Doohan Corner eight wide, with the classic Moto3 freight-train creating a 16 rider battle to complete the podium.

Quartararo was unable to repeat his heroics from before the race start and there were further crashes who then were out of podium contention, including Navarro after a touch from Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold).

Binder’s younger brother Darryn (Platinum Bay Real Estate) then seeing the penultimate lap of the race become a duel for the podium with Aron Canet. Canet just took the honour with a slipstream over the line, with Darryn Binder still taking his career best finish in P4. The top five was completed by Livio Loi (RW Racing BV GP), with Aussie Matt Barton (Suus Honda) 20th.

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