News 19 Mar 2018

Dovizioso strikes first in MotoGP opener at Qatar

Pramac Racing debut a positive one for Miller with top 10 result.

Image: Supplied.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso beat Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to the line at the Losail International Circuit by just 0.027s in the opening MotoGP encounter of the year, lighting the fuse on 2018 from the very first race.

Frenchman Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) shot off pole position to take the lead into the first corner but there was nothing to split the top 10 riders in the opening laps.

It looked as if any one of them could fight for the victory throughout the 22-lap thriller. With fastest laps flying in on each lap, Zarco was still able to keep hold of the lead.

With big battles taking place behind him, the French rider kept calm at the front whilst Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) made his way through the field to get into podium fighting positions by the third lap, hunting down his fellow Yamaha in the lead.

As 10 laps had been completed riders were getting into a rhythm, but you could sense action was on the horizon. Silent assassin Dovizioso moved up to third position on lap 11 as he spent the start of the race working through the field, passing his countryman Rossi who slipped back to the riders fighting for fifth.

A clear battled had now developed for the podium, with Dovizioso and Marquez closing in on Zarco and they were able to make their move on the 18th lap, with Zarco losing two positions into the opening corner – as Dovizisoso took the lead.

Dovizioso and Marquez then began to break away, pushing themselves to the final corner of the final lap, taking no prisoners. Reigning world champion Marquez made his move through turn 15, but he was unable to make it stick and Dovizoso led into the final corner meaning he was able to slingshot his Desmosedici over the line, 0.027s ahead. Another last lap showdown and another Dovizioso victory in style.

Behind the duo, Rossi fought off his rivals to secure a safe third position ahead of top Independent rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), whilst Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) made some strong moves on the closing laps to complete the top five.

Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) crossed the line in sixth after being down in 14th on the opening lap, just ahead of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who made his 200th start in the premier class. Early race leader Zarco crossing the line in eighth after struggling more in the latter stages, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) completing the top 10.

Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) opened the season in 11th, ahead of top rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who crossed the line in the top 12, as Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) salvaged three points from a tough weekend in 13th.

Making his MotoGP debut, Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took a top 14 finish and his first points, ahead of Karel Abraham (Angel Nieto Team) who takes home the final point from Qatar in 15th.

It was a bad start to the season for Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who crashed out of the top six fight on the 13th lap at turn two, whilst Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) had a start to 2018 to forget and the Spaniard crashed out on the same lap – finding his brakes unresponsive at turn 16.

Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) took a maiden Moto2 victory, beating his compatriot Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) to the line as the victory was decided on the final lap under the floodlights. The 2017 rookie of the year began his season in the best possible way, as Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) rounded out the podium.

Best rookie Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took 11th for a solid debut as he comes back from an injury late in pre-season, ahead of Australia’s Remy Gardner on his Tech3 Racing machine for position 12.

In Moto3 Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) waited a while to take his maiden win in the final race of 2017, but the Spaniard made it two in a row as he held off compatriot and expected title challenger Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) in a tense desert duel to take the first win of the year.

Behind the lead duo who escaped in the lead, Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) took his first ever podium as he beat off a group battling for the rostrum.

The paddock will now pack up and head to Argentina from 6-8 April for the second round of what is set to be a phenomenal MotoGP season.

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