2019 MotoGP – Round 10 – Brno
Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky
It was a historic weekend at the Grand Prix České republiky, with Marc Marquez once again making his mark, taking pole and then the holeshot despite a dramatic downpour which delayed the start. Marquez then went on to claim his 50th premiere win, with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso runner up, and Australian Jack Miller on the final podium position as the top Independent.
Brno MotoGP Race Report
After a rain shower, a delay and the Quick Start Procedure, it was Marquez who shot off the line first to immediately take the lead, with Dovizioso slicing up into second as Johann Zarco and Miller found themselves struggling a little more with grip.
Initially, it became a four rider fight with Marquez, Dovizioso, Alex Rins and Miller creating a gap over just over a second back to Pol Espargaro, who had Valentino Rossi for close company. As the laps ticked by the leading quartet were line astern as 0.8 covered them, and with limited dry track time throughout the weekend, the riders were wary of not jumping the gun too early.
Meanwhile, Rossi eventually got the better of Espargaro’s KTM, with Cal Crutchlow quickly dispatching the latter to tuck in behind ‘The Doctor’. But by this time, the gap to the leaders was over four seconds. Would Marquez turn the wick up even further? The signs were there and with 10 to go, fourth place Miller had dropped 1.5 off the race leader, with Marquez’ lead over second-placed Dovi creeping up over the half-second mark.
Then, with nine to go, Marquez was making his move. The gap increased to nearly a second but at Turn 10, the number 93 had a warning shot on the front. It didn’t seem to faze the seven-time Champion though, as from then on, no one could keep the Honda man’s pace.
That meant it boiled down to a race for second and third between Dovi, Rins and Miller with five laps remaining. Would there be a late twist in the tale for P2? Rins closed Dovi down slightly but soon, it was the Suzuki under attack instead. Miller smelt blood and the Australian set his sights onto the back of Rins’ GSX-RR.
With two laps left, he went for it at Turn 1 but the blue machine fought back up the inside. No matter, Miller got the job done a few seconds later at Turn 5 and with Rins clearly struggling with his tyres, the Spaniard gave up the ghost.
Up the road, meanwhile, Marquez was out of sight as he took victory number six of the year. 63 points is now his advantage heading to Austria, over Dovizioso, who returned to the podium for the first time since Mugello just behind him.
Behind Rins’ fourth, Crutchlow wasn’t far off the podium hunt, with the British rider finishing 1.2 off him in P5. Rossi took a pretty lonely sixth place to claim his best result since Le Mans; the nine-time World Champion the leading Yamaha in the Czech Republic as he finished three seconds ahead of rookie Fabio Quartararo.
Danilo Petrucci’s run of top six finishes in 2019 came to an end with a P8 in Brno, the Italian ahead of ninth place Takaaki Nakagami. After a bad start, Maverick Viñales recovered from 15th to 10th on a difficult day for one of the riders who looked like a serious contender before the weather shuffled the pack.
Pol Espargaro took 11th ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, with his fellow rookie Miguel Oliveira taking P13 and just ahead of Zarco. Jorge Lorenzo’s replacement, Stefan Bradl, completed the points.
Hafizh Syahrin crashed at Turn 10 on Lap 7 – rider ok, and a crash took down Franco Morbidelli and Joan Mir fter a close encounter with Zarco on Lap 1.
That’s it from Brno, and another masterclass from Marquez sees the number 93 enter the record books once more with his 50th premier class win. The riders will be aiming to stop it become number 51 in Austria, with the action kicking off at the Red Bull Ring in under a weeks’ time. But first, a Brno test on Monday!
Marc Marquez – P1
“I was really concentrating from the beginning because there were some wet patches still at Turn 1, but I decided to start and keep my rhythm because the Yamaha riders were behind and they were very fast in Warm Up. I saw Dovi was behind me and I just kept pushing and pushing. Around 10 laps to go is when I had a warning, it’s when I started to push more and when I tried to open the gap! I’m really happy, it was a crazy weekend but the Repsol Honda Team were really focused and precise, and that helps me achieve the victory.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P2
“I’m happy with my second place today and the fact that we were fast all through the weekend, even though unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win the race. I opted for a different rear tyre to Marquez and at the start I pushed hard to stay close to him, but when he began to brake harder I didn’t have any margin to push harder at the front. Pity, but we weren’t that far away from him, so we have to continue to believe in ourselves: I’m still positive because tomorrow there will be an important test day here at Brno, with a lot of new material to try out.”
Jack Miller – P3
“I am very satisfied with this result and I thank the team because this weekend we have done an extraordinary job. When Rins overtook me I stayed calm and this allowed me to manage the tyre and then attack him in the final. The delayed start? Turn 1 would have been very dangerous. It was the right decision and it’s nice to see how much Dorna cares about our safety.”
Brno MotoGP Results/Championship Standings
Source: MCNews.com.au
