Anderson, Cooper and Osborne named in three-rider team.
Image: Supplied.
The three-rider squad that will make up Team USA for Assen’s 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) was revealed on the weekend at the Unadilla Pro Motocross national.
Former AMA Supercross champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) will spearhead the competitive team in MX1, joined by Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing) in MX2 and Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing).
The once dominant nation has failed to earn the Chamberlain’s Trophy since 2011, with the prestigious event dominated by Team France over the last five years.
Team Germany also confirmed its squad on the weekend, set to field riders Tom Koch (KTM), Henry Jacobi (F&H Kawasaki) and Dennis Ullrich (Husqvarna). The 2019 MXoN will take place on 28-29 September in The Netherlands.
Almost perfect conditions on Friday and Saturday at the Red Bull Ring had seen the riders produce fast and consistent lap-times, and led to the outright lap-record being broken on Saturday afternoon, as Marquez set a new zenith in qualifying by recording a time of 1m23.027s.
2019 Red Bull Ring MotoGP Qualifying results: 1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) 1’23.027 2 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +0.434 3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.488
It was a breathtaking lap that also saw Marquez rise to the top-spot in all-time premier class pole positions chart, as he took the 59th of his career, surpassing Mick Doohan in the process. It also looked likely that come Sunday nobody would have an answer for the speed and consistency Marquez had displayed during the practice and qualifying sessions, as the reigning champion reinforced his dominance at every opportunity. The script on Sunday though did not quite work out as clear cut as that form suggested…
Red Bull Ring gets underway
Polesitter Marquez shot off the line but so did Dovizioso as the two pre-race favourites headed into Turn 1 already locked together, despite Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) heading in slightly hot and almost clipping Dovi on the way in.
Was a frantic turn one on lap one
Marquez and Dovizioso then made slight contact on the run into Turn 3 at 300 km/h. Marquez was on the inside and Dovi on the outside, but the number 93 went in hot and ran wide, the Ducati then also forced to sit up.
Dovizioso and Marquez battled hard in Austria
That let Quartararo sweep through to lead, with Miller and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins then also pouncing on the exit and Marquez having another wobble as he gassed it to try and slot back into the pack.
Fabio Quartararo took the lead early on
Dovizioso was behind Marquez after the shuffle, but he was back past into Turn 4 as Quartararo started putting the hammer down in the lead. The Frenchman was 0.5 ahead onto Lap 2, but Dovizioso and Marquez started to make up ground as they recovered from a frantic opening lap.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Dovi was soon back up to second, with Miller holding off Marquez – for the time being – and fast-starting Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) not far off, ‘The Doctor’ climbing his way up to fifth from P10 in the opening exchanges and initially in the battle for the podium.
Before long, Marquez had dispatched Miller and the top three started to edge away from the number 43, Rossi and Rins. Then on Lap 7, Quartararo was under serious attack: Dovizioso blasted past into the lead, before Marquez shot past the Yamaha moments later. The two were back in front, and the duel was just getting started.
Dovizioso, Marquez, Quartararo, Miller, Rossi
The pin wasn’t yet pulled, however, with the top five remaining within a second-and-a-half before heartbreak struck for Miller as the Australian slid out at Turn 9. Just metres ahead on track, Marquez struck for the lead at the final corner, too, and then the duo started to pull clear. Not by a massive margin each lap, but Quartararo couldn’t match the pace of the Ducati and Honda as another almighty Austrian battle started to take shape.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Marquez threatened to stretch away but the gap didn’t rise above 0.4 seconds, with the number 93 strong in the first half of the lap and Dovizioso the stronger in the second part. The laps ticked by and there was nothing between them, Dovizioso shadowing the reigning Champion.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Then, out of nowhere, a move was made with nine to go. Dovizioso powered alongside Marquez, and the number 93 even looked across at the Italian heading into Turn 1. But the Ducati made the pass stick and it was now the 2017 Austrian GP winner in control.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Tensions were bubbling to boiling point for the next five laps, with Marquez trailing Dovi by 0.1, 0.2. The question was not if, but when and where. Then, with three to go, we found out. Turn 7 was the unlikely location as Marquez stuck it underneath Dovizioso to take back the lead, and it settled back into strategic chess until Turn 1 on the penultimate lap as the number 04 went for it. Could he make it stick? Not quite, Dovizioso running wide and Marquez straight back through.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Onto the last lap, there was nothing separating the leaders and again, Dovi went for it at Turn 1 but ran wide, so it was Marquez who led going down into Turn 3. The Italian was close but not close enough around the final lap, and it started to look like the Borgo Panigale factory’s stranglehold on the Red Bull Ring could be under threat. But it was far from over as down to the last sector, with the two glued together once again as the Ducati powered up the hill out of Turn 8. He was close, but no pass came at Turn 9. It was going down to the wire.
Marquez and Dovizioso
Heading into the last corner, the Ducati pulled out from behind the Honda as Dovizioso pulled a Marquez – pushing his machine into the gap and on the verge of creating space rather than using it. It was roles reversed from 2017 as the Italian lunged down the inside, keeping it perfectly pinned to deny Marquez and power towards the line ahead for his second win of the season. With no chance to strike back, Marquez was forced to settle for second in what was one of the most thrilling last lap battles ever witnessed in racing.
Marquez and Dovizioso
The Ducati pit garage exploded as their man crossed the line.
Ducati ecstatic with victory in Austria
In the overall Riders’ championship standings, Andrea Dovizioso is still in second place but he has reduced the gap to leader Marquez to 58-points.
Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso – P1
“Today I’m so happy, because this victory was really important for me. Towards the end of the race I had good right-side grip on the tyre and this allowed me to successfully attempt that incredible overtaking move at the final corner. My strategy for the race was to be aggressive right from the opening lap, but Marquez was more aggressive than me. He immediately tried to impose his rhythm but I was always able to respond and in the final stages I think he had more wear on his tyres than me so I could stay right on his tail until the end, and attempt that crazy passing move on him at the final corner. I want to thank Ducati and my team because today we did everything just perfectly.”
Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez – P2
“I’m happy because today we made a mistake with the rear tyre, immediately I saw all the soft tyres had better grip and even their consistency at the end was better than us. Even like this I tried because I’m Marc and I need to try! The second place is good, we missed in the last corner with a lot of sliding but Dovi did an incredible job. Still we are able to leave here with a 58-point lead so we will keep continuing like this. Even when we are not in the best shape, we are able to finish like this which is positive overall.”
Marc Marquez
Quartararo best of the rest
Behind the headline duel, Quartararo took the chequered flag in a lonely third to claim his third MotoGP rostrum and bank another huge haul of points in his impressive 2019, coming home top rookie, top Independent Team rider and top Yamaha – equalling the Iwata factory’s best result at the track from 2016.
Fabio Quartararo
Just behind him, Rossi had been caught by team-mate Maverick Viñales and Suzuki rider Rins as the trio battled for fourth, with Rossi ultimately able to pull a tenth or two clear of Viñales as three Yamahas sat in the top five at a tougher track for them. Rins, meanwhile, was only 0.021 off the number 12, the number 42 running it close and only just fended off.
Valentino Rossi managed to hold off Vinales
Behind the Yamaha train, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) took P7 and a big haul of points after a much more positive weekend, finishing just ahead of fellow rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider finished as the best KTM on the Austrian factory’s home turf, taking a sensational P8 and some serious scalps.
Danilo Petrucci, Franco Morbidelli
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) will be disappointed with P9 on a Ducati-friendly circuit, with compatriot Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top 10 ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and the second KTM of Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, crashed out of contention on Lap 2 at Turn 3, the British rider hitting the back of Tito Rabat’s Reale Avinita Racing Ducati after the Spaniard had to take avoiding action after a problem for Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) bike.
2019 MotoGP Red Buill Ring Race Results: 1 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) 39’34.771 2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.213 3 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +6.117
Australian contender Miller crashes out of podium contention.
Image: Supplied.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sliced his way past Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at the final corner of the Austrian grand prix as the Italian turned the tables on the reigning champion, the hunted turning hunter to keep Ducati’s 100 percent winning record at the Red Bull Ring intact.
After all-out war in Austria, ‘DesmoDovi’ became the first repeat winner since the venue’s return to the calendar in 2016, with the gloves coming off early as a vintage Dovi versus Marquez duel lit up the Red Bull Ring.
The Italian has won most of them, but in Spielberg he didn’t play defence. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the podium after another impressive ride from the rookie, equalling Yamaha’s best result at the track.
Polesitter Marquez was lightning off the start but so was Dovizioso as the two pre-race favourites headed into turn one already locked together, despite Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) heading in slightly hot and almost clipping the number four Ducati ahead of him.
But all’s well that ends well and this was just the beginning, with the Italian and Spaniard even making slight contact on the run into turn three at 300kph. Marquez was on the inside and Dovi on the outside, but the number 93 went in hot and ran wide, the Ducati then also forced to sit up. That let Quartararo sweep through to lead, with Miller and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins then also pouncing on the exit and Marquez having another wobble as he gassed it to try and slot back into the pack.
Dovizioso was behind Marquez after the shuffle, but he was back past into turn four as Quartararo started putting the hammer down in the lead. The Frenchman was 0.5s ahead onto lap two, but Dovizioso and Marquez started to make up ground as they recovered from a frantic opening lap.
Dovi was soon back up to second, with Miller holding off Marquez – for the time being – and fast-starting Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) not far off, ‘The Doctor’ climbing his way up to fifth from P10 in the opening exchanges and initially in the battle for the podium.
Before long, Marquez had dispatched Miller and the top three started to edge away from the number 43, Rossi and Rins. Then on lap seven, Quartararo was under serious attack: Dovizioso blasted past into the lead, before Marquez shot past the Yamaha moments later. The two were back in front, and the duel was just getting started.
The pin wasn’t yet pulled, however, with the top five remaining within a second and a half before heartbreak struck for Miller as the Australian slid out at turn nine. Just metres ahead on track, Marquez struck for the lead at the final corner, too, and then the duo started to pull clear.
Not by a massive margin each lap, but Quartararo couldn’t match the pace of the Ducati and Honda as another almighty Austrian battle started to take shape. Marquez threatened to stretch away but the gap didn’t rise above 0.4 seconds, with the number 93 strong in the first half of the lap and Dovizioso the stronger in the second part.
The laps ticked by and there was nothing between them, Dovizioso shadowing the reigning champion. Then, out of nowhere, a move was made with nine to go. Dovizioso powered alongside Marquez, and the number 93 even looked across at the Italian heading into Turn 1. But the Ducati made the pass stick and it was now the 2017 Austrian GP winner in control.
Tensions were bubbling to boiling point for the next five laps, with Marquez trailing Dovi by 0.1s and 0.2s. The question was not if, but when and where. Then, with three to go, we found out. Turn seven was the unlikely location as Marquez stuck it underneath Dovizioso to take back the lead, and it settled back into strategic chess until turn one on the penultimate lap as the number 04 went for it. Could he make it stick? Not quite, Dovizioso running wide and Marquez straight back through.
Onto the last lap, there was nothing separating the leaders and again, Dovi went for it at turn one but ran wide, so it was Marquez who led going down into turn three. The Italian was close but not close enough around the final lap, and it started to look like the Borgo Panigale factory’s stranglehold on the Red Bull Ring could be under threat.
But it was far from over as down to the last sector, with the two glued together once again as the Ducati powered up the hill out of turn eight. He was close, but no pass came at turn nine. It was going down to the wire.
Heading into the last corner, the Ducati pulled out from behind the Honda as Dovizioso pulled a Marquez – pushing his machine into the gap and on the verge of creating space rather than using it. It was roles reversed from 2017 as the Italian lunged down the inside, keeping it perfectly pinned to deny Marquez and power towards the line ahead for his second win of the season. With no chance to strike back, Marquez was forced to settle for second.
Behind the duel, Quartararo took the chequered flag in a lonely third to claim his third MotoGP rostrum and bank another huge haul of points in his impressive 2019, coming home top rookie, top Independent Team rider and top Yamaha – equalling the Iwata factory’s best result at the track from 2016.
Just behind him, Rossi had been caught by teammate Maverick Vinales and Suzuki rider Rins as the trio battled for fourth, with Rossi ultimately able to pull a tenth or two clear of Vinales as three Yamahas sat in the top five at a tougher track for them. Rins, meanwhile, was only 0.021 off the number 12, the number 42 running it close and only just fended off.
Behind the Yamaha train, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) took P7 and a big haul of points after a much more positive weekend, finishing just ahead of fellow rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider finished as the best KTM on the Austrian factory’s home turf, taking a sensational P8 and some serious scalps.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) will be disappointed with P9 on a Ducati-friendly circuit, with compatriot Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top 10 ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and the second KTM of Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, crashed out of contention on lap two at turn three, the British rider hitting the back of Tito Rabat’s Reale Avinita Racing Ducati after the Spaniard had to take avoiding action after a problem for Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) bike.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder battled to his first Moto2 win of 2019, getting the job done in style on home turf for both KTM and team sponsor Red Bull.
The South African held off a hard-charging Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) as the championship leader sliced through from P11 on the grid, with Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) completing the podium. Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) put on a stellar display, challenging for victory before crashing out in the dying stages.
Romano Fenati’s (VNE Snipers) 2019 reboot is complete after the Italian Moto3 veteran producing a sensational ride to claim his first win since the 2017 Japanese grand prix. The number 55 was pitch perfect to finish just over a second clear of teammate Tony Arbolino for a VNE Snipers 1-2, with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) locking out the final place on the podium.
Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took an impressive victory in round two of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with the grid going racing in wet conditions for the first time ever and the Frenchman perfectly composed to come home for 25 points and the championship lead.
Xavier Simeon (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) took second after a big squabble to decide the podium, with Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) crossing the line in third. Australian Josh Hook (Pramac Racing) charged to an impressive seventh. MotoGP now heads to Silverstone in Great Britain on 25 August.
Images by Gold & Goose/Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Australia’s Billy Van Eerde has taken a 2-3 result at the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Round 5 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, with the two podium results boosting him to 11th in the standings, now on 47-points.
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Pedro Acosta claimed the Race 1 win from Van Eerde and Noguchi, with standings leader Carlos Tatay way back in 14th. Race 2 saw Noguchi win, with Tatay back in the fight and on the podium in second, ahead of Van Eerde. Race 1 winner Acosta was back in fifth behind Huertas.
Qualifying
Spaniards were in control all the way through Free Practice and Qualifying with 15-year-old Alex Escrig finally grabbing pole ahead of 14-year-old Marcos Uriarte after the pair worked together at the end of Qualifying. Fellow countryman and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup leader, 16-year-old Carlos Tatay was all on his own for third.
Alex Escrig – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
The Escrig/Uriarte plan also included another Spielberg first timer, 15-year-old Pedro Acosta but the 15-year-old Spaniard missed out and was only ninth fastest. Also missing out was Japanese 18-year-old Haruki Noguchi who topped the timing screen only to have that best lap cancelled because he exceeded track limits.
Tatay has already won five races and scored two second places this year. With rival Yuki Kunii missing the Austrian round after injuring his right hand again in his wild card GP debut in Brno last weekend the 16-year-old Spaniard could well clinch the Cup this weekend.
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
He could even do it on Saturday if Acosta, David Salvador and Jason Dupasquier do not score a few points. Most likely the Cup will still be in play on Sunday. Yet another Spaniard, 15-year-old David Salvador, starts fifth.
Race 1
A photo finish gave Pedro Acosta victory over Billy van Eerde and Haruki Noguchi in an incredible Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1 in Austria.
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Sensation from start to finish with run-away points leader Carlos Tatay given a ride-through penalty for a jump start along with fellow front row sitter Marcos Uriarte who was rolling while the crowd were still taking their seats.
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Tatay and Uriarte recovered to score two and one-points respectively but it very much keeps the Cup alive as Acosta has slashed Tatay’s advantage to 54-points. Yuki Kunii is only 49 behind Tatay but the Japanese 16-year-old misses both races this weekend through injury.
It was at least a lead battle of twelve KTM RC 250 Rs and no one even looked like breaking away. In the closing stages it was Acosta, van Eerde and Noguchi who seemed strongest but the result was still wide open and the win only decided on the dash from the last corner to the flag.
Pedro Acosta
“An incredible feeling, I won that when the race was red flagged so this is much better. I had a good feeling going into the race because in FP1 and FP2 my times were good. I made a bit of a mess of Qualifying so only started ninth but I managed to get to the front quickly. At the end I didn’t want to lead, there are so many places to pass here, straights to slipstream, I just wanted to be third or second and I managed that. Then the last corners just worked perfectly but it was so close. It was so close, Noguchi touched me coming through the last turn but it was really such a nice fight, great fun.”
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Van Eerde had lost a podium in Race 2 at the Sachsenring because of exceeding track limits but not this time and was ecstatic to finish on the podium.
Billy Van Eerde
“Finally, it was such a great race, I just kept pushing and never gave up. I wasn’t so happy with the bike in Qualifying and was only 11th on the grid. It was a bit unstable but I talked to Santi (Suspension engineer Santiago Morralla) and he had it sorted for the race. In the last corner Noguchi came across and I lost my drive just a bit but I’m so happy to get on the podium.”
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Noguchi picked up his third third-place of his first Rookies Cup season.
Haruki Noguchi
“Not perfect, I had two or three plans for the end of the race but they didn’t quite work on the last lap, I still had a plan for the last corner as I’d watched the videos from the last few years, it almost worked but not quite. Tomorrow I will try again. I did change the bike after qualifying but for tomorrow we will go back a bit and I hope that can make the difference, I want to win.”
Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
A very close fourth was French 14-year-old Gabin Planques whose previous best was 11th in Race 2 at the Sachsenring. Pole man Alex Escrig was in the lead group but ran off the track with a few laps to go, so none of the front row featured in the final podium contest.
Race 1 podium, 1) Pedro Acosta, 2) Billy Van Eerde, 3) Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, AustriaRace 1 Results – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Race 2
Any one of sixteen could have won the second intense seventeen lap race but it was Japanese 18-year-old Haruki Noguchi who put together two perfect corners to complete his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory. Cup leader Carlos Tatay almost stole the win by passing him into the penultimate corner but the 16-year-old Spaniard drifted a fraction wide and Noguchi was back ahead.
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Billy van Eerde, the 17-year-old Australian picked up his second podium of the weekend with a fine third ahead of Adrián Huertas, Pedro Acosta and Zonta van den Goorbergh. Two seconds covered the top 14 KTM RC 250 Rs at the finish.
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Haruki Noguchi
“Finally a win and I am very happy with that. It was half full gas and half a bit of planning. It was such a tight bunch that I though it best to keep in the top three or four to keep out of trouble. On the last lap I wanted to take the lead and hold it but Tatay managed to get ahead and I had to repass him, then I went for maximum corner speed and using all the track at the last corner so I could not be passed. It worked. I want to thank everyone who supports me including the technical staff, we swapped back to the settings I used for Qualifying and that worked well today.”
Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
With a hand already on the Cup title Tatay might have cruised a bit and picked up useful points but the racer never thought of that.
Carlos Tatay
“I’m not thinking about the championship. I wanted to win. I went for the inside line at the end but just could not hold on. Still, second is good and I am very happy after yesterday’s mistake at the start. I really want to thank my manager and my mechanic, they know exactly how to give me a boost when I need it.”
Carlos Tatay – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Wearing the same brilliant smile he carried after yesterday’s second place, Aussie Billy van Eerde was happy with third.
Billy van Eerde
“It was a different race to yesterday, I was stuck more in the pack. Things were so close this time that I couldn’t find the line I needed and it was very hard to make progress. I just kept pushing though and made it work at the end.”
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Like van Eerde, Huertas has had a torrid second Rookies Cup season but the 15-year-old Spaniard put that behind him with a fine fourth. The same plan didn’t work so well for Saturday’s winner Acosta.
So rapid were the changes of fortune through the entire race that David Salvador, the 15-year-old Spaniard who had the lead with a couple of laps to go ended up 16th after colliding with Marcos Uriarte on the final lap. Uriarte rolled home 20th, completing a frustrating weekend that had looked so promising when he qualified second.
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Pole sitter Alex Escrig was even more unlucky. He ended up stuck in the gravel trap on Saturday and didn’t even make the start on Sunday after a collision with van den Goorbergh on the warm up lap. Escrig fell and his bike was damaged so the 15-year-old Spaniard could not start.
Van den Goorbergh did not fall, started as normal but was quickly awarded a long lap penalty for the incident with Escrig. He served the penalty and then managed to get back in the pack.
Race 1 podium, 1) Haruki Noguchi, 2) Carlos Tatay, 3) Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, AustriaRace 2 Results – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Clash with Alex Marquez costs Gardner dearly in Austria
Remy Gardner once again showed he is a contender for Moto2 World Championship glory after a stunning race saw him fighting for the win in yesterday’s Austrian GP before an incident curtailed his victory challenge.
Qualifying ninth, albeit less than three-tenths-of-a-second from the Pole, Gardner was confident of a front running performance and with rain in the air as Warm Up began expectations were high.
A strong start and a customary #87 charge soon saw Remy in the top three and hunting down the lead.
With six laps to go Remy went a little wider than usual after taking avoiding action to miss Brad Binder at Turn One, who was a little slower than the previous lap. On the exit he made contact with Alex Marquez, crashing out of what was looking like a well-deserved podium.
Disappointed, Gardner is determined to make amends at Silverstone, the venue of his maiden Moto2 Pole Position last year.
Remy Gardner
“The team and I worked better for the whole weekend to improve our pace and the lap in qualifying was a good one, but we were losing a third of a second on the straights due to a small problem. I was unable to fight for the Pole, but we reset everything ready for the race and to be honest I am leaving Austria asking when will my luck change? I gave it everything today and had the pace to win! I am really disappointed. Binder went into the corner a lot slower, I went wide to avoid him and made contact with Marquez and that was that. He could have given me more space, but it’s been deemed a racing incident, so we have to just focus on getting the result we all deserve there. Thanks again for all the support, it means a lot. See you in the UK!”
In the Moto3™ class, fourth place Austrian GP finisher Celestino Vietti will be doing some laps on board his SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP), Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race), his teammate Kazuki Masaki and Jason Dupasquier (Redox PrüstelGP) will be joining the Italian on track as we see no Honda riders testing.
“The start of the second half of the season is not fantastic but quite positive, considering the disaster of the first half. Looks like Yamaha have started to work harder and started to work in a better way, we have a lot to do, but like this is better, and it looks like we improved. Now we have Silverstone, so we hope for good weather and a good weekend because the track is fantastic and the new asphalt can also be good for Yamaha.”
This was the 20-year-old’s 11th premier class race and, as Quartararo mentioned, getting a podium on a track that doesn’t suit the Yamaha is a phenomenal achievement. In addition, what’s even more impressive about Quartararo’s performance, is the speed charts. Top speed wise, the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider sits bottom, 3.4km/h slower than Hafizh Syahrin’s Red Bull KTM Tech 3 and a full 14.2km/h slower than Dovizioso and Marquez. The speed difference was highlighted when Dovi blasted past Quartararo on the start-finish straight to take the lead, with Marquez then making the Yamaha look like a sitting duck immediately after on the run down to Turn 3.
Johann Zarco and Red Bull KTM will not complete the second season of a two-year agreement together in 2020. The former Moto2 World Champion and the factory team have mutually decided to end his stint in orange at the end of the 2019 campaign.
Johann Zarco
The 29 year old joined KTM towards the end of 2018 after his second term in MotoGP and for his first with full-factory support. Zarco tried to adapt his riding style to the KTM RC16 and KTM stated that the team tried relentlessly to mould the #5 machine to the Frenchman’s wishes and requirements while teammate Pol Espargaro made regular Q2 qualification appearances and persistently vied for top ten positions.
Johann Zarco
Ultimately both Johann and the team decided not to proceed with their joint project for 2020 and will now focus on giving the maximum for the final eight rounds and remaining months of MotoGP 2019.
The primary highlight so far in their partnership was the front row qualification at Brno
As for who will step into the seat unexpectedly made vacant by the Frenchman, possibilities include the reinstatement of Bradley Smith to the factory team for 2020, or the promotion of Miguel Oliveira from the Tech3 squad to Red Bull Factory KTM Racing.
Tensions were bubbling to boiling point as for the next five laps, Marquez trailed Dovi by 0.1, 0.2. Shadowing his great rival, where would Marquez choose to pounce? With three to go, we found out. Turn 7 was the unlikely location as Marquez stuck it underneath Dovizioso to regain the baton, was it the race-winning move? Serious questions were being asked of Dovizioso, but he was answering them. Marquez wasn’t pulling clear and heading into Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, Dovi went for it. Would he make it stick? Not quite, Dovi ran wide to allow Marquez to power back past.
