It was a history-maker of a day for reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in France, taking Honda’s 300th premier class victory, as well as equalling the premier class win count of teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

Behind Marquez it was a Ducati duel for the podium, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) just able to hold off teammate Danilo Petrucci over the line. Dovizioso equals the podium tally of MotoGP Legend Mick Doohan across all classes, Petrucci took to the rostrum for the first time for the factory Ducati Team.

As the lights went out, poleman Marquez and second place Petrucci immediately went toe-to-toe into turn three, with the number 93 just getting the better of the Italian as everyone made it through the tricky left-right in one piece. It was the top three on the grid who held the top three positions in the race, and Marquez started to edge out a half-second gap on the field.

But Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was on the move. He forced his way past fellow GP19 rider Petrucci and immediately locked his radar on the back of Marquez’ Honda. And it wasn’t long before the 0.5s gap was bridged as Miller slammed in the fastest lap of the race before chucking it up the inside of Marquez at turn three on lap five.

Two laps later Marquez went to return the favour and both riders ran slightly wide, Miller getting the cutback to lead but Marquez sweeping up the inside of the Ducati, as Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) joined the fray at the front.

With Marquez back in the lead though, he began to get into a rhythm. A tenth here and a tenth there slowly stretched the gap out to half a second as the Spaniard posted the fastest lap of the race and it was hammer down for the championship leader.

The gap to Miller and Dovizioso kept on rising and as Marquez ticked lap 14 off, it was over a second and it soon became a race for second between the three Ducatis, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) not completely out of the equation but back in fifth. With 11 to go Marquez was two seconds up the road as Dovi made his move past Miller, the Australian running wide at turn seven as Petrucci began to build up his speed and close down the podium places.

A few laps later, the number nine was past Miller and setting his sights on his teammate. With five laps to go Petrucci struck for P2 but ran wide and the duel would continue – but Dovizioso kept on getting it back. Meanwhile, Marquez had built up nearly a four-second gap as he cruised round to claim his third win of the season in dominant style, equalling Lorenzo’s premier class win tally at 47, which is joint fourth on the list.

Although no match for Marquez on the day, Dovi took an important second for 20 more points and Petrucci returned to the rostrum for the first time since Le Mans last season. Miller held off Rossi by a tenth to earn a solid fourth in France, ‘The Doctor’ not quite able keep tabs on the podium battle and coming home fifth.

Just behind him, meanwhile, was a big contender for ride of the day – the best result of the season so far for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard had looked strong all weekend and he proved it in the race, taking an awesome sixth place and over a second ahead of the next man up, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT).

Home hero Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) eventually crossed the line in P8, followed by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) who lost out to Quartararo in the latter stages, and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins. A P19 start hampered the Spaniard’s French GP as he slips from second to third in the standings. Lorenzo earned his best Honda result in 11th.

It’s been a long time coming, but in Moto2 Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was back on the top step at Le Mans to end a win drought stretching back to Japan 2017 and he did it in style. Over a second clear over the line and untroubled for much of the race, he led Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) and Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40). Australian Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) crashed out of sixth around halfway.

Moto3 saw John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) take his second GP win, with the Scot fighting it out at the front and then able to defend the lead in the final sector to cross the line just over a tenth clear of Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) and Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), who extended his championship lead.

Detailed results

News 19 May 2019

Marquez on Le Mans MotoGP pole as Miller scores front row

Image: Supplied.

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez has equalled Valentino Rossi’s premier class pole position tally after mastering the damp qualifying conditions at the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France.

Marquez took his 55th pole despite crashing in Q2, while Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and top Independent Team rider Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) join the championship leader on the front row for Sunday’s race.

Question marks over which tyres to go with were obvious ahead of the green light and as the riders ventured out, only three riders gambled on slick tyres – Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), teammate Maverick Vinales and fellow Yamaha man Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT).

But it didn’t pay off as the rain started to fall slightly heavier at Le Mans, so the M1 trio came straight back into pit-lane to switch bikes.

Meanwhile, the riders who had gone for wets were busy getting their first lap-times on the board, and it was Marquez who went to the top of the standings after Petrucci and Miller had taken turns to go P1.

The Spaniard’s advantage was nearly 0.4 seconds as he set off on another hot lap but at turn six it came to an abrupt halt as the Repsol Honda rider slid out, trying his best to save it but it wasn’t to be this time around. Miller would also later crash.

Conditions were getting ever so slightly worse as the rain continued to fall and Q1 graduate Rossi was now out on wet tyres, gradually climbing his way up the timing screens as the field struggled to improve on their personal best laps.

Marquez stayed out after his crash but the championship leader wasn’t able to find any more time, with Rossi one of the only riders to find some, the 40-year-old jumping up to fifth on his final flying lap and set to line up alongside Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team).

Closing out the second row is Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), who was the last rider within a second of Marquez, ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), who heads row three despite suffering his first crash of the season.

He has Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) alongside him as the number 99 had his best qualifying yet on the Honda. The six-time Le Mans winner was one who, like Rossi, was able to improve despite the worsening conditions. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was next up in P9 and that was another notable result – the Noale factory’s best of the season so far.

Home hero Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), meanwhile, looked disappointed with 10th, but it’s an impressive result for the rookie as he had to get very quickly accustomed to a MotoGP machine in the wet. The Frenchman will start ahead of Vinales too after a disaster for the Spaniard.

In Moto2, Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) has taken his second consecutive pole position of the season to head fellow Q1 graduate Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) joining the duo on the front row in third. Australia’s Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) starts 12th.

Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee made a little history in Moto3, becoming the first rider to progress from Q1 to then go on to take pole position. It’s his first pole position since Argentina 2017 and he’s joined on the front row by Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) and Friday’s fastest man, impressive rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia).

Detailed results

News 18 May 2019

Vinales goes fastest in Friday MotoGP practice at Le Mans

It was a high-stakes Friday in the Grand Prix de France, with the weather fine on day one but rain and worsening conditions expected on Saturday – meaning the end of FP2 became a frantic dash to ensure a provisional place in Q2.

As the dust settled it was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales at the top of the pile, with the 2017 race winner fast all day and deposing reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) by 0.190s. Home hero Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the top three after topping FP1, with the Frenchman’s pace showing no sign of abating.

The day started sunny before the Le Mans clouds loomed at the start of FP2 to serve as a reminder of the weather warnings for Saturday, not that anyone needed one. After some drama that saw Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) take a tumble and then Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller, it was Honda at the top with Marquez, followed by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), but the timing screens were about to be painted red.

With just under 10 minutes to go to get that fast lap in, Repsol Honda Team’s Jorge Lorenzo bolted first and went fastest overall. It was game on. Then Crutchlow crashed, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro capitalised to push the British rider out the provisional top 10, and Vinales moved the goal posts again to go top.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) then seemed on to go faster still but lost time near the end of the lap, before there was more drama as Aleix Espargaro crashed, Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed for a second time and then Miller followed his lead.

Meanwhile, Vinales was busy at the top going quicker again and that was, then, how it would stay. Marquez jumped from fifth to second across the two sessions, with Quartararo slotting into third and remaining ominous.

Lorenzo remained fourth overall as the Spaniard found some impressive pace in the afternoon, recovering from an FP1 crash to find some top form in France – a venue where he has six wins across all classes, five of which are in MotoGP. Dovizioso stayed safely inside the top 10 and ended Friday in fifth, just ahead of teammate Petrucci after ‘Petrux’ bounced back from his crash.

Pol Espargaro, despite his eventful day, is seventh overall in yet another impressive performance from the 2013 Moto2 Champion to put KTM on course for an automatic place in Q2, likewise brother Aleix, who puts Aprilia in P8.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was another with something to smile about after FP2, with the Japanese rider improving vastly upon his FP1 to end the day in ninth – just ahead of Miller. The Australian didn’t improve in FP2 but had done enough to edge out Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) by just 0.001s – something that could prove crucial.

That’s a phrase that two men will likely be repeating and regretting after a tough first day in France, chiefly Crutchlow down in P12 and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The ‘Doctor’ is P14 overall heading into FP3 and couldn’t crack the top 10, although he was another suffering some drama on Friday as one run in FP1 was interrupted by his chain coming off.

Finally, second in the championship Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also had a tougher day. He’s down in P16 and could well face another fight through the pack on Sunday although it’s not stopped the Spaniard hitting the front yet.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) shot to the top late on Friday Moto2, taking over as fastest from Australian Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) late in FP2 – but not by much. A mere 0.049s split the two men by the end of play, with championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP40) in third only 0.117s off the top.

Moto2 rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) flew to the top of the timesheets, a tenth clear of Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) despite the Italian crashing on day one. The afternoon saw all but one improve their laptimes, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing the top three after another top showing of pace from the Japanese rider.

Detailed results