Rear grip issue denies Miller of podium contention in Japan
Section: Competition
Pramac Racing contender settles for top 10 result.
Image: Supplied.
A rear grip issue just seven laps into the Japanese grand prix denied Jack Miller of challenging for a podium in the 16th round of the MotoGP World Championship.
Starting from sixth on the grid, the Australian immediately placed himself in podium contention and showed strong pace in the opening stages, however the lack of grip saw him relegated down the field by the end of the 24-lap outing to finish in 10th.
“Unfortunately after seven laps, I started to have some problems with the rear grip and the situation got worse in the following laps,” Miller explained.
“From that moment on I could only try to get to the finish line. It’s a shame because I got off to a good start and I thought I could follow Marc and Fabio to the end. We have to analyse the data and see what happened. I am disappointed and can’t wait to be in Australia.”
The fan-favourite is now ranked eighth in the championship standings as the series heads to Phillip Island this weekend.
Wilson MEC injury casts uncertainty over S-X Open appearances
Section: Competition
Factory Husqvarna rider suffers dislocated hip in Las Vegas.
Image: Supplied.
A hip injury sustained during qualifying at the Monster Energy Cup over the weekend has cast uncertainty over Dean Wilson’s attendance at the Auckland and Melbourne stops of the 2019 S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship next month.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team released a statement yesterday, indicating the popular contender suffered a dislocated hip in the frightening fall.
The extent of the injury and subsequent recovery time is yet to be determined, however early reports suggest Wilson could be on the sidelines for an extended period of time.
It potentially rules him out of the Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne rounds, scheduled for 16 November and 30 November respectively.
Both of the prestigious supercross races currently boast an incredible international line-up consisting of Chad Reed (Honda), Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing), Joey Savatgy, and three-time Australian supercross champion Justin Brayton (Penrite Honda Racing).
Ricky Carmichael will also be on-hand at both stops, while New Zealand great and former world champion Ben Townley will be in attendance at the Auckland round.
Unlike the opening round where only the top twenty from qualifying from the SX2 class advanced to the nights’ racing, the round two format allowed all 31 riders to head to the heat races.
Josh Osby
Qualifying was again dominated by the American racers, with the five imports posting the top five fastest times on the tough and technical track.
Round one winner Serco Yamaha’s Jacob Hayes lead the way with a lap time of 45.935s, edging out the Penrite Factory Honda pairing of Chirs Blose and Mitchell Oldenburg who both posted times in the low 46’s.
Jacob Hayes
Raceline KTM’s Joshua Osby and Empire Kawasaki’s Bradley Taft continued the American onslaught. Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti led the way for the Aussies in 6th position on 47.227-seconds, well over a half a second down on 5th fastest Taft.
Current SX2 champion Jay Wilson finished 7th fastest. Young gun, Kaleb Barham aboard his Mat Mladin Racing Husqvarna impressed with the 8th best time.
Jay Wilson
SX2 HEAT 1
A revised racing format saw the top seven riders from each heat qualify directly to the 15-lap main event. The remaining riders from each heat then headed to the LCQ, where the top six would then advance to make a 20-rider field for the final.
SX2
Osby, who won one of the two double-header finals in Brisbane last week, again showed he has race-winning pace, sneaking under DPH Husqvarna’s Wilson Todd in the first turn to take control of the race lead. Hayes soon followed up into second position.
The race up front emained unchanged all the way to the finish, with the prime action happening behind the leading three.
Tomas Ravenhorst, who had a night to forget at round one, held down 4th for every lap bar the last when Raceline KTM’s Regan Duffy got the better of him. Qualifying standout Barham finished the race in 6th.
Taking the last direct qualifying spot for the nights main event was Taft who overcame a first-lap crash before dissecting his way through the field in order to bypass the LCQ.
Victorian privateer Geran Stapleton, who sat out the opening round, was the first rider through to the LCQ, finishing 8th.
SX2 HEAT 2
Supercross hit Adelaide on the weekend
Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing’s Rhys Budd gave in insight to his potential when he led the field for the entire opening lap of the second heat. In stark contrast, Chris Blose, one of the pre-race favourites, found himself in last position after going down early on the opening lap.
Chris Blose
Budd’s race lead was short-lived, Tanti and Oldenburg both passing the Honda racer before putting on a show for the crowd, a back and forth battle ensued that saw the two pass each other on numerous occasions.
In the end though Oldenburg proved too good, edging out Tanti for the win. Jay Wilson coming home in third.
Round one qualifying stand-out Connor Tierney again impressed aboard his GPH Recruitment Yamaha to finish 4th, ahead of Budd and Davey Motorsports KTM racer Dylan Wills.
If the show out front for the lead was good, the race for the final spot direct to the main was a barnstormer. Blose making an amazing three passes on the last lap to cross the line in 7th spot, just over a half-a-second ahead of TLR Yamaha’s Ricky Latimer.
SX2 LCQ
Both Geran Stapleton and Ricky Latimer made up for missing a direct qualifying spot from the heats into the main event by one plac by making the most of the LCQ. Stapleton taking the win and Latimer in third, joining second-placed Morgan Fogarty of the Davey Motorsports KTM team in advancing to the nights big show.
WBR Yamaha’s Jack Kukas and Top Gun Motorcycles backed Jayce Gosford finished 4th and 5th respectively. Davey Motorsports KTM’s Chandler Burns finished 6th to take the last spot on the gate.
SX2 SUPERPOLE
For round two, the top three SX2 racers from each heat also made an appearance in the nights Superpole competition to decide the first six gate picks for the main event.
Hayes topped the timesheet with a blistering 45.020s lap time, half-a-second ahead of Oldenburg and Osby as American riders filled the top three spots, followed by the Australian trio of Wilson, Tanti and Todd.
SX2 FINAL
SX2
Wilson Todd jumped out to an early lead when the SX2 main event got underway, leading Joshua Osby and Mitchell Oldenburg through the opening two laps. Round one winner Jacob Hayes had his work cut out from 7th position.
SX2 FINAL
Two other riders who also had some work to do were American’s Blose and Taft, as happened in each of their heat races they both suffered early race separate crashes again in the main event, leaving them at the back of the field. Blose crossing the finish line at the end of lap two dead last.
SX2 FINAL
On lap three the race was turned on its head as both race leader Todd, and Hayes who was battling for 5th, both crashed at nearly the same time on the same straight, though in different spots and separate incidents.
The crashes were big enough to put both riders out of the event, Hayes eventually walking from the track, while Todd was left in the care of the Racesafe medics.
Out front Oldenburg took advantage of Todd’s misfortune, running away with the lead and quickly setting up an unassailable gap back to second position.
The fight for the final podium positions was where all the action unfolded, as Osby held down second place from Jay Wilson with Tanti in 4th.
Aaron Tanti
Tanti first caught and passed Wilson on lap six, then with just five laps remaining made his way through on Osby to take over second position.
Osby was not done though, and on the final lap closed the gap to second placed Tanti.
Out front, Oldenburg was near faultless walking away from the field to win by six-and-a-half seconds, elevating himself to third positions in the championship standings.
Oldenburg takes the win
Behind him, Osby not only passed Tanti on the final lap but found a way to gap the leading Australian by two-seconds to finish on the second step of the podium, moving into second position in the championship.
Tanti may have been relegated to third for the round, but it was still enough for him to take over the points lead. Tanti will now take hold of the red plate when the third round of the series heads to Wollongong on Saturday the 9th of November.
Aaron Tanti will take the championship lead to round three
Jay Wilson finished 4th, 12-seconds ahead of Blose who put in a remarkable ride to keep his championship hopes alive, passing 15 riders in just 13 laps to finish 5th.
Regan Duffy continued his impressive foray into Supercross racing, building speed as the night went on to finish in a very respectable 6th position, ahead of Tierney in 7th and Ravenhorst in 8th, the leading two privateers.
Connor Tierney
Taft rebounded from his crash to finish 9th, while Rhys Budd continued his excellent form to round out the top ten.
Takuma Matsuyama and Sho Nishimura have split the wins in the Asia Talent Cup at Motegi over the weekend, with Race 1 winner Matsuyama now leading the standings by 12-points, from Nishimura on 157, with both Japanese riders making the most of their home track advantage.
Takuma Matsuyama sporting his fractured wrist injury – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Harrison Voight led the Australians in Race 1 with a ninth place finish, while Jacob Roulstone and Luke Power did not finish, with Roulstone retiring and Power crashing. A turn-around in Race 2 saw Voight not finish, with Roulstone top Aussie in tenth, and Luke Power 16th. Voight crashed out on the final lap in Race 2.
Jacob Roulstone – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Race 1
Takuma Matsuyama suffered a fractured wrist on Friday at Motegi, but that didn’t stop the Japanese rider converting pole position into an incredible win on Saturday afternoon. He extends his points lead to 25, now ahead of Afridza Munandar as the Indonesian took second and Sho Nishimura suffered a costly crash out of contention. Syarifuddin Azman completed the podium to keep his run of form rolling in another impressive race.
Race 1 Start – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
It was Matsuyama who kept P1 from pole, the number 11 blasting away from the line and already able to pull out a couple of bike lengths from the off. Azman was in hot pursuit, however, as he managed to put himself in charge of the chase, with the fight for third remaining a freight train early on.
Little by little, however, the chasing pack would reign the two in, as Azman managed to reign in Matsuyama too. Then it became a classic group battle at the front, with the top ten covered by just over a second and a half and the gaps a constant concertina.
Takuma Matsuyama & Syarifuddin Azman – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
As the final laps appeared in sight though, it was down to a key group of six in the fight for the podium – Matsuyama, Munandar, Azman, Thai rider Tatchakorn Buasri, Shoki Igarashi and Nishimura. Drama hit on the penultimate lap for Nishimura, however, as the number 3 suddenly tagged the rear tyre of Munandar ahead of him and went down. That left Matsuyama with an open goal, and despite his fractured wrist, the number 11 would emerge victorious nonetheless.
Keeping calm and collected at the front, the points leader defended to perfection around the final two corners to keep the lead and blast towards the line ahead – nailing the exit too and no one able to get close as he crossed the line nearly two tenths clear. That gives him a 25-point lead ahead of Munandar as the Indonesian came second, narrowly escaping Azman on the drag to the line.
Takuma Matsuyama – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Buasri just missed out as he crossed the line in fourth, with Igarashi completing the top five as the last of the lead group, taking some good points after his dramatic antics in Buriram.
Warit Thongnoppakun was sixth and the first of those on the chase although the Thai rider cut the gap to a few tenths, heading Herjun Firdaus over the line. Wildcard Kanta Hamada impressed in P8, ahead of a solid race for Australian Harrison Voight. Wildcard Shota Kiuchi completed the top ten.
Harrison Voight – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Abdul Mutaqim and Piyawat Patoomyos took P11 and P12, ahead of Nishimura as the title challenger was able to remount and score a smattering of points. Hildhan Kusuma and Shinji Ogo locked out both the scorers and the finishers.
Jacob Roulstone pulled into the pits to retire, Luke Power crashed out and Adenanta Putra stacked it early on – likely taking himself out of the Championship hunt in the process. He also took out an unlucky Rei Wakamatsu, who suffered a broken collarbone.
Race 2
Sho Nishimura is back in business! The Japanese rider has had a tougher time of it since the summer break but he came out swinging in Race 2 at the Twin Ring Motegi to take an authoritative win.
Race 2 Start – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
With key rival Takuma Matsuyama only taking fifth after a last lap wobble, that closes the standings right up as Matsuyama’s lead is now back down to just 12 points. Completing the podium were Thai rider Tatchakorn Buasri and home hero Shoki Igarashi, with both able to just pull ahead of a close drag to the line to take rostrum finishes.
Off the line it was Matsuyama who took the holeshot from pole, although the number 11 had more company in Race 2 as Nishimura made a blinding getaway and was able to almost get alongside his compatriot into Turn 1. Matsuyama held firm, however, and another classic IATC group battle began in earnest.
Sho Nishimura – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Matsuyama led first, Syarifuddin Azman in pursuit, and Buasri was a firm presence at the front mid-race. It was only in the latter laps that Nishimura really started to put the hammer down, the eventual winner crossing the line in the top three in each of the last five laps…
In those last five laps, it was down to a five rider battle, with Harrison Voight just losing touch with the fight for the front. And it remained five, but the last lap would be a dramatic decider for one man at least.
Syarifuddin Azman – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Matsuyama was right in the fight to take the win, but a sudden moment for the number 11 saw him plummet back from the group, and it looked like it was all over as Buasri vs Nishimura vs Igarashi vs Azman raged on. But the points leader wasn’t for giving up and he dug deep despite his injury, able to tag back on to the quartet by the time the final few corners were in sight. Would he be able to move forward?
By then, Nishimura had struck for the lead with a truly stunning move around the outside of Buasri; the Japanese rider inch perfect to take over in P1. And from there, he defended to perfection too – closing the door around the final two corners and able to stay ahead on the blast to the line. In the scuffle just behind, it was Matsuyama who just got shuffled back out of contention, crossing the line in fifth as the three men ahead of him went toe-to-toe towards the line.
Sho Nishimura – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Buasri was the man who won the slipstream contest, taking second just ahead of Igarashi. Azman, after three consecutive podiums, just missed out in fourth.
Behind Matsuyama’s Iron Man ride to fifth despite his wrist, it was an impressive performance from wildcard Shota Kiuchi to take P6, with Harrison Voight taking a tumble on the final lap and out of the race.
Then came the second group, headed by title challenger Afridza Munandar in P7 as a gaggle of riders all crossed the line within a second. They were Munandar, Adenanta Putra, Warit Thongnoppakun, Jacob Roulstone, wildcard Kanta Hamada, Herjun Firdaus and Piyawat Patoomyos – all the way down to P13. Hildhan Kusuma and Shinji Ogo completed the points.
Jacob Roulstone – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
That’s it from a race weekend of two halves at Motegi – or certainly of two riders. After another stunning showdown, there’s now only a single round remaining as Sepang International Circuit hosts the final two races in a couple of weeks – and it’s only 12 points in it. Everything will once again get decided in Malaysia, so don’t miss it and keep up to date with the Selection Event for next season that takes place just before the finale, too!
Luke Power – 2019 Asia Talent Cup – Round 5 Motegi
Australia’s Miller salvages P10 at the 16th round.
Image: Supplied.
Recently-crowned champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took a commanding victory at the Japanese grand prix to wrap up the constructors’ championship for Honda, while Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) pushed him as hard as he could and took second to secure Rookie of the Year as Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was third.
It wasn’t the perfect getaway for polesitter Marquez but he held his advantage into turn one, with Quartararo braking later to get underneath his teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and start his stalking of the reigning Champion early.
But that allowed the fast-starting Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) to grab P3 on the exit of turn two, and a frantic opening lap then unfolded as Quartararo passed Marquez for the lead only for the number 93 to pounce back at the tight turn 10.
It was a late lunge from the Honda man as the duo ran slightly wide, with Quartararo looking for the cutback but almost losing the front, foot slipping into the air. That gave third place Miller a sniff at second, but the door quickly closed and the Aussie almost hit the back of the Frenchman ahead.
At the front, meanwhile, Marquez had pulled the pin. Eight tenths were his advantage over Quartararo as the duo started to break clear of the chasing pack, that then became a second as the rookie hovered close but not quite close enough. Further behind, the battle for the final place on the podium was getting intense, however, with Miller holding P3 as Morbidelli, Vinales and Dovizioso all started to close in…
It didn’t take long for Morbidelli to lead the trio past Miller, but the group was over three seconds off Quartararo at the midpoint of the race and after staying within almost-striking distance of the reigning Champion for the first half, ‘El Diablo’ was also starting to drop back.
With 11 laps to go, Dovi took Morbidelli before Viñales followed suit and it soon became Dovizioso vs Vinales for the final rostrum place, with two different machines making for an interesting concertina of a duel.
As the final few laps appeared on the horizon, Quartararo had been dropped by Marquez but the Frenchman would need to be careful. Dovi had fended off Vinales and the Ducati man was on a charge, closing in by eight tenths in a single lap.
Would it be enough? On the last lap, everything suddenly tightened up as Marquez cruised round for the win and Quartararo closed in – Dovizioso closing in on him…but the Italian couldn’t quite get close enough to make a final lap lunge. Marquez took the win, Quartararo second and Dovizioso third, all with big reasons to spray the prosecco with a smile on the podium – manufacturer glory, rookie genius and a century of rostrum finishes.
Vinales took fourth after just being denied the podium, ahead of Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) in P5 as the Brit beat Morbidelli by 0.047s on the run to the line to grab his first top five finish since the Czech GP. Morbidelli’s early podium hopes sadly faded as the Italian picked up P6 in Japan, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) recovering from P11 on the grid to P7 in the race.
Teammate Joan Mir rode a solid race to finish just over a second behind Rins in P8, with the Ducatis of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Miller rounding out the top 10. One name noticeably absent from that run down is that of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who had a tough race that then ended early in a crash, as was the situation for Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was 11th and got the better of impressive KTM-riding rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in P12, with Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) taking 13th. Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made it three KTMs in the points in P14, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) the final man to score.
Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) clinched back-to-back Moto2 wins for the first time in his career after fighting off Dynavolt Intact GP’s Tom Luthi in the closing stages, while 2018 Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) earned his first-ever podium in the category with a P3 result. Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Racing) recorded a DNF.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) is now seemingly in charge of the Moto3 World Championship, with the points leader stretching his legs at the Twin Ring Motegi to take his second win of the season and capitalise on a crash for key rival Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team).
Buriram winner Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) ran him close though, within a tenth by the line, with rookie Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the podium and breaking some home hearts in the process. The MotoGP World Championship now heads to Phillip Island this weekend.
Australians Lawrence and Gilmore earns podiums in Futures classes.
Image: Supplied.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo has won the 2019 Monster Energy Cup on debut aboard a 450 in Las Vegas.
The triple crown format saw three different race winners across the night, with the $100,000 winning-prize coming down to the final moments of main event three.
Defending MEC champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) secured victory in the opening main of the night ahead of Cianciarulo and Malcolm Stewart (Bullfrog Spas Smartop MCR Honda).
Vince Friese (Bullfrog Spas Smartop MCR Honda) and Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) locked out the top five, while Australian Chad Reed (Honda) crossed the line in P8.
Main event two saw Stewart secure an incredible win in his first racing since breaking his femur earlier this year, he defeated Cianciarulo and Tomac, who recovered from an early fall.
Friese was fourth, followed by MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) in an impressive fourth. Reed was 12th in the encounter.
It was a winner takes all affair in the main event three, and the race ultimately came down to Cianciarulo and Tomac. The pair tussled for the entirety of the outing, with Tomac taking the joker lane on the penultimate lap, while Cianciarulo emerged with the lead after taking it on the final time around.
The rookie captured victory with Tomac a mere 0.867s behind, as Stewart crossed the line in third, followed by Gajser and Friese. Overall, it was Cianciarulo from Tomac and Stewart. 10th in the final main granted Reed ninth overall.
In the 250 Futures race, Australian Jett Lawrence (Amsoil Factory Connection Honda) was victorious after capturing wins in both outings, while fellow Australian Myles Gilmore (Husqvarna) was third in the Supermini Futures class.
Scott Redding claimed the 2019 British Superbike Championship title for Be Wiser Ducati over the weekend, fending of teammate Josh Brookes to take the win with a consistent performance at the Brands Hatch triple-header over the weekend. The result makes Redding the first rookie to win the BSB title, with just five-points separating the top two.
Scott Redding celebrates his win – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
The former MotoGP rider, who moves into the World Superbike Championship with Ducati next season, took a second place and a brace of thirds to secure the title over two days of fine and dry weather at the Kent circuit and in front of another massive crowd.
For 36-year-old Brookes, he couldn’t have done any more as he romped to a hat-trick of wins at his favourite track to reduce the deficit from 28 points arriving at Brands Hatch. Brookes took his tally of victories to ten for the season to finish runner-up in the series.
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
The results saw Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team clinch their seventh BSB title and first ever one-two on their way to dominating the series with 21 wins from the 27 races. During the year, they secured no less than seven one-two finishes to be confirmed as worthy champions.
After their first and third place finishes on Saturday, the two riders followed that up with a bruising final lap to claim a thrilling first and second in Brookes’ favour in the second encounter to set up a thrilling finale.
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
The final race of the season saw both riders start from the front row once more with Redding needing just a fifth-place finish to take his maiden BSB crown. Brookes again grabbed the lead off the line and ultimately led from start to finish to take his 49th career win to elevate him to the third most successful rider in BSB history.
Scott Redding
“After a few lean years, we came here to try and win the championship and we did it! It means so much to me to win this and I can’t thank everyone enough for all their support and Scott Redding it feels so good to have so many people behind me. I had a small problem in today’s second race and had to be so gentle on the bike and simply concentrated on finishing in third. In the first race today, I felt really comfortable and felt I could have a go at winning as that’s always my goal so I had a go on the last lap although I knew Josh would come straight back at me. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and I was very mindful of the fact I needed to finish so took the second place. I’m over the moon to have won the BSB Championship and we’re going to have a big party tonight!”
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
Josh Brookes
“I came here with the objective of winning all three races and that’s exactly what I’ve done so I can’t not be happy with how this weekend has gone, it’s ultimately elsewhere where I’ve lost out on the championship. A championship is judged on the whole year, not just one weekend and there are opportunities at every round to get points. There hasn’t been any time this year Josh Brookes & Scott Reddingthough where I don’t think I could have done better but I can’t deny the fact I’m disappointed not to be returning in 2020 with the number one plate! I’m looking forward to next season and although Scott won’t be figuring, there’ll always be someone to step up and there’ll be plenty more challenges ahead.”
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
Race 2
At the start of the race, Brookes took the advantage from Jason O’Halloran and Christian Iddon with Tommy Bridewell in close contention. Redding was fighting back but running wide at Druids dropped him back into seventh and he had work to do to catch his title rival.
Brookes was trying to make a break but Christian Iddon had become his next challenger on lap three when he fired the Tyco BMW ahead of O’Halloran. However, Iddon was soon under pressure as Bridewell had moved into third place for Oxford Racing Ducati and was up to second by the end of the fourth lap.
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
Redding was carving his way through the chasing group and by lap seven he was into third place with a move on Iddon into Paddock Hill Bend. However he had to fight for the place with Iddon briefly reclaiming the position before the championship leader dived back ahead.
The leading trio then were a breakaway pack with Brookes ahead of Bridewell and Redding in third, but the former MotoGP rider was attacking hard and he waited until there were just two laps remaining to make his move.
Redding then had Brookes in his sight for the victory, but the 2015 champion wasn’t giving up without a fight and the pair’s battle for supremacy went down to the wire on the final lap.
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
As the pair crossed the line inseparable going into Paddock Hill Bend for the final time, Redding made a move to claim the lead, but Brookes was determined and he made a lunge at Druids to regain the advantage.
Redding was looking for an opportunity but Brookes had the measure of his teammate as the pair crossed the line separated by just 0.119s, with Bridewell claiming third place.
Tarran Mackenzie had moved into fourth place behind for McAMS Yamaha to bounce back from his crash yesterday, pushing Iddon back into fifth with Danny Buchan holding sixth place ahead of O’Halloran.
Hickman was eighth in the penultimate race of the season with Andrew Irwin and Taylor Mackenzie completing the top 10.
Race 3
The final race of the season would decide the 2019 champion and at the start of the race Brookes instantly hit the front of the pack from Bridewell and Iddon, with Redding holding fifth behind Tarran Mackenzie.
Brookes and Bridewell continued to up the pace to try and gap the field, but behind Redding was soon piling the pressure on the Tyco BMW ahead of him and on the seventh lap he made his move to hold third place.
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
The championship leader had to claim a top five finish if Brookes won the race to still lift his first Bennetts BSB title, but he was still pushing hard to claim a podium on his final race in the series before moving to the world stage next season.
At the front of the field the gap between Brookes and Bridewell was just 0.2s but the 2015 champion was determined to end his season on a high and he held the advantage to the chequered flag to hold off Bridewell to the finish line.
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 12 Brands Hatch
Iddon was fourth to claim the Bennetts BSB Riders Cup title for Tyco BMW ahead of Peter Hickman and Tarran Mackenzie on the leading McAMS Yamaha, but only just from his teammate O’Halloran.
Buchan was eighth for FS3-Racing Kawasaki to hold off Andrew Irwin and Dan Linfoot who completed the top ten.
Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) clinched back-to-back wins for the first time in his career after fighting off Dynavolt Intact GP’s Tom Lüthi in the closing stages at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. In a fiercely competitive Moto2 race, Marini and Lüthi were joined on the podium by 2018 Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who earned a debut top-three finish in the intermediate class after starting from 14th on the grid.
Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46)
A fortnight on from taking victory in Thailand, Marini started from pole and got the perfect getaway to help him take the holeshot, but it was the polar opposite start for ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Tetsuta Nagashima as the home hero crashed on the sighting lap, only to make the grid before then crashing again at Turn 1 in the first bouts of drama. Behind Marini, meanwhile, FlexBox HP 40 teammates Augusto Fernandez and Lorenzo Baldasarri started to squabble over second place, allowing Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra to join the podium hunt.
A little further back, Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was having all sorts of problems, compounded by a huge moment on the exit of the final corner on Lap 2. Despite being nowhere near as dramatic his FP3 miracle moment, it was certainly a close call for the title protagonist and there was also a frightening moment for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder after the South African ran wide on the exit of Turn 1. The 2020 MotoGP rider hit the grass and was well and truly sideways, with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) snapping his handlebar when brushing past him, that consequently ending the Brit’s race. Binder remained in it, but it was going to be an even taller order to win it after that as he got going again outside the top 20.
Nine laps down, Marquez was embroiled in a fierce fight over sixth with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Fernandez, with some serious moves starting to see the leaders able to escape. The main threat at the front at this point looked like coming from Lüthi, however, who made quick work of Baldassarri before homing in on Marini. The Italian stood firm for a lap but the Swiss rider hit the front with a classy move up the inside at Turn 9 soon after.
Meanwhile, Marquez began to muscle his way through by, again, showing some serious aggression. The Championship leader squeezed past Chantra for fifth as the Thai rider began to slip backwards, but Martin started to threaten forwards…
With two to go, the podium picture took shape. Marini dived through on Lüthi and, within a few seconds, Martin had pounced on Baldassarri. Despite their best efforts, both those on the receiving end were unable to respond, meaning Marini took the chequered flag and, as a result, a 50-point haul in the space of a fortnight. Lüthi was back on the podium for the first time since Barcelona in second, and Martin tasted intermediate class bubbly for the very first time after a remarkable ride through from the fifth row of the grid.
Behind Baldassarri in fourth was Beta Tools Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro, who again showed incredible late race pace to take another top-five finish. Marquez came across the line in sixth place, meaning he now sits 36 points clear in the standings, and it’s now Lüthi closest with three races remaining. Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini ended the race in seventh ahead of Fernandez and Schrötter, who both slipped backwards, with MV Agusta getting themselves inside the top ten thanks to Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Temporary Forward) in P10.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) took P11 ahead of Brad Binder’s slice back through to 12th, with Chantra ending up down in 13th by the flag. Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Temporary Forward) made it both bikes in the points for MV, with Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) completing the scorers behind the Swiss veteran.
Remy Gardner had crashed out with fourteen laps to go after starting from tenth on the grid. Gardner was 13th at the end of the opening lap and as the race progressed was riding well before losing several seconds when he was forced to take avoiding action to an incident ahead of him. Pushing hard to recover the Australian slid out of contention at Turn 9, not the result he wanted or was expecting ahead of his home Grand Prix at the iconic Phillip Island circuit next weekend.
Remy Gardner – DNF
“I changed the tyre in Qualifying and in Q2 it was like riding a completely different bike. It was vibrating from the moment I left pit lane and I was almost high sided more or less immediately. In the end there was no point trying to stay out, so we tried to get the slick in, but it was too late. When the race started, I dropped back but didn’t panic. It wasn’t perfect but I felt comfortable and then I got caught up in the Vierge / Lecuona incident and lost a bunch of time to the group. I went down because I was pushing too hard it’s as simple as that. The next race is my home GP at Phillip Island and I will give it everything to get a result that we deserve there!”
That’s it from Motegi after a somewhat surprising race, with everything still up in the air for those on the chase – and Marquez still very much in charge. Will the baton remain with Lüthi Down Under? Or will Fernandez, Binder, Navarro and the rest take it back? Find out next weekend.
Luca Marini – P1
“This was a different race and weekend to Buriram for sure. Last week I was so much faster in race pace and I knew I could start making a gap in the first laps, but here I wasn’t sure I had such great pace. I was losing out in T1 and T2 a bit during the whole weekend so I tried in Warm Up to find a different way to manage the bike in those corners, but in the race I was quite consistent, I started to save the rear at the beginning but maybe too much because the pace was high. Tom was pushing a lot and when he overtook me I saw I could do something more, and I thought if I carried on like that I’d lose too much and stress the tyre too much coming back. So I tried to stay in his slipstream and use it to not lose as much accelerating, and on the straight, to manage the tyre. In the end he was struggling a bit more and I was faster, so it was quite easy to overtake him, I just had to find the right moment. I didn’t want to overtake him on the last lap because I knew that would be difficult because he was braking quite hard. I was clever and I thought a lot during the race, trying to do everything right and not make mistakes, so I’m really happy and I want to thank the team because they’re doing a great job and the bike was fantastic this weekend in wet conditions as well!”
McWilliams took pole at Phillip Island on the Proton KR 500
On this day, October 20, 17 years ago, Jeremy McWilliams put in a blinding lap late in qualifying for the 2002 Australian Grand Prix to secure pole position on the KR Proton (Click here for a feature on the machine). I remember watching it on the monitors in the Phillip Island media centre, the excitement in the room was palpable as we watched a major upset unfold in front of us.
Garry McCoy had already shocked many by leading Friday’s qualifying session before being pipped for provisional pole by Brazil’s Alex Barros.
Everyone expected the four-stroke juggernaut to take over in the final qualifying session but instead the two-strokes staged a monumental comeback to fill the entire front row for Sunday’s 27 lap race.
First to go to the top of the timesheets was Valentino Rossi who set a 1m32.979 lap with 20 minutes left in the session. McCoy retaliated with a 1m32.802 with 13 minutes remaining. Ukawa also dropped in to the 1m32s bracket shortly after to go second quickest with 10 minutes left. Only McCoy, Ukawa and Rossi had recorded 1m32s laps at that stage of the game.
Jeremy McWilliams
Jeremy McWilliams then put in a flyer of lap to shoot the top of the time-sheets with a 1m32.671. He nearly lost the rear in the fast left-hander that is turn 11 and had to momentarily get out of the throttle, so we knew his lap could have been quicker save for that mistake.
Garry McCoy came straight back with a 1m32.595 to take the top spot before being knocked off by Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh on 1m32.554.
Jeremy McWilliams then knocked everybody’s socks off with a fantastic 1m31.919 on what was undoubtedly the least powerful motorcycle in the field. Everybody expected the fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit to be a four-stroke haven but the less powerful two-strokes were proving superior to the much more powerful new four-stroke machines.
McWilliams held on to that pole position as the session concluded. Garry McCoy along with Nobuatsu Aoki and Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh served to make it a complete two-stroke front row in what was a big upset.
2002 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
McWilliams 1m31.919
McCoy 1m32.325
Aoki 1m32.477
Goorbergh 1m32.509
Barros 1m32.572
Ukawa 1m32.592
Rossi 1m32.849
Biaggi 1m32.889
Capirossi 1m32.918
Kato 1m32.927
Laconi 1m32.927
Roberts 1m33.116Itoh 1m33.160
Hopkins 1m33.424
Gibernau 1m33.433
Nakano 1m33.471Jacque 1m33.565
Harada 1m33.572
Pitt 1m33.842
Checa 1m33.848
Cardoso 1m34.447 (Friday Time)
Abe 1m35.317 (Friday Time)
2002 Australian Grand Prix
Unfortunately the dream didn’t follow through to Sunday which was unfortunate not only for McWilliams, but also for me. I had sussed his good pace early on and had put $50 on him at 200:1 for the win early on in the piece! I wrote the qualifying report above and this race report below during proceedings.
Garry McCoy
Garry McCoy got a great start from the front row but was quickly passed by Barros, Rossi and Ukawa. Van Den Goorbergh then shuffled McCoy back to 5th on the run to Honda Corner.
Alex Barros the early race leader
Alex Barros put the hammer down straight away and had gapped Rossi by nearly a full second as they crossed the line to commence lap two. Van Den Goorbergh got the better of Ukawa for 3rd place on lap three as McCoy had drifted further back to 6th.
Biaggi, Ukawa, Gibernau
Barros then set a new race lap record on lap eight, 1m32.377s, under Roberts lap record from 1999 but still outside McWilliams pole time. Capirossi retired from the race.
Barros, Rossi, McCoy
Kato had been leading the battle for 3rd for a few laps before being shuffled to the back of his group of 3 riders which included Kato and Van Den Goorbergh.
Kato, Ukawa, Van Den Goorbergh
Rossi had a fantastic 11th lap to eclipse the lap record just set by Barros with a 1m32.233, closing within 7-tenths of the Brazilian. Laconi retired to the pits.
Valentino Rossi chasing Alex Barros
The next lap around Rossi had closed right on to the tail of Barros after another great lap. Rossi on a medium rear while Barros was on a medium-soft rear, both riders on Medium front Michelins. Itoh went out of the race.
Hopkins, Nakano, Cardoso, Itoh
By half-race distance the competition had clearly become a two man affair, Barros and Rossi. McCoy entered the pits on lap 14 to get a new tyre after his rear tyre blistered. He rejoined the race with a fresh tyre but at the back of the field.
McCoy, Aoki, Roberts, Biaggi
Barros and Rossi continued their battle for the lead and lapped McCoy with nine laps to run. But McCoy stayed right on their tails even though he was a lap down, getting some excellent TV time for himself and sponsor Red Bull in the process.
Harada, Pitt
John Hopkins slid off on lap 21 but managed to rejoin.
Valentino Rossi leading Alex Barros
Rossi hit the lead with four laps to go as Barros looked to be suffering from a lack of grip from his medium-soft rear Michelin.
But Barros came back at Rossi under brakes for Honda Corner with two laps to run, only to run in a little deep and Rossi got him right back.
Valentino Rossi
Barros did the exact same thing on the last lap but went in even more deep and had to take the escape road, leaving Rossi to cruise home on the final lap and take the win.
Barros recovered enough to take 2nd place, some 10-seconds down on Rossi. Third placed Tohru Ukawa took the final podium spot 11-seconds behind the winner.
Valentino Rossi and Alex Barros
2002 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying Race Results
Title hopes in doubt for Hayes after round two concussion
Section: Competition
Former points leader scores DNF in SX1 main event.
Image: Foremost Media.
Former SX2 points leader Jacob Hayes has had his title hopes thrown into doubt after a concussion in the opening laps of Port Adelaide’s main event saw him forced to prematurely exit round two of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.
The Serco Yamaha contender was tipped as the favourite to win in South Australia, as the then red-plate holder boasted exceptional speed throughout every session, including topping Superpole.
The American import suffered a poor start and was forced to make a number of quick passes in the main, however while attempting to cut under Aaron Tanti (Serco Yamaha) and Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing), he came up short as he tripled into the third rhythm lane, causing him to crash heavily.
“Aaron [Tanti] made a move on Jay Wilson, and Jacob squared the corner off and thought he could still make the triple in,” team owner Gavin Eales explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “He didn’t make it- he didn’t get the front wheel across and knocked himself out, but he’s all good. He’s very sore, but he’s fine.”
Hayes now sits seventh in the championship standings, 17 points behind newly-appointed leader Tanti as just three rounds remain. The next stop on the calendar is scheduled for 9 November at Wollongong in New South Wales.
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