ThePitcrewOnline

Blog

  • Bautista takes Aprilia to 7th in Malaysian Rain

    Sunday at Sepang held the umpteenth change with the unpredictable weather that characterized the entire weekend. The MotoGP race, delayed 20 minutes due to the heavy rainfall on the Malaysian track, forced the riders and teams to employ an added dose of concentration.

    Alvaro Bautista skilfully administered his Aprilia RS-GP in the initial phases of the race, when a lack of grip kept him from expressing himself the way he had during practice where he earned a spot on the third row of the starting grid. Fourteenth after the first lap, the Spanish rider’s progression had him overtaking Smith, Pol and Aleix Espargaró and Miller in the following laps, moving into ninth place. The crashes by Marquez and Iannone then decided his seventh final position, a great result that matches the one achieved in Japan two weeks ago to confirm the progress that the RS-GP has made in the second half of the season.

    The race was compromised by a crash for Stefan Bradl, who took a slide during the tenth lap and then rejoined. Despite a good job making up ground on the riders ahead of him, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider had to settle for seventeenth place.

    Alvao Bautista: The track was anything but easy!

    “Seventh place is a good result that came at the end of a weekend that was definitely positive. We demonstrated good performance throughout practice, even achieving the best starting position yet with Aprilia. In the race, however, we found conditions that were very different from the rest of the sessions. There was much more water, so the feeling with the bike was not the same. I controlled the situation in the first laps, taking care not to make any mistakes and trying to achieve as much as possible. We saw a lot of crashes. The track was anything but easy so, considering the fact that the sensations in the saddle were not the best, we can be satisfied with the result and head to Valencia to finish this season well”.

    Stefan Bradl: We weren’t able to prepare for the race

    “Not an easy weekend for us. Because of the variable weather and having a few new components to test, we were not able to prepare for the race in the best possible way. On top of that, I had the crash, after which I was able to rejoin, but I lost time and positions. I am disappointed. All we can do now is go back home and set our sights on a good result in the last race at Valencia”.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Volkswagen realigns motorsport programme

    Sébastien Ogier (F), Julien Ingrassia (F)
    Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2015)
    WRC Rally Great Britain 2015

    Commitment to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) ends after winning twelve world championship titles in a row

    Wolfsburg, 2 November 2016 – The Volkswagen brand realigns its motorsport programme. From 2017, Volkswagen will focus on new technologies and customer sport. The commitment to the FIA World Rally Championship is coming to an end after four historically successful years, in which Volkswagen won WRC titles in the driver, co-driver and manufacturer rankings in a row with the Polo R.

    “The Volkswagen brand is facing enormous challenges. With the upcoming expansion in electrification of our vehicle range we must focus all our efforts on important future technologies. We far exceeded our sporting goals in the WRC, now we are realigning Volkswagen Motorsport and moving the vehicle technology of the future more starkly into focus,” said Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Technical Development, to about 200 motorsport employees in Hannover. “At the same time, Volkswagen is going to focus more on customer racing. As well as the Golf GTI TCR on the circuit track and the Beetle GRC in rallycross, we also want to offer customers top products and will develop a new Polo according to R5 regulations.”

    Started with the 2016 season, the Golf GTI TCR prepared by Volkswagen Motorsport offers a production-derived customer sport vehicle for ambitious drivers and teams committed on global and national levels in the fast growing TCR touring car category. In the USA, Volkswagen of America has successfully entered two Beetle vehicles, developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in Hannover, into the Global Rallycross series and has already prepared them for the 2017 season. Scott Speed won the drivers’ title in the popular US series in both 2015 and 2016, and this season the manufacturer’s title also went to Volkswagen. The brand will investigate the expansion of these activities on the strength of their existing experience in rallycross. Moreover, in 2017 Volkswagen will begin development of a new rally vehicle in the R5-category based on the next generation Polo and will offer the car to customers to buy from 2018 onwards.

    The new vehicle, the Polo, will reap the benefit of the entire experience from the successful WRC commitment, where the factory teams of Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia, Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila and Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger competed in 51 rallies with 42 wins and 621 best times in the special stages – no other car in the history of the World Rally Championship has a better success rate. Last weekend, Volkswagen won their fourth manufacturer’s title* in a row in the UK World Rally Championship.

    “I want to give our heartfelt thanks to our drivers and co-drivers for their outstanding achievements. They are not only unbelievably quick, but also extremely effective ambassadors for the Volkswagen brand. The whole team built around Motorsport Director Sven Smeets has created the basis for this success with the enormous commitment of each individual. We want to continue working with this excellent team and bring about the realignment. In the same way, we will expand the close cooperation between production development and motorsport, which has always shown benefits to both sides in recent years. There is a guarantee of employment for the Volkswagen Motorsport employees,” said Frank Welsch.

    Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets explained: “Of course, we regret the departure from the WRC very much – as this was the most successful chapter in the Volkswagen brand’s motorsport history. The team has done great things. At the same time, our vision is firmly ahead, because we are aware of the great challenges facing the entire company. We want our realignment to contribute to the success of the Volkswagen brand. From now on, the focus is on upcoming technologies in motorsport and on our customer sports range, where we will position ourselves more broadly and attractively.”

    * Subject to ratification of the results by the FIA

  • Vettel’s Potty Mouth The Least of F1’s Problems

    GP GIAPPONE F1/2016 – SUZUKA 08/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Sebastian Vettel’s radio messages and the subsequent outcry as a result of them have done a lot to reveal plenty about Formula One and the hypocrisy surrounding some of its following.

    Vettel called Red Bull driver Max Verstappen a “c***” and told race director Charlie Whiting to “**** off” in the final laps following the Dutchman’s refusal to move over despite cutting the chicane at turn two.

    Importantly, and what plenty who have stuck the knife into the four-time World Champion are keen to ignore, he apologised to Whiting straight after the race. Before he climbed onto the podium. Which he was stripped of following a penalty for moving under breaking when defending from Daniel Ricciardo.

    Had he not done that he would have faced an FIA tribunal and possibly been fined or even suspended.

    Seriously?

    They didn’t take such measures at the Belgian Grand Prix of 2002 when Juan Pablo Montoya described Kimi Raikkonen in unflattering terms, nor was it an issue when Ricciardo called Nico Rosberg the same thing as Vettel did Verstappen in the US Grand Prix…last week.

    For heaven’s sake Ayrton Senna punched Eddie Irvine in the face at the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix and Michael Schumacher was quite prepared to do the same to David Coulthard at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. Even the best lose their rag.

    This is one example of some irate messages from an array of drivers including Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen and more that have been X-rated both in this and previous season.

    His critics, and there have been plenty regarding his expressions of displeasure, appear to have decided that Vettel’s expletives are the biggest crisis since Spygate in 2007.

    Let’s be clear. I’m not saying it’s right that Vettel should choose to voice his angst like this, and that Vettel’s choice of words towards Whiting especially was poor. He should not kick off at the Race Director like that and it is also right that he shall be contacting Verstappen to make an apology to him.

    But it is being blown out of proportion.

    A majority of those who claim to abhor Vettel’s anger are happy to use such language on a day-to-day basis at work. Except that they aren’t doing their job in front of millions worldwide and aren’t travelling at 200mph.

    Instead, a good proportion would say far worse things about people they don’t know for a perceived annoying manoeuvre at 27mph in their local suburban avenue.

    So how can they expect someone who’s travelling at over eight times that figure to be rational when he feels someone is acting dangerously?

    Furthermore, he was bleeped out by Formula One Management when they broadcast those messages, so those of a young age wouldn’t have known what was being said. Those old enough to know what was being said are going to be aware that they can’t turn around to their elder and use similar words.

    As for those saying it’s damaging to Formula One, well, doesn’t the sport have bigger problems? Such as the falling crowds, less TV viewers, the still astronomical costs to run a team and the extreme unfairness of the prize money payments between those at the top and bottom of F1.

    Not to mention the fact that everyone these days are delighted to have the possibility of having to pick a winner from three drivers instead of two. Though that’s only for special weekends.

    The Formula One public are experts at making a mountain from a molehill and this latest furore is exhibit A.

    The really tragic thing is that all of this uproar has overshadowed what was an exciting end to a Grand Prix between three of the world’s best drivers in which no quarter was asked or given.

    Let’s cut the bulls*** and start focussing on the real issues that Formula One has at this present moment.

    Jack Prentice

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Mexican Grand Prix, Hot and Chili

    GP MESSICO F1/2016 – CITTA’ DEL MESSICO (MESSICO) 30/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    I had to drink many cervezas and eat tacos to stay awake during the Mexican Grand Prix. The only positive think was the atmosphere from the crowd. Once again, the Mexicans showed how passionate are with Formula 1.

    From the other hand, FIA proved again that they don’t want to make the sport interesting and increase the attendance in every race.

    Classic Scenario

    The scenario of the race was the same with the previous races. The two Mercedes were unstoppable, the only thing that matters is who will get the pole and who will lead the race after the first few laps. It is a battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

    Behind the two Mercedes, there is a battle for the third place between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. That is not happening very often, only when Ferrari selects the right strategy and don’t ruin their drivers’ race.

    Further, behind there is usually a battle for the tenth place, where many drivers want to score a point and finish in the top 10.

    McLaren is the only team which sometimes makes the difference and finish in the top 10 like they did in the American Grand Prix.

    Food for thought

    After the race, I was trying to think what to write about the race because I had to write a review of the Mexican Grand Prix. After a while I decided not to write about Vettel, Ricciardo, and Verstappen, they were by far too many reports about them on the web.

    Hence, I took the decision to express my anger on FIA and give some food for thought.

    I have only one question for Charlie and Bernie, why they don’t just replace drivers with robots?

    It will be exactly the same, and let the drivers to race from their homes. There are so many rules that they don’t allow to the drivers to express their skills and drive as they want. It is a joke after almost every incident to see a message at the bottom of my screen which says, “The incident between the drivers is under investigation”.

    Last week a new “under breaking” rule made its debut in COTA. It is ridiculous, if you don’t agree with Verstappen’s move, simply punish him after the race and explain to him that what he did it was very dangerous and it could harm Kimi Raikkonen or any other driver.

    You don’t have to apply a new rule for everything. I understand that Max is too young and his brain is above his head, but to set new rules for every incident is not the solution.

    Also, it is not necessary to punish with no reason other drivers in order to support the new rule which FIA applied a week earlier.

    The sport is going down, and we must do something. It is very sad to see a sport which I loved not to be as it used to be. To pray for rain during a race, to make it more interesting or a mistake from the pit crew during a pit-stop.

    I am close to forgetting what “racing incident” means.

    It is sad to wait for next season, and hope that because of the new rules the balances will change.

    At this point, I want to add, that I want the drivers to race and fight each other under logical conditions. Not to harm each other. But I believe that the majority of them are capable drives and can achieve that.

    Next Grand Prix will take place in Brazil, which is one of my favorite circuits. I hope that we will see something different for the teams.

    Victor Archakis F1 Editor

    Follow me on Twitter: @FP_Passion

    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Ferrari Mexican Grand Prix, Review

    GP MESSICO F1/2016 – CITTA’ DEL MESSICO (MESSICO) 28/10/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    With all of the headlines surrounding Ferrari and in particular Sebastian Vettel following the Mexican Grand Prix, it can be easy to forget that the Scuderia managed to display the importance of strong qualifying.

    For all the swearing and yelling at both Max Verstappen and Race Director Charlie Whiting, had Vettel had a quicker car in qualifying, he’d have been battling over which step on the podium instead of just to get onto the podium.

    Karun Chandhok made the pertinent point that Vettel could possibly have been challenging for a victory had he been able to qualify higher than seventh, which for long periods was a net eighth as he lost out to Felipe Massa’s Williams at the start.

    Ferrari haven’t always made the right strategy calls this season but they got this one-stop strategy absolutely spot on to catapult Vettel to fifth and within stalking distance of the Red Bulls once he left the pitlane.

    In the end, he did get to spray some champagne but received a 10 second time-penalty that dropped him to fifth for reasons that have been well documented.

    His hard defensive move on Daniel Ricciardo on the penultimate lap made him the first victim of the new “Verstappen rule”, whereby any movement in the breaking zone is banned.

    Kimi Raikkonen was another man who would have been aiming for the skies had he not started behind a slower team.

    He spent the first third of the race behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India, which had started sixth and Ferrari eventually put the Iceman on a two-stopper.

    Like Vettel, he also had shown long run pace that would have challenged Mercedes in Mexico City early in the weekend.

    The result leaves Ferrari 62 points behind Red Bull with 86 left on the table, while Ricciardo needs to score six points to guarantee third place this season.

    2016 had promised much more than this.

    Jack Prentice
    (Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

  • Ricciardo secures third place in the Drivers’ Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix

    Red Bull benefited from Sebastian Vettel’s punishment for dangerous driving as the Milton Keynes team locked out the second row in the Mexican Grand Prix.

    The German was penalised by 10 seconds as he moved whilst in the braking zone. The dangerous driving rule was introduced into Formula One this season as Verstappen had broken the gentleman’s rule of not moving under braking. The rule commenced at the United States Grand Prix.

    “I think it was a small bit of justice that the stewards made the decision to penalise Seb (Vettel). It was clearly a wrong move which has been punished according to the rules. As long as we can stick to the rules every week then we won’t have the frustration we felt after the race,” said Verstappen.

    The Dutch teenager was demoted to fourth after his latest exploits: “When I went off the track towards the end I think it was pretty similar to Lewis on lap one, corner one. He went off and I felt he gained an advantage, I didn’t even gain an advantage, I was ahead going into braking and when I came back on the track I was the same distance in front so I don’t understand the penalty.”

    Daniel Ricciardo was the recipient of both Verstappen and Vettel as he finished third: “Obviously I’m happy to get the points and I think that means third for me in the Drivers’ Championship so I’m quite proud of that this year. “

    Christian Horner is happy how far Red Bull have improved this year and is looking forward to 2017: “I’m delighted for Daniel in having secured 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, he’s had an excellent season and deserves it. Daniel and Max have been driving brilliantly well, pushing each other on, they’ve both raised the bar and the level that they are operating at now is good to witness.

    “We are chipping away and you are not seeing the margins Mercedes have had in previous years which bodes well not just for this year but for a more competitive Formula One in 2017.”
    Dominic Rust

  • Dovizioso – “The Feeling is Immense”

    Andrea Dovizioso took his first win in over 7 years as he beat Valentino Rossi to win the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. The race was held in appalling conditions and despite mistakes from Marquez, Crutchlow and Iannone, it was Dovi who would come up trumps in South East Asia.

    “It was very important for me to win a race this year: I’ve been trying for so long and I’ve come close on several occasions, so satisfaction for today’s result is truly immense”, began the Italian.

    “I really powered to the win, because in the first half of the race I could not push too hard, but I didn’t give up, I didn’t make any mistakes and at the right time I passed both Iannone and Rossi and set my own pace”. It took him 151 races to finally win again, the question is can he make it last into next season.

    “I am very happy about the improvements we have made this year, both in the bike and with my team, but also on a personal level. I am working hard also for next year and this win, which has come at the end of the season, is just reward for all the efforts.”

    The win for Andrea puts him a safe 5th in the championship. He is too many points behind Maverick Vinales in 4th, and only 7 points ahead of Dani Pedrosa in 6th, however the latter is injured and not 100% confirmed for the Valencian Grand Prix on the 13th of November.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Bagnaia Bags Sepang Victory, Crash-Fest leaves half the field in the Gravel

    |

    Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) took his second ever career win at Sepang International Circuit, as he escaped at the front ahead of a demolition derby through the field – with Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) taking second for an amazing home result for the SIC team, ahead of another rookie podium for Dutchman Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

    A largely dry track, high ambient temperatures and a full Moto3™ grid characterized the start of the race, before the drama began early and went on to claim almost half the field. There were high rates of attrition on Lap 1, with a first incident at Turn 2 seeing Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) losing control of his KTM and making contact with RBA Racing’s Juanfran Guevara to take both out of the race. Ayumu Sasaki, replacing injured Enea Bastianini at Gresini Racing Moto3, was another early casualty as the 2015 SAATC winner and 2016 Red Bull Rookies Champion retired.

    There was then a crash at Turn 6 on Lap 1, as Jorge Martin (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) caused a domino effect crash through the racing line on the corner, with Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Philipp Oettl (Schedl Racing GP) caught up in the incident.

    The next drama saw the lead group suddenly shaken up at Turn 7 – after local hero Adam Norrodin (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) also fell at the corner – when World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Sky Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3) all slid out in unbelievable unison – leaving Bagnaia free at the front to build an incredible lead of over three seconds. Binder and Dalla Porta rejoined, but out of the points and lapped.

    Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) then crashed at the final corner, losing out on the chance to haul in absent Bastianini for P2 in the title, as a missed gear at the end of the back straight put paid to his chances at points – leaving the top six in the Championship again unable to score in the Moto3™ race, after a similar situation in Phillip Island one week earlier.

    Turn 9 then claimed two casualties as Ongetta-Rivacold teammates Niccolo Antonelli and Jules Danilo crashed out in separate but almost simultaneous incidents, with only Antonelli able to remount and remaining in the points.
    At the front, Bagnaia was building his lead over four seconds with 12 laps to go, with Jakub Kornfeil, Bo Bendsneyder and RBA Racing’s Gabriel Rodrigo next on track in the second group. Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) found himself in space on the chase, with World Champion Binder coming back out to rejoin the race after repairs and then sharing the track with the Frenchman.

    The battle over sixth saw local hero Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia), Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing), Maria Herrera (MH6 Team) and Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) locked together on track, with Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV) in tenth but back from the group, fighting to catch up.

    After a trip through pitlane, it was the South African World Champion on the move despite being down the order in terms of position, as he passed Quartararo and Rodrigo to unlap himself at least once – his superior pace allowing him the chance – as Frenchman Quartararo started to reel in the podium places.

    Lapped Dalla Porta moved over to let the podium fight through, with Bendsneyder taking advantage to take Kornfeil for P2, as Binder did the same to allow Quartararo back past for the chance to continue his charge towards the podium.

    A crash for Maria Herrera at Turn 15 in an incident with Livio Loi then prefaced a Red Flag, and with well over two thirds of race distance completed, the results would stand – with the positions determined by standings on Lap 13 as the last full lap completed by the whole field; a dramatic end for a melodrama of a race.

    Bagnaia therefore took his second career victory by an incredible margin, free at the front in an impressive, concentrated ride, with Kornfeil taking P2 by virtue of his position on Lap 13, and rookie Bo Bendsneyder completing the podium.

    Quartararo was fourth as he lost the laps needed to reel in the podium, with teammate Locatelli further back but completing the top five. Marcos Ramirez took another fantastic haul of points in sixth, with Rodrigo, home hero Pawi and Loi in P7, P8 and P9 respectively, despite an apparent problem for the Belgian by Lap 15 when the flag came out. Darryn Binder was tenth in another impressive ride after his P4 in Australia, completing a double top ten for the Platinum Bay Real Estate team.

    The season finale now awaits, as the Circuit de Ricardo Tormo in Valencia gets ready for the Moto3™ grid for the last lights out of 2016.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Zarco takes Malaysian Moto2 Victory and Second Title

    The skies opened ahead of Moto2™ lining up on the grid in Malaysia, with Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) facing down his first chance at the Championship from a soaked pole position – but the Frenchman played his hand perfectly to take an unbelievable win, in front of more podium finishes for Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and wet weather specialist Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP). With Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) finishing in P6 and Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) outside the top ten, Zarco took the crown in stunning style.

    Folger got the holeshot as the spray kicked up off the start line, with Morbidelli then soon taking him back as polesitter Zarco slotted into third. Title rival Tom Luthi moved from P5 to P8 in the opening stages as the Swiss rider remained cautious in the difficult conditions, with third Championship challenger Alex Rins moving up ten places from 23rd on the grid to 13th in an impressive early gain. But Zarco, 22 points clear of Luthi and a few more of Rins, was the one with the advantage.

    An early crash saw some drama in the intermediate class follow that of Moto3™, as Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) slid out followed by Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) at the same corner – before front row starter Axel Pons (AGR Team) then also retired in the difficult conditions.

    Morbidelli led the field from Zarco after the Frenchman took Folger back, with Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team) in fourth and local rider Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) moving into the top five. Luthi then had a shaky lap as he was passed by both Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team), with the second man in the title standings down in P8 – but the rain then stopping and conditions improving steadily.

    As Simeon was reeled in by those on the chase, Rins was on the fight back further back on track – with the Spaniard moving up into the top ten by 13 laps to go but out of title contention. As Luthi struggled in the conditions, the two men in Zarco’s way were then down in P8 and P9 and the title got ever closer for the Ajo Motorsport rider.

    The front trio of Morbidelli, Zarco and Folger were locked in a game of chess at the front, as the German kept setting the quickest laps of the three, before Zarco pounced for the lead with 6 laps to go – and disappeared into the distance as he tucked in and pulled away from Morbidelli.

    Another win, after another pole, and another intermediate class crown – the first man to defend the Moto2™ title since its introduction in 2010.

    Baldassarri came home in a lonely fourth after getting the better of those behind but unable to catch the front trio, with home hero Hafizh Syahrin getting a good pay off for his battles throughout the race as he completed the top five.

    Tom Luthi finished the race in P6 after finding some more pace later in the race – but was unable to stop the Frenchman from taking the title. Fellow hopeful Alex Rins, after starting in P23, came home in fourteenth to similarly bow out in Malaysia.

    An incredible ride from Alex Marquez saw the 2014 Moto3™ World Champion move up from a difficult qualifying in P21 to fight for P4 and then cross the line in seventh – gaining 14 places in tough conditions a week after sitting out the Australian GP through injury.

    Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) made good on his practice showings at Sepang to ride through the field into an impressive top ten position, as the 2015 FIM CEV Repsol Moto2™ championship runner-up came home in P8. Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) split the Tech 3 Racing Team in P9 in tough conditions, with the second Tech 3 of Isaac Viñales completing the top ten as all three took some serious scalps on their way to big points hauls.

    Wildcard Ramdan Rosli (Petronas AHM Malaysia) had a stunning ride at his home GP, as he came home in twelfth and ahead of some usual Moto2™ frontrunners.

    The curtain came down with a wheelie across the line as Zarco cemented his place in history once again – becoming the first Frenchman to win more than one Championship in Grand Prix Racing, followed by a trackside celebration as both he and a body double did a signature backflip.

    Next stop: Valencia, and the Circuit Ricardo Tormo – where Rins, Morbidelli and Luthi will now have their final showdown behind the new World Champion in the table.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Dovi Dominates Malaysian Grand Prix to make it 9 Winners in 2016

    Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took his second ever victory at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, as he navigated the torrential conditions of Sepang to emerge as the ninth winner of 2016: an all time first for the MotoGP™ World Championship to write another chapter in the ever-changing history books of the premier class. After dueling for the lead earlier in the race, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) came home P2, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo completing the podium.

    Lorenzo got the best start off the front row, but it was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) from Row 2 who moved through the furthest – up to second around Turn 1 – with Lorenzo ahead and the frontrunners shuffling. With Rossi pushed down to P4, the front group of the Movistar Yamahas, Ducati Team and Marquez were joined in the fight at the front by Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro – before the Spaniard then slid out at Turn 1; able to rejoin but down the order.

    Rossi fought his way back into the lead before Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) struck to take P1 – despite still recovering from a cracked vertebra from a crash in Misano – and the Maniac held firm. Teammate Dovizioso was holding off Marquez in third and fourth, with Jorge Lorenzo stalked by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) just behind.

    A duel broke out at the front between Rossi and Iannone, with the Maniac true to form and hitting back as the Doctor attacked, before a Turn 15 move saw Iannone take back the lead and power out of the corner ahead – with the speed of the Desmosedici GP16 unthreatened on the main straight.

    Dovizioso and Marquez were far from out of the fight, with both moving back to gain on the Italian duo in the lead. Lorenzo was the rider finding himself out of podium contention as he fell down to sixth, moving back into the top five as Phillip Island winner Crutchlow then fell at Turn 2 – the first shot of melodrama in the Malaysian GP.

    Two more high profile crashes then rocked the front group, as reigning World Champion Marquez lost his Honda at Turn 11 and slid out – rejoining in the points but out of contention for the victory – followed by early superstar Andrea Iannone at Turn 9, who was unable to rejoin but walked away unscathed.

    Dovizioso vs Rossi: Italy vs Italy: Yamaha vs Ducati became the duel at the front – and Rossi was beginning to suffer with the front tyre. With a handful of laps remaining, the rider from Tavullia ran wide at Turn 1 and left his compatriot able to get through, with ‘DesmoDovi’ needing no further invitation to start building a gap.

    Keeping it calm and on the road, the number four Ducati crossed the line an incredible margin clear by the penultimate lap, before letting that advantage eke away on his way to the flag – keeping everything minimal risk. Rossi kept his Yamaha upright in second, as Lorenzo took a solid result in the wet to complete the podium, with the caution that at the start saw the Mallorcan overtaken then converted into a good haul of points as he kept it on the road.

    Dovizioso’s spectacular win, as well as marking the ninth different victor of the year, is his second premier class victory – the first being Donington Park in 2009 – and the second win this season for the Borgo Panigale factory, after a long drought since 2010.

    Loris Baz and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) were the unsung heroes further back on track as the drama ahead stole the spotlight, with Baz showing incredible wet weather pace once again, into fourth with five laps to go. Barbera then overtook his teammate, with the two crossing the line to complete the top five in another Brno-esque triumph for the team.

    Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had an uncharacteristically quiet race as the Silverstone winner struggled slightly in the wet conditions, nevertheless taking a solid P6 and good haul of points. Alvaro Bautista shone for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini once again in Malaysia with an impressive seventh place for the Noale factory, ahead of Assen winner Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), who completed the top ten.

    World Champion Marc Marquez – despite his crash – crossed the line eleventh to retain Phillip Island as his only DNF in a stunning year on his scorecard.

    The paddock now return to Valencia as Marquez prepares to ride at home for the first time since taking his third premier class crown – but the one remaining race now begs the question…

    …can there be a tenth?

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko