Qualifying:
Quali looked familiar with Fabio Quartararo on pole, Jack Miller and Johann Zarco joining him on the front row in P2 and P3 respectively. It is interesting to note the top speeds during quali, the Yamaha of Fabio 345.0Km/h and the Ducatis of Miller and Zarco 352.9Km/h and 350.6Km/h. It shows just how much speed Fabio can carry through the corners.
The Race:
The launch control or holeshot device on Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha worked well at the start and saw him pull away from the line, but Miller and Oliveira also had clean starts and so it was Jack Miller who led the race on the first lap. Soon though, on lap 2 Miguel Oliveira slipped under Miller and took the lead, Fabio went wide and let Joan Mir and Aleix Espargaro get by, leaving Quartararo in a frustrating P5, then P6.
With 13 laps to go, we had lost Pol Espargaro, Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro to own fault crashes and then Takaaki Nakagami was given a long lap penalty, Barcelona was looking like a jinxed track for Honda on this occasion. Meanwhile, Miguel Oliveira had maintained a steady pace with Fabio close by and when Oliveira went wide, Fabio slipped past and took the lead, leaving Miguel P2 and a consistent Joan Mir P3.
Eleven laps to go and Oliveira’s KTM hauled Quartararo’s Yamaha in on the straight and slipped under him to take the lead, leaving Fabio P2 and Joan Mir P3, Zarco P4 and Miller P5 on the Ducatis. Once in the lead Miguel set the pace, with Fabio, Johann Zarco and Jack Miller there but not able to challenge the Portuguese rider.
With four laps to go the race went weird, and we were in Barcelona, not Austin. Fabio was riding around with his leathers open, and looked disturbed on the bike, went wide and into the long lap area, allowing Zarco through, but came out ahead of Jack Miller. At this point, he should have given the place back to Miller, but did not, which at least was going to be a time penalty. Fabio continued riding, and with his leathers open and his chest protector discarded, risked a black flag, as it was a danger to him had he fallen, as it would have negated the effectiveness of the airbag and leathers only work when they are tight to the body.
On the last lap, Oliveira was in the lead with Zarco getting close and Fabio still third despite his problems. Miguel stayed calm and held Zarco off and over the line it was P1 Oliveira, P2 Johann Zarco and P3 Fabio Quartararo. It was not to stay this way though, as Fabio was given a three-second penalty for taking advantage of Miller and not giving the place back.
The Result:
So the final podium results were P1, Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, P2 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing and P3 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team. Later Fabio Quartararo was given a further three-second penalty for the leathers infringement which left him with a P6 result. This was a good result for Miguel and KTM and significant that Dani Pedrosa was at his local track with the team, as he has contributed so much to the success of the KTM as their test rider.
On the slowing down lap Fabio pulled up the zip on his leathers, and so it remains a mystery as to what actually happened, Fabio as bemused as anyone as to the actual cause. No doubt Alpine Stars will be looking into it. It was the most bizarre incident and cost Fabio dearly.
・・・
Every ride should be an adventure… Tell us where you’re riding@bikedirectoryand we will feature your pics and add your location to our directory. Also, we want to crowdfund and publish a book with 50 of the best short stories/poems or anecdotes that we can, and we need your help to do it. Be bold and get writing, and re-writing, and drop us a story. Stay safe! Visithttps://bikedirectory.co.uk/get-publishedand don’t forget to follow and/or like us!
・・・
#bikedirectory #MotoGP #BTsport #CatalunyaGP #MiguelOliveira #JohannZarco #JackMiller #Motorcycle #Racing #Motorsport #ThisIsMotoGP
Author: Martin Northern
Founder of Bike Directory
