NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix Von Osterreich

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Red Bull Ring, Austria

August 14, 2016

Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 28 laps, Total Race Time 39:46.255

2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), -0.938 second

3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -3.389 seconds

4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -3.815

5. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), -11.813

6. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), -14.341

7. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -17.063

8. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), -29.437

9. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), -29.785

10. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -37.094

11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), -39.765

12. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), -39.766

13. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), -44.284

14. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), -45.004

15. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -63.246, jump start/ride-through penalty

16. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), -72.448, jump start/ride-through penalty

17. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -74.517, jump start/ride-through penalty

18. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), -96.510, crash

19. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), -1 lap, jump start/ride-through penalty

20. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), -4 laps, DNF, retired

21. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), DQ, jump start, black flag

22. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 18 races):

1. Marquez, 181 points

2. Lorenzo, 138

3. Rossi, 124

4. Pedrosa, 105

5. Vinales, 93

6. Iannone, 88

7. Dovizioso, 79

8. Pol Espargaro, 78

9. Barbera, 65

10. TIE, Redding/Laverty, 53

12. Aleix Espargaro, 51

13. TIE, Miller/Smith, 42

15. Crutchlow, 41

16. Bradl, 37

17. Bautista, 35

18. Petrucci, 29

19. Pirro, 23

20. Rabat, 20

21. Baz, 11

22. Hernandez, 3

More, from a press release issued by Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Rabat adds to his championship points in Austria

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat added to his world championship score card with a determined 14th place in today’s sun-kissed Austrian Grand Prix.

Showing growing confidence with his Honda RC213V after his best qualifying performance of the season, Rabat rode a controlled race before battling rear grip issues over the final laps. He finished just 0.8s behind Loris Baz in thirteenth.

But it was a lone performance with Rabat’s Australian teammate Jack Miller ruled unfit to race following a heavy crash at turn eight in the morning warm-up.

Miller was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the T6 vertebrae and a hairline fracture in the radius bone of his right wrist.

The Australian was battered and bruised after the crash, his third of the weekend, and he was disappointed to be a spectator after showing impressive pace in practice.

Miller will have an MRI scan in Brno on Wednesday and then an official medical check on Thursday to determine his fitness for next weekend’s Czech Republic Grand Prix.

A sell-out crowd of 95,000 attended the first motorcycle Grand Prix held in Austria since 1997.

Tito Rabat: 14th

“I am happy because we made a small but crucial step forward here with the set-up, which gave me more confidence. For much of the race I was on the pace with some very good riders including Pol Espargaro, Danilo Petrucci and Cal Crutchlow. Over the final laps I lost some rear grip and that was difficult to manage. I went long on the brakes trying to stay ahead of Baz in the final laps and it was frustrating to lose that battle. Overall a positive weekend, I scored points, no problems with the front and did a good qualifying and race.”

Jack Miller: DNS

“This is not the way I wanted to start the second half of the season but that’s the way it is. It’s a shame it didn’t work out for me today but I’ll keep giving it 100% and now I’m hoping to be fit to race in Brno next week, as I really like that track. I banged my foot and that’s a bit sore, as is my wrist and vertebrae with the small fractures but hopefully I can heal quickly.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It is disappointing that Jack could not race today but we must think about the future and make sure he is fit and healthy. It was another valuable two points for Tito and mid-race he was doing the pace of the guys fighting 11th, so with some more experience this is definitely his potential. We will do a medical check with Jack on Wednesday in Brno to assess his condition before deciding whether to submit him to an official medical assessment on Thursday at the circuit.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

 Smith and Espargaro turn around tricky weekend with top ten finishes in Austria

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith delivered a fully determined performance today at the Austrian Grand Prix to clinch 9th in front of more than 95,000 enthusiastic spectators. The British star leapt forward from the middle of the fifth row of the grid and after navigating his way through the frantic first lap, he crossed the finish line in 11th. Shortly afterwards, Smith slipped back two positions but pushed onwards before moving up to 10th at the halfway point. He sustained his strong rhythm and closed down the gap to Laverty before gliding past him on lap 17 and then comfortably pulling away. The 25-year-old continued to lap at an impressive pace right until the chequered flag and was unlucky to just miss out on the top independent position by three-tenths of a second. Nevertheless, the result marks a positive close to a previously challenging weekend for the British rider.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Pol Espargaro pulled off a positive recovery charge to complete the round 10 fight at the spectacular Spielberg circuit in 10th. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion kicked off his campaign from the fifth row of the grid after a tricky qualifying and concluded the opening lap in 14th. He then upped his pace as he aimed to climb through the field and his strong rhythm saw him rise to 13th with nine laps completed. Next in his sights was Danilo Petrucci who the Spaniard expertly closed down and shot past six laps later. He remained consistent and he continued to push, before overtaking Aleix Espargaro on lap 23, and then Eugene Laverty one lap later. Espargaro then comfortably opened a gap and crossed the finish line one position behind his teammate.

Bradley Smith

Position: 9th Championship: 14th Points: 42

“Overall, I have to be happy with the result and we really turned things around today. Having said that, I am also a little bit disappointed because the top satellite position was the aim, especially after the pace that we had in warm-up and I knew that we had a good chance. I was lucky at the beginning of the GP with all the jumps starts around me but I lost a large amount of time on the opening lap and then there were quite a few mistakes by other riders, which cost me. I was pleased that I managed to cut the gap to Laverty and Redding and I believe that I was really strong in the middle part of the Grand Prix. The only issue was that I put a lot of stress on my tyres to close that deficit to those riders. As we weren’t too sure about the fuel consumption, we had to play it safe and slightly dial down some of the power, which meant that I wasn’t able to get close enough to Redding to make a full attack. However, we already knew it would be a challenging weekend, but from where we were on Friday to where we are now, it’s clear to see that we’ve made a big step and I have to say that I’m very proud.”

Pol Espargaro

Position: 10th Championship: 8th Points: 78

“It goes without saying that 10th position is a long way from where we want to be but we still have to look at the positive points, especially after a challenging weekend like this. It was the first time this season that we were not as competitive as we should have been, yet we managed to increase the gap to our direct revivals in the Best Independent Rider battle with Barbara and Crutchlow. However, we were not able to completely solve the difficulties that we had to face in the last two days, but still, we went for the best compromise which enabled me to improve my pace unlike in the practice sessions. Fortunately, now we are going straight to Brno, which is a track that suits the Yamaha’s style a lot better and where we have a lot of data from the previous years. Therefore, I am sure that my feeling on the YZR-M1 will once again be as good as it was in Germany.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager:

“It was an incredible weekend for MotoGP in Austria and we were given a very warm welcome, the facilities are amazing and the organisation was superb for our first race back here after so many years. This race is great for the country and very good for our sport. With regards to the Tech3 riders, we are reasonably happy and even though there is not a huge amount to celebrate because the riders finished in 9th and 10th, we had a tough week, so to obtain these positions is a rewarding payback for the team’s efforts. From the word go, Brad and Pol pushed hard and had a strong pace all the way through and they gained places one by one. They deserve their results inside the top ten, even if they are further back from where they would like to finish. These points will keep us as the first independent team in the championship standings, which is important to me. Also Pol remains on top in the leading satellite battle which is very good news. We are a happy team, and now we are heading to the Czech republic with a positive feeling and there, I hope we can make a step up with both riders.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Pull&Bear Aspar Team leave Austria empty handed

Crash for Eugene Laverty and ride-through penalty for Yonny Hernández prevent collection of points at Spielberg

Ducati dominated the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, with Andrea Iannone taking the manufacturer’s first win since 2010 in a battle with teammate Andrea Dovizioso. The difference between the two at the end was just 9 tenths of a second, as Iannone claimed his first ever MotoGP victory. Jorge Lorenzo completed the podium, ahead of teammate Valentino Rossi. With Marc Marquez –who suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday- finishing fifth, the gap at the top between him and Lorenzo now lies at 43 points. The MotoGP World Championship continues next week at Brno (Czech Republic).

The Pull&Bear Aspar Team riders suffered disappointment on race day in Austria, as neither Eugene Laverty nor Yonny Hernández were able to convert their progress over the weekend into points. Laverty, who on Saturday had taken his best grid position in MotoGP, experienced bad luck at Spielberg when he was taken out on the final lap by Danilo Petrucci, after an intense battle between the two. The Italian had clipped him several times on the last lap, and sent him to the ground on the final corner when he was in contention for eleventh place. Laverty is joint tenth in the overall standings, but ended a great run of nine consecutive races in the points. Hernández was handed a penalty for jumping the start, which cost him his chances of finishing in the points. The Colombian started from sixteenth on the grid and had the pace to keep climbing positions, but the order on lap four to ride through pit lane put an end to his comeback through the field. In the end he placed seventeenth.

17th Yonny Hernández: “When I saw that I had been given a penalty, I was surprised. When the light went out I dropped the clutch, and I have seen the video from the front and you can’t notice any jump start. I thought the penalty was for what happened at the first corner, where several of us ran wide but there was no other way to get back on track. Also, on the straights in the first sector we lost distance to the other riders and it was hard to catch them. I had the pace to get into the top twelve, but at least we finished the race and gave our best during these three days. Now it is time to focus on Brno, because are working well.”

18th Eugene Laverty: “I got a terrible start, but I made up some places on the early laps. Then I had a lot of spinning at Turn 5, followed by a huge amount of chatter, and I thought it might have been an electrical problem. Something happened with the tyre -we’ve looked at the data and it turns out the problem was with both the front and the rear. I lost a lot of time with it and that was when I dropped back. I was trying to salvage some points at the end, and was fighting for eleventh on the final lap with Petrucci. In my opinion, he was riding more than aggressively -it was too much. At Turn 3 he rode almost on the inside of me instead of overtaking. He hit me at the apex and then I repassed him on Turn 4. I defended the line on the final corner, and again he did the same thing -coming up the inside- and I crashed. I’m not happy, because it happened more than once from him. It’s cost me eleventh place and we worked too hard this weekend for someone to ruin things for us 200 metres before the line, and all for a single point.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

 CRUEL LUCK FOR CRUTCHLOW IN AUSTRIA AFTER MINOR TRANSGRESSION

It was a demanding day for the LCR Honda Team and their rider Cal Crutchlow at the first Austrian Grand Prix in 19 years, after a jump-start ruled out any chances of fighting for the top positions.

Having let the clutch out a fraction too early, Crutchlow actually stopped his bike completely before the lights went out, so the ensuing ride-through penalty seemed a harsh punishment for the minor crime.

Rejoining the race at the back of the field the British rider still didn’t give up the ghost however, and with an impressive pace he eventually crossed the line in 15th position to claim a solitary point.

The next round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place in just a week, at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic, where the LCR Honda Team will be hoping for better luck.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 15th

“Obviously I’m really disappointed. I want to say sorry to my team, I made a mistake and it’s as simple as that. I let the clutch out too early. I thought the penalty was very harsh, but I suppose with the other people jump-starting if I didn’t get the penalty then there would have been complaints. I stopped, and then the lights went out, and promptly lost ten places on the track.”

“When things got going I was actually one of the fastest out there, the leader was in 1’25.1 and we were in 1’25.4. I made sure I brought the bike home though, that was the main thing. It’s been a great summer break for me, and a good one for the team too. So to take an average result when there are so many positives is a bit hard. I don’t know where we would have finished, maybe in between Marc and Dani, but we didn’t and that’s it.”

“We go to Brno with positive vibes because I’m feeling good on the bike and in good shape, and we hope it’s going to be different. I’ve had some great results there in the past and took my first podium there so I’m looking forward to it.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

 Baz scores three points, black flag for Barbera

Avintia Racing leaves Spielberg with a bittersweet feeling after the Austrian Gran Prix today. Hector Barbera was on the fourth row after finishing tenth on qualifying yesterday. He did a fantastic start and was sixth on the first corner. But happiness finished soon, and after watching he did a jump-start, Race Direction sanctioned him with a Ride Through. Barbera didn’t see his pit-board and, the signal display lights on his bike, where he can see the messages from Race Direction was not working, so he continued in the race. But finally he got black flagged and was forced to go back to the garage.

Barbera was disappointed, but Baz today was happy after scoring three championship points. Is not too much, but after his injury and the previous bad results, this was a boost of confidence for the Avintia Racing French rider. He was last on the grid and finished 13th, but the most important is that he got his feeling back. In the last laps after a good battle, he passed Tito Rabat.

Next weekend the MotoGP World Championship heads the Czech Republic, where Barbera will have the chance to recoup his error, and Baz will continue building his confidence.

Loris Baz | P13

“Yesterday we started to get some feeling back, and also my confidence with the bike. But this morning we tried something in the warm up and it worked quite well. During the race I was focussed to push hard and it worked quite well. But during the first ten laps the front was blocking in every straight braking point, so I was forced to slow my pace. But then I was able to push again because the front tyre was working, and I gave my best to catch Tito. We had a similar pace, but I did less mistakes in the final laps and I was able to pass him. My physical condition is not at 100%, but soon I’ll be fine. The main thing is that we found our way, now we have to keep this momentum in the next races and try to fight with Hector to be in the top 10.”

Hector Barbera | Disqualified

“It was a shame because I didn’t see the ride through. It seems that my bike display had a problem and the white light was not working; I was trying to see that information, but it never came. I neither saw my pit-board until the lap before I stopped, but it was too late. I’m disappointed because I was doing the best race of the season, but now we can’t change it and we must think in the next race. My start was on the limit, I think I didn’t start before the red lights turned off, but maybe I released the clutch a little bit. But if Race Direction watched it, for sure I moved. I want to say sorry to my team, because we did a great job during the weekend, and today we were set to get a good result.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez scores precious points, Pedrosa improves his speed

Marc Marquez took very important points with a fifth-place finish in today’s Austrian GP. At the line, he trailed his main rivals for the title chase, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who ended third and fourth, respectively, behind the two Ducatisti who topped the podium. Dani Pedrosa was able to keep a good pace for the entire GP and recovered from 12th on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag.

Marc, who was nursing a bruised shoulder after suffering a heavy crash in yesterday’s FP3, got a good start and entered the first turn in third but ran wide and found himself in fifth at the end of the first lap. He closely trailed the front group for over half the race, controlling Maverick Viñales behind him, but after a couple of small mistakes, he progressively lost ground and wisely settled for a top-five position.

Dani entered the first corner in 10th and overtook Scott Redding for ninth before the end of the first lap. He then kept a good rhythm until the end of the race, not so far from the front riders. Along the way, he recovered several more positions and improved his feeling with the bike.

Heading to the next race in Brno in one week’s time, Marc leads the championship with 181 points, 43 over Lorenzo and 57 ahead of Rossi. Dani is fourth with 105 points, 33 behind the runner-up position in the standings.

Marc Marquez

5TH

“After how yesterday went, I’m happy with today’s race. My shoulder didn’t hurt at any time during the race, so no excuses there. I would have taken fifth position if it were offered to me before starting the race. I knew the Ducatis and Yamahas were fast, so this was the best possible outcome and it’s positive that we’ve only lost five points compared to Lorenzo. Given the difficulties we’ve had, it was clear that our objective was to think of the fight for the Championship. I started aggressively, as it was the only way of trying to fight with the front group, but after making a couple of mistakes I lost the slipstream and it was very difficult to recover from that.”

Dani Pedrosa

7TH

“We went better in the race compared to the practice sessions, as we were putting in similar times to the riders at the front. We had been a little farther away from them beforehand this weekend, but today we took a step forward and that’s a positive. Now we must carry on working to continue to progress at the next race, which will be next weekend in the Czech Republic.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RETURNS TO FORM WITH AUSTRIAN PODIUM FIGHT

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP gave a strong performance today with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi delivering a solid challenge for the podium in today‘s NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.

Spielberg (Austria), 14th August 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo made a stunning return to form today, taking third in the NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg circuit. Valentino Rossi was also setting an impressive pace as he followed his teammate for most of the race, and claimed valuable points with a fourth place finish.

Starting from fourth on the grid, Lorenzo catapulted from the line but was clipped by Marc Marquez going turn one, but despite being pushed wide the Mallorcan made a quick dash to the front and joined the front fight between Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone and skillfully put his YZR-M1 in second place behind the latter. The Factory Yamaha rider was eager to hit the front, making multiple overtaking manoeuvres but it wasn‘t to last and he had to let Dovizioso past.

With a small margin forming between him and the front two riders and Rossi tapping on the back of his YZR-M1, Lorenzo responded by setting his best personal lap of the race thus far with 14 laps remaining, and soon the blue bikes were back in contention for the win. A brief state of grace saw the Yamaha riders running within 0.8s of the race leaders, but towards the end the Michelin tyres dropped, affecting the pace. Unable to challenge the front riders, the current World Champion decided to focus on defending his podium position and brought his bike over the line in third place, 3.389s from first.

Rossi lost a place at the start of the 28-lap race from second on the grid, but was soon moving to re-overtake Dovizioso in turn 6 and fought with Iannone at the end of the lap to lead over the line. What followed was a flurry of activity with Lorenzo joining the fight. The Doctor ran wide on turn 1 with 25 laps to go and dropped to fifth behind Marquez, but it didn‘t take him long to move up to fourth place when he set a provisional fastest lap, being the first rider to clock a 1‘24s, two laps later.

Back behind his teammate, the Italian made his experience count and bided his time, sticking close to his teammate‘s YZR-M1. The two Yamahas were charging to the front two-thirds into the race and piled on the pressure, but as the tyres started to wear they were forced to slightly ease off their pace. Unable to make a move on Lorenzo, the nine-time World Champion decided to harvest some valuable points for the championship, finishing in fourth place 3.815s from the front.

The third place finish keeps Lorenzo in second place in the standings on 138 points, 43 points from first, whilst Rossi remains in third position with 124 points.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It has been a positive race, especially if you consider the challenging start we had on Friday. The team has done a great job, though it is a shame our strong pace couldn’t be rewarded by having two riders on the podium after such a strong ride by both of them. Jorge took a good podium result with Valentino not far behind and we finished in front of Marquez with both riders so we made up some important points for the championship. We are looking forward to the next race in Brno in one week‘s time where we always have been strong.

JORGE LORENZO

Honestly, when you have one or two challenging races like me, finishing in third place is not the same as a victory, but it almost feels the same because our rivals were almost in another world during the test and throughout the weekend, in qualifying and also the second part of the race. To finally finish in third place just three seconds from the winner is a great result and we are very satisfied with the work we did on the bike and the concentration I kept during the race with the rear tyre moving a lot in the last part. I‘m very happy and we should keep working, we recovered some points to Marc and it‘s important for the championship. Anything can happen, like we saw yesterday. Marc crashed and almost got seriously injured. We need to stay focused and have some luck and wait.

VALENTINO ROSSI

In the end it was a good race because the margin to our rivals in front was not very big. It was a shame that I wasn‘t able to fight with Lorenzo. I wanted to try and arrive on the podium, but in the end I wasn‘t able to do so and for sure I‘m not happy about this, but for the rest it was a good weekend. We were quite competitive at this track, which is not fantastic for Yamaha, and we took some points. Our rhythm in the race was very similar to those who took the victory and we will try to be stronger next week in Brno. For me, personally, Brno is a great track where I won for the first time, but the last few years I wasn‘t strong enough so I‘m very curious to understand if this year I can be more competitive. About today‘s frontrunners, I think they will also be very strong in Brno because they are always fast and the track also has a lot of straights and it‘s so fast, so I think we have to keep an eye on them.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

THE BEST RS-GP OF THE SEASON PENALIZED BY A DOUBLE RIDE THROUGH

ROBERTO COLANINNO COMMENTS: “UNACCEPTABLE THAT HUMAN ERROR KEEPS US FROM SHOWING OUR VALUE. RESUME OUR TREND OF GROWTH STRAIGHT AWAY”

ROMANO ALBESIANO: “NOW THE ENTIRE TEAM IS CALLED ON TO PUT IN EXTRA EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS WITHIN OUR POTENTIAL STRAIGHT AWAY”

The Austrian GP for Bautista and Bradl’s Aprilias was decided when the lights went out.

Both penalized by an early start, Alvaro and Stefan had to do a ride through in the initial phases that compromised the outcome of the race. Incorrect communication on the RS-GP bikes’ instrument panels also led the German rider to make another pit stop.

Based on performance in warm up and, especially based on the pace demonstrated after the ride through, the RS-GP machines had the potential to achieve the best performance of the season on the Red Bull Ring. Bautista, who lapped consistently with a top ten pace, finished sixteenth in the end, in any case on the threshold of the points zone, whereas Bradl was a bit farther back in nineteenth place. At the end of the race, Roberto Colaninno – Piaggio Group CEO and MD – made a statement.

ROBERTO COLANINNO – PIAGGIO GROUP MD AND CEO

“Today Aprilia had everything needed to demonstrate the progress the RS-GP has made. From the first race of the season, the new bike has gradually improved and we cannot accept the fact that human error – whether having to do with technical management or how the race is conducted – keeps us from demonstrating our true value and achieving the results that Aprilia and this bike deserve. The MotoGP calendar gives us the opportunity to redeem ourselves straight away with the Brno race. I have complete confidence in Romano Albesiano and in the new bike, but we need to roll up our sleeves and continue working every day in order to be prepared for the next race and to resume that growth trend that we had shown up to now”.

ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER

“I am the first to be furious with the outcome of today’s race. Even on a circuit that does not favour us, we had the best RS-GP of the season prepared, a bike that has shown tangible improvement, both in terms of the engine and race pace, and the times are indisputable proof of this. If he had not had any problems, Alvaro would have easily finished in the top ten. We cannot accept that, after all this work, our potential is squandered because our riders are distracted at the start and because of trivial mistakes on our part in managing the messages on the dashboard. As professionals like Alvaro and Stefan, I expect concentration and maximum commitment until the end of the year, but I want to call the entire team to put in extra effort that will lead us to working nonstop, even over the August holiday, in order to prepare for the race at Brno. We have a chance to redeem ourselves straight away and we absolutely cannot fall short of achieving the results that are within our potential”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Fantastic 1-2 for Ducati Team riders at Zeltweg, as Iannone wins the Austrian GP ahead of team-mate Dovizioso. Pirro twelfth

The Ducati Team put in an outstanding performance today at the Austrian Grand Prix, round 10 of the MotoGP World Championship, held at Zeltweg’s Red Bull Ring.

Andrea Iannone took the chequered flag to notch up his first-ever MotoGP victory, ahead of team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, who finished runner-up nine-tenths of a second behind, in his 250th grand prix race.

The two Ducati riders dominated the 28-lap race, holding off attacks from Rossi and Lorenzo in the early stages: Iannone moved into the lead on lap 2 and was then passed by Dovizioso on the tenth lap. Dovi kept the lead until lap 20, but next time around was passed by Iannone who held onto first place until the flag.

Ducati returned to the winner’s podium for the first time in six years, since Casey Stoner’s victory in the 2010 Australian GP. The last Ducati 1-2 in MotoGP dates back once again to Australia, at Phillip Island in 2007 when Stoner won the race ahead of Loris Capirossi.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1st

“I am really very happy, because in my opinion we did an incredible race. I started off quite slowly and tried to stay up front without ever pushing too hard, because I knew that in the final stages I could have had a bit less pace than everyone else, having opted to start with the soft rear tyre, while all the others made a different choice. I ran the whole race keeping a bit of margin and my bike was really perfect. I think that we did a great job over the entire weekend and I’d like to thank my team, all of Ducati and my crew chief Marco Rigamonti who have helped me improve so much in these last four years” .

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd

“It’s a very important day for Ducati because we managed to obtain the win, a 1-2 even, that we have been chasing for such a long time. We’ve been working hard for four years and I am very happy to be a part of this project. I’m disappointed that I was unable to win however, because today I had a really good feeling with the bike and I was really good under braking. We didn’t take the risk of opting for the soft rear tyre, which in the end proved to be the winning move. Iannone on the other hand decided to use it and as he was the only one to do so, towards the end of the race he was at an advantage. In the last few laps, especially in the right-hand corners, I was losing too much time and I wasn’t able to stay close enough to make an attack on him. It’s a pity, but we must look at the positive side of the race because today we obtained a great team result”.

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 12th

“Irrespective of my result, I am really happy because finally Ducati have succeeded in taking a win in MotoGP after such a long time. We scored the result we had expected and I feel it to be a bit mine and the Test Team’s as well, because in the last few years we have worked so hard to improve the bike. As for my race, I did everything possible to move up and get into the top 10, but in the end I had to settle for twelfth place.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“I am really happy, it’s an enormous satisfaction! I want to thank all the guys in Ducati Corse who over the years have done an incredible job and I hope that this fantastic result repays them for all their efforts. I would like to have each and every one of them here with us to celebrate this 1-2 win together and give them all a big hug. My sincerest thanks to everyone!”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

TOP-6 FOR VIÑALES AT RED BULL RING MotoGP™

Maverick Viñales put in a strong and spirited performance to finish sixth in today’s MotoGP™ Red Bull Ring World Championship race in Austria as team-mate Aleix Espargaró was forced to pull-out suffering with the effects of a fractured finger incurred in a fall on Friday.

Viñales – who set the fastest lap of the race at one stage – stayed with the leading group of six riders that broke free from the rest of the pack early on, and spent most of the race locked in a battle with series leader Marc Marquez, but the Suzuki rider couldn’t quite make the pass. The positive jump at the start and effectiveness in early corners marked an improvement in his riding, and Viñales reported a very good feeling with the machine for the first half of the race.

Both riders were in the leading group in the early stages of the 28-lap race, but as the race entered the closing stages, Espargaró, who had battled pain in yesterday’s qualifying sessions, had to pull into the pits with four laps to go. His efforts were remarkable over the whole weekend, but the progressive drop of tyre performance generated an instability in the machine that made his riding too demanding for the injured hand.

Satoru Terada – Project Leader:

“After the test we made here we worked hard in the Factory and we delivered some new parts, in particular the bigger winglets. We know we need to find some better acceleration and this was an attempt in this direction; it proved to be effective so the direction was correct, but we still need to find better improvements. Today’s race was a little under expectations after the practice, both riders had a very positive pace but the race was difficult as we had issues with ‘spinning’ that affected the acceleration. Despite this, Aleix made a huge effort riding with the injured hand and although he couldn’t finish the race he could give us precious feedback about the machine; he did a hard and efficient job and we are very thankful to him. Maverick also had a very positive weekend, he’s been consistently within the fastest times and also in the race, he could keep in touch with the leaders, but unfortunately he suffered this weakness of the acceleration that we are experiencing, so this is definitely an area we will continue to work on.”

Maverick Viñales:

“We did more than half the race with the leading group and I really felt confident and comfortable, I tried to overtake for fifth place but I lacked in effectiveness on the straight so I couldn’t succeed; it’s a pity because I could have maybe caught-up to fourth. In the second part of the race the problem became bigger so I settled for sixth. We will need to verify the data to better understand the tyre drop as the rear tyre looked very worn. I’m satisfied because when we had full performance from the grip we were very competitive, this wasn’t an easy track for us so we need to improve the overall performance if we want to be even more competitive, but being only 14 seconds from the winner in such a ‘stop-and-go’ track – and which is not the most suitable for us – it’s a positive result.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“It’s been a very, very hard race for me and finally I had to retire. I tried all I could but the hand hurt too much. In the first part of the race I was pretty confident, the jump at the start was very good, even though I was worried about it, and I felt confident with the bike in the early laps as I could follow with a good pace. The problems became bigger when the tyres got worn; this caused more-and-more instability to the machine, as it is normal, therefore requiring much more force on the handlebars, which obviously became a problem for my injured finger. I hoped to be able to end the race, but my pace became too slow and there was no point in risking a further crash. Furthermore, we are going to race in Brno next week, so I need to be sensible and try to recover as soon as possible. I’m really sorry, but with the team we did a good job and I felt very comfortable with the bike, plus the Suzuki Factory did a great job in delivering us new winglets in such a short time.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

 Ducati direct Spielberg masterpiece

Iannone takes first win for the Bologna factory since 2010 in spectacular duel for the victory

Andrea Iannone has taken the first win for the Ducati Team since Casey Stoner last took the red machine over the finish line at Phillip Island in 2010. The Italian, for whom the victory is his first, held off pressure from teammate Andrea Dovizioso as the Ducati duo took off in the second half of the race – and took a 1-2 for the Borgo Panigale factory for the first time since 2007. Reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completed the podium in P3 to beat teammate Valentino Rossi to the rostrum – and cut the gap to points leader Marc Marquez.

Iannone began the race from pole and got a great start off the line to lead into Turn 1, with drama behind as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) went in hot and ran wide in an incident that also affected fast-starting Lorenzo. “The Maniac” was the only rider to change to the medium rear tyre allocation, in addition to suffering with pain in his ribs from a motocross accident, but after being passed by Dovizioso was able to fight back against his compatriot and eventually crossed the line ahead to take the historic win.

Dovizioso had an impressive race and led a good many laps at the Red Bull Ring, proving a worthy rival in the duel at the front as the Italian took the fight to his teammate. With a harder tyre option than Iannone, the veteran rider was however unable to quite close on his compatriot in the final few laps and crossed the line P2 in his 250th GP start – completing a historic result for the Desmosedici in the first 1-2 for Ducati since Phillip Island in 2007.

Jorge Lorenzo has had a difficult run in the last few races of 2016, but the reigning Champion showed exactly why he has that title in a calm ride under pressure – getting back onto the podium in P3. A spectacular double overtake early in the race was a highlight for the 5-time world champion as he fought for the lead, before a determined ride ensured the Mallorcan was the only man in the top three of the title standings to gain on a rival in Austria – with leader Marc Marquez in P5 and Rossi in P4.

Marc Marquez suffered a bad crash in FP3 that saw the points leader dislocate his shoulder, but the Spaniard rode on into an impressive top five finish despite the Repsol Honda Team not having tested in Austria. The championship leader held off pressure from Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) throughout to protect his large title margin and do some damage control, with the second Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa crossing the line in P7. Scott Redding came through into P8 for another good result for Octo Pramac Yakhnich, ahead of the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha duo of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro.

The next race sees the paddock move north to Brno in the Czech Republic for another incredible showdown – as the Ducati Team arrive as winners for the first time in 6 years.

Zarco reigns the Red Bull Ring

Reigning champion makes history with Austrian win – becoming the most successful French rider

Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) took the victory at the Red Bull Ring after the reigning Champion crowned a weekend of supremacy with a historic win, with Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) back on the podium in P2 and the rostrum completed by a charging Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40).

It was an Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 1-1 over the line at the end of Lap 1, as Morbidelli got the best start from P2 and Alex Marquez leapt up from a P5 grid spot to tail his teammate. The lead group became a 5-way battle with Morbidelli leading Schrotter, Luthi and Zarco, but the points leader remained patient and came through to the lead with nine laps to go – leaving the group to fight over who would complete the first podium at the Red Bull Ring.

Zarco played his hand perfectly after losing the lead into turn 1, as the Frenchman stayed patient and used his unique mixture of aggression and patience to make his way through. Pushing Alex Marquez wide as he began his assault, the Ajo Motorsport rider kept his focus throughout the fight for the lead, before breaking away with 9 laps to go and heading over the line to take another incredible victory – making him the most successful French rider in world championship history.

P2 man Franco Morbidelli was the early leader of the race after a fantastic start, and the Italian rider fought hard to stay in contention as Zarco passed him and began to pull away. Taking second back from Luthi on the final lap, Morbidelli then put his head down and headed for the line to get back on the rostrum and convert his qualifying position into 20 well-earned points.

Alex Rins had a difficult qualifying and looked well out of podium contention for most of the early laps, before managing to find his way past Alex Marquez and setting off in pursuit of the front group. Zoning in on the front three as the last lap approached, Rins then took an incredible podium finish in the last corner, denying Swiss rival Tom Luthi the rostrum in the final few meters of the race.

There were impressive performances from Marcel Shrotter (AGR Team), who got his best result to date, and Alex Marquez. The German completed the top 5 after keeping Rins honest for a lot of the race and then enjoyed a front row seat for the last corner clash between the Spaniard and Swiss rival Luthi, and Alex Marquez converted his best ever qualifying in Moto2™ into a P6 finish after fighting at the front. The 2014 Moto3™ world champion has come back from the summer break ready to recover the form that saw him take his place in history in the lower category – including a nostalgic battle with former Moto3™ teammate Alex Rins in Austria.

It was a bad day at the office for Championship hopeful Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as the British rider crashed out of contention, opening the door for Zarco and Rins to gain a big margin over him in the points – after remounting, the Brit then suffered another crash at the same corner after damage to his bike.

Moto2™ will be back on track at Brno next weekend, for another thrilling battle as Zarco lays down the challenge.

Mir takes incredible rookie win in Austrian thriller

Leopard Racing rookie converts pole into a maiden victory as Moto3™ go to war

Spanish rookie Joan Mir has taken a stunning victory at the Red Bull Ring as the Leopard Racing rider outfoxed the veterans of the Moto3™ grid to cross the line first, for his first win. Second was Championship leader Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who increased his points lead, ahead of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) – who beat French rival Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) over the line by just eight thousandths of a second to complete the podium.

Joan Mir – who has moved onto the world stage for the first time in 2016 from impressive, race-winning performances in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship – took a surprise but deserved pole position on Saturday to deny Brad Binder the top spot, and got a good start from pole to join the lead breakaway group of five. Staying cool under pressure, the rookie played a perfect hand on the last lap and crossed the line comfortably clear of nearest rival Binder.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) got the holeshot from P2 on the grid as the championship leader stayed calm under pressure off the line, and seemed the man to beat both in the race and over the weekend. Getting caught up in the battle behind, Binder wasn’t quite able to close on Mir in the final few corners to be close enough to make a move for the win – instead crossing the line P2 to take another big haul of championship points as he gets closer to the crown.

Bastianini made a great start from the front row and was in the lead at the end of Lap 1, showing a fantastic return to form after a more difficult 2016 before the summer break. The Italian, who until Mir’s win had been the last rider in Moto3™ to take a victory from pole in Misano in 2015, just beat Leopard Racing’s Quartararo to the line in a last corner tussle and drag race – with the difference proving only 0.008 at the flag.

With no Romano Fenati on the grid following the Sky Racing Team VR46 team’s suspension of the Italian, Binder’s only real title rival on track was Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Jorge Navarro. After a difficult qualifying, the Spaniard fought back from 17th into the top 6 with some incredible laptimes, before taking a fall at Turn 3 and finding himself out of contention. Phillip Oettl (Schedl Racing) crossed the line in P5 after an impressive and aggressive race in the front group, with the second group headed by Jorge Martin (PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra Team) in P6, who beat Dutch rookie Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Fabio DiGiannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) over the line. The top ten was completed by Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV).

Brad Binder’s title lead has now stretched yet further with no score for Navarro and a DNS for Fenati, with the South African edging closer and closer to the crown as MotoGP™ heads off to the Czech Republic.