adminPhillip Island. — Jorge Lorenzo’s MotoGP world title hopes remain alive after he won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix which saw championship leader Marc Marquez disqualified yesterday.The Yamaha rider pulled to within 18 points of Marc Marquez at the top of the championship with two races left after Marquez was sensationally black-flagged for ignoring a mandatory pit stop in the middle stages of the race.
The Australian MotoGP was shortened to 19 laps from a scheduled 26 laps amid safety concerns over Bridgestone tyres degrading on the new tarmac surface at the Phillip Island track.
Riders were required to make a mandatory pit stop by the 10th lap of the race and change to a replacement machine. Marquez instead stayed on the track on his Repsol Honda for an extra lap and incurred a black flag from race officials. He was forced to re-pit, where he left the race.
That enabled Lorenzo to make up a maximum 25 points and keep alive the world title race. Yamaha’s Lorenzo, who started from pole and led throughout, now trails his fellow Spaniard by 18 points going into next week’s penultimate race in Japan. Riders had to change bikes mid-race because of safety concerns over tyres.
But Marquez failed to pit by the required time and scored no points. After the race, BBC Sport’s MotoGP presenter Matt Roberts tweeted that Marquez’s Honda team had said it was a pit-board error which led to their rider being disqualified.
Dani Pedrosa was second while Valentino Rossi held off the challenge of Britain’s Cal Crutchlow for third. Lorenzo described the race as “crazy” because of the compulsory bike change but his maximum return of 25 points, coupled with Marquez failing to register, means the title race has been opened up.
“Today was a crazy race and much different than a normal race with the change of bikes in the middle of the race,” said Lorenzo. “Twenty five points, the best result possible, and we now have opened the world championship, but it is still very tough.
“Let’s see what happens in Motegi.”
“We were lucky. Without the mistake from Marc I think he would have been first or second – now the championship has changed so much.
“Before the race we had no chance — a 2% or 3% chance — and now it’s 20% or 30%. Let’s see what happens in Motegi.” [the venue for next Sunday’s race in Japan].
Marquez led Lorenzo by 43 points coming into the Phillip Island race and would have become the youngest ever MotoGP champion if he had managed to outscore Lorenzo by eight points. Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa was second, 6.936sec adrift of Lorenzo, with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi making the podium in third place. The two races to come are at Motegi and Valencia.
After setting the fastest time in qualifying, Lorenzo started well from pole and held off Marquez and Pedrosa in the opening lap before looking very comfortable. — AFP.
Online Reporter