Michael Scott | April 9, 2017
Photo by Gold & Goose
Moto2
The first five positions barely changed after the first couple of laps, but nobody could say the Moto2 race wasn’t a thriller, with escalating tension in a bitter battle between team-mates, resolved by a spectacular crash on the final lap.
The team-mates were Franco Morbidelli and EG-VDS Kalex colleague Alex Marquez; the loser was the latter, who had shadowed the Italian constantly, and briefly got ahead the lap before. Marquez could almost have reached out and touched the VDS Kalex when he finally asked too much of the rear tyre, and went looping into the gravel.
At the same time, first-time pole starter Miguel Oliveira on the all-new Red Bull KTM had been closing on the pair, cutting a gap of more than two seconds on lap eight down to some seven tenths with five laps to go. At the finish, he’d barely dropped away, just 1.7 seconds behind.
It was Morbidelli’s second straight win; and a second podium in succession for Thomas Luthi (CarXpert Kalex), almost ten seconds down in third.
Remy Gardner was knocked down in the first corner of the Moto2 race, he broke his right ankle. He’ll be flown to Spain to see if he needs surgery.
GRAN PREMIO MOTUL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA Moto2 Race Classification 2017
Moto2 World Standing 2017
Moto3
Fast tracks make close racing, and it took until beyond half distance for a five-strong group to break clear of the brawling Moto3 field. It looked like anybody’s race … but for the strength of Qatar winner Joan Mir.
The Leopard Honda rider had started from 16thxxx on the grid, but by lap seven took the lead for the first time.
Mir had the lion’s share of it over the line, but the pressure was huge – and the last lap as fraught and thrilling as the preceding 20.
Mir led fellow-Honda riders Jorge Martin and pole starter John McPhee and the KTM’s of Philipp Oettl and Andrea Migno onto the start of it.
The strongest challenge came from British Talent Team’s McPhee, whose efforts almost put him wide through the final right-left corner set, allowing Gresini teamster Martin a sniff at second.
They crossed the line covered by less than four tenths, with fifth-placed Oettl (Schedl KTM) only three more behind; SKY VR46’s Migno right on his heels.
It was an exact repeat of the Qatar podium.
GRAN PREMIO MOTUL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA Moto3 Race Classification 2017
Moto3 World Standing 2017
