Michael Scott | November 4, 2018
2018 Malaysian Moto2 and Moto3 Sunday Results
Moto2 – 18 laps, 99.774 km
In Sepang it was celebrations for Valentino Rossi’s SKY VR46 team, as his half-brother Luca Marini (No. 10) took a first win in the Moto2 race. (Gold & Goose photo)
In punishing heat, an austere Moto2 race ended in extravagant celebrations for Valentino Rossi’s SKY VR46 team, as his half-brother Luca Marini took a first win, and team-mate Pecco Bagnaia took a solid third place, to tie up the World Championship.
His last rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) passed Bagnaia on lap seven, and hunted Marini down. But the young Italian was steadfast, leading from the first corner to the last. It was his fifth visit to the podium in a year in which he has come to age.
Bagnaia’s only problem came on the slow-down lap, after his Kalex’s bodywork was switched behind screens to a black-and-gold livery wearing the number “1”. But thereafter they couldn’t it to start.
Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) took a flying start from the front row, but he and pole starter Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) had a bump on the way into the first corner, giving second-fastest qualifier Marini the opening he needed to take the lead.
Oliveira was behind him, losing second place to Bagnaia on lap two, but taking it back five laps later.
Remy Gardner (Tech 3) had qualified fourth, and he chased the front men for four laps, losing fourth to veteran Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Kalex) on lap four. Fighting to get it back, he slipped off at the final hairpin.
With Marquez never in contention, the front four were on their own. Oliveira did close up to within a few tenths of the leader, but Marini withstood the pressure; Pasini also got close to Bagnaia, but didn’t challenge.
Marini looked fresher than he doubtless felt in the heat. “It was really, really hard, but when you are leading it is a bit easier,” he said.
Team-mate Bagnaia was close to speechless with emotion, giving tribute to Marini and all his team. “This season is together. Together we win, together we lose. And together we are World Champion.”
Oliveira was gracious, warmly congratulating Bagnaia. “Pecco had been really strong. I am proud of my riding, proud of my season; we have been really constant. Our package wasn’t enough to beat Pecco, but it was a championship full of emotion.”
The action was behind them, with Marquez dropping back towards the end as Quartararo was recovering ground. He triumphed in a battle with Pons HP40 Kalex team-mates Lorenzo Baldassari and Augusto Fernandez, the latter eventually stretchered off after a fall. Finally Quartararo took fifth on the last lap from Balodassari, with Marquez sixth.
A couple of seconds behind, second Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder held off Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Exactweld Kalex); and behind them Joan Mir (EG-VDS Kalex) won a long fight for tenth from second Dynavolt rider Xavi Vierge.
SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX
Moto2 Race Classification 2018
Sepang, Sunday, November 04, 2018
Moto3 – 17 laps, 94.231 km
Jorge Martin rode a trademark runaway win Sunday in Sepang, to secure the Moto3 World Championship with just one race to spare. (Gold & Goose photo)
Jorge Martin rode a trade-mark runaway win in Malaysia, to secure the Moto3 World Championship with just one race to spare.
For most of the 17 laps, the Del Conca Gresini Honda rider and his main rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox Pruestel KTM) were to and fro within the usual leading brawl. Bezzecchi led more often than Martin, who at one point was mired mid-pack in tenth.
His first attempt to clear off didn’t work. Then with five laps to go he took the lead from Bezzecchi once again, and pulled steadily away to a clear 3.5-second win.
In his wake, Bezzecchi had his hands full with a pack of Honda riders, swapping constantly through the multi-line corners of the widest track on the calendar. He started the last lap in second place; by the end of it he was fifth.
Second went to Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Honda), so strong at season’s end. Team-mate Enea Bastianini took a photo-finish third ahead of Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto KTM), after pushing steadily through from a slow start, 18th on lap two.
Bezzecchi was an ultra-close fifth, left to rue the five non-finishes (including getting taken down a week ago in Australia) that meant he eventually ran out of points.
Martin (20), a former Red Bull Rookies Cup winner, said: “I have been all my life working for this, with a lot of bad moments, but thanks to everybody who supported me.”
Both he, Bezzecchi and the man fighting him for third overall, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Honda), are moving to Moto2 next year.
The other point-scorers were still all close, from second to 15th in less than four seconds. Di Giannantonio was sixth, frequent early leader Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM) a tenth behind, then the Hondas of Arbolino, Suzuki and Antonelli rounding out the top ten.
Aron Canet made a lunge for the lead on lap ten, but slipped off the EG-Honda almost at once. Earlier, John McPhee, Alonso Lopez and Dennis Foggia fell together out of the front pack; and stunning novice Celestino Vietti, riding the injured Nico Bulega’s SKY VR46 KTM, was in the podium positions for a second race when he slipped off.
Another sad story involved local hero Adam Norrodin (Petronas Honda). Penalised to start from pit lane for dawdling in practice, he had worked his way into the top ten when he fell, remounting for a distant 23rd.
Martin is now unassailable on 240 points; Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio are close on 214 and 205 respectively; then Bastianini 166 and Dallapora 151.
Today’s win finalised the triple crown for Honda, with both the Constructors title and (for Gresini) the Teams, to add to the Martin’s Riders crown.
SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX
Moto3 Race Classification 2018
Sepang, Sunday, November 04, 2018
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