Australian MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Marc Marquez seems to be making a habit of having race outcomes decided only on the last lap. There have been several instances through the season where the 2019 World Champion rider won and lost races on the last lap. The 2019 Australian MotoGP at Philip Island was yet another thriller which boiled down to the last lap as leader Maverick Vinales crashed out.

This win allowed Marquez to surpass the tally of five-time world champion Mick Doohan, making him the third most successful premier class winner of all time - and Honda’s most successful rider. LCR rider Cal Crutchlow finished second to make it a Honda one-two, while homeboy Jack Miller of Pramac Ducati claimed the final podium spot, much to the delight of local fans.

As expected, tyre choice became an important factor in the race - the Phillip Island circuit is known to really put tyres to the test. This is thanks to the layout of the circuit which overheats the tyres. Accordingly, the tyres used this weekend were specifically designed for this track by tyre supplier Michelin. Vinales and Marquez both opted for soft/soft, while others such as Quartararo and Dovizioso chose the hard option. Interestingly, the riders also took part in a brief test with Michelin over the weekend, to evaluate the new tyres for 2020.

Andrea Iannone of Aprilia put up a stellar show, even leading the race and pulling off two overtakes on Marquez. Aprilia is the lowest-ranked constructor and yet they were battling closely with the reigning world champion - surely this is a sparkling testament to the competitive quotient of MotoGP. Iannone finally finished in P6, with teammate Aleix Espargaro in P10. This is the best result ever for Aprilia in the history of MotoGP. In addition, it is Iannone’s best-ever result all season.

British MotoGP 2019: Alex Rins wins

Alex Rins snatched a dramatic victory on the line on his Suzuki to win the British Grand Prix ahead of MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez. Marquez appeared to have held off the younger Spaniard, only for Rins to produce a spectacular piece of riding for his second win of the season. But Marquez still extended his lead in the Championship to 78 points after second-placed Andrea Dovizioso of Italy suffered a bad crash on the first lap.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow was sixth. Marquez led virtually all the way round and was on course for his seventh win of the season, but he could not shrug off Rins. It looked like the 23-year-old from Barcelona was going to finish agonisingly close until he zoomed past Marquez with the last manoeuvre of the race. Another Spaniard, Maverick Vinales, was third, with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi a place further back.

It was another disappointment for Marquez, who had begun on pole position, as the same thing happened to him last time out in Austria. But the Honda rider is still 78 points clear of nearest challenger Dovizioso in the riders' standings with only seven races remaining and on course for his sixth world title. Rins climbs to third following his victory, while Crutchlow remains ninth overall after picking up 10 points for finishing sixth.

The Championship fight took a huge turn though when Albert Arenas wiped out Aron Canet, who is second in the standings, in the early stages, allowing Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who was third, to move 14 points clear with a seventh podium of the season.

Austria MotoGP 2019: Andrea Dovizioso wins

Dovizioso wins the Austrian MotoGP after a brilliant last-corner pass on Marquez. Italian Dovizioso is still 58 points behind five-time world champion Marquez despite pipping the Honda rider on the final lap to gain his first race win since the season opener in Qatar.

The pair swapped the lead repeatedly over the closing laps and Marquez looked set to finally break Ducati's Red Bull Ring dominance, only for the Italian to launch a perfect block-pass at the very final opportunity for arguably his greatest victory to date.

 

Rookie Quartararo took the early lead when Marquez and Dovizioso ran wide after a braking duel on the opening lap. The Petronas Yamaha rider then outshone the factory M1s of Rossi and Vinales fair-and-square to complete the podium. Miller fell from the lead group while Espargaro KTM appeared to cut out at the apex of Turn 3, Crutchlow falling in the chain reaction that followed.

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was fourth, his best result since finishing second in the US in April, but he is a whopping 127 points behind Marquez ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 25. Joan Mir withdrew from the event to continue his recovery from Monday's post-race fall at the Brno test. Jorge Lorenzo was again absent after fractures to his vertebrae at Assen and replaced by HRC test and wild-card rider Bradl.