2017 Australian MotoGP: Marquez Reigns The Island

The 2017 MotoGP season keeps its fan on their toes as after a thrilling Japanese race, the next destination on the calendar was Phillip Island in Australia. All eyes were on Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso as only 11 points differentiated the Spanish and Italian riders in the championship standings. Marquez was on the move from day 1 as he was clocking fast times consistently but that wasn’t the case for his arch rival who was struggling on the Ducati. The Repsol Honda had a perfect qualifying session as he grabbed pole while Dovizioso was finding the going tough on his Italian bike which meant he finished the session a disappointing 11th place. Was this the qualifying session that changed the fortunes of this years riders championship? Will Marquez seal the championship in Australia or was there another twist in this unpredictable season was something fans would find out once the riders crossed the chequered flag. 

Marquez made a good start to lead the Australian GP as the riders entered the first corner of the race but he was soon swept past by local hero Jack Miller who was flying on the LCR Honda. Further down the grid, Valentino Rossi also made a cracking start that saw him rise to fourth place behind his team-mate Maverick Vinales. The Aussie rider was able to etch out a considerable lead on Marquez who was eventually passed by Vinales for second place. Zarco was also on the charge, as he climbed to third place as he pushed Marquez down to fourth place ahead of Rossi. 

Miller was coming under great pressure from the trailing pack of riders and succumbed as he ran wide to give the race lead to Vinales. It was a 6-way battle for the lead and all the riders were closely stacked behind each other and grid positions were swapping every few corners. The racing was so close and intense, that it felt that one was watching the Moto3 class and not the première class of racing. Rossi was able to out brake his fellow Yamaha rider to grab the race lead to a thunderous roar from the Aussie fans. Andrea Dovizioso was having a nightmare of a race as he ran wide off the track at start that pushed him down to 20th place and it was all about damage limitation for the Ducati rider.

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Racing action was intensifying at the front as Zarco was pushing to the absolute limit in his pursuit for the race lead and he was successful as he lead the Australian GP on lap 11 as Rossi ran wide to drop to third place behind Marquez. It was an intense battle for the race lead between Zarco, Marquez, Rossi, Miller and Vinales. Riders were pushing each other out, crashing into each other and at one moment Marquez almost ran over Rossi as his front wheel was on his Dainese suit. It was a no holds barred fight for the top spot which saw many brave overtaking manoeuvres and close calls. More than the racing skill of the riders, it was amazing to see how they escaped from not crashing despite so many cliffhangers and race direction officials wouldn’t even had a breather to sip on coffee.

In one of the most brave overtaking passes ever seen in MotoGP, Zarco rode on the outside of Vinales on turn 3 and such was his ludicrous move that it shocked the Spanish rider and he ran wide off the track to be relegated to 7th place. The conflict for second place was getting murkier especially between Rossi and Zarco, the rookie rider wanted to make a statement, while the MotoGP legend was making sure that the Frenchman didn’t have it easy. The scuffle between Rossi and Zarco allowed Marquez to make the break that he was desperate for and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, clocking his personal best times. 

Iannone who is renowned for his wild overtakes joined into the battle for 2nd and in a maniac manoeuvre pushed both Rossi and Zarco wide to take 2nd. However, Zarco was quick to retaliate and Rossi followed soon to put the Suzuki rider back in his place. Vinales was making steady progress and as the rider crossed the finish line for the final lap, less than 0.5 seconds differentiated the three Yamaha riders. Rossi was using his experience brilliantly to ride a tight line making sure that Zarco doesn’t get a single opportunity to make a pass on him. As the riders exited the last corner, it was a drag to the chequered flag, Zarco made a mistake of taking a tighter line on the exit and this allowed Vinales to grab the last step on podium by 0.016 seconds! Marquez was ecstatic with this win as it almost seals the championship for him while his Nemesis finished 13th which almost ends Dovizioso’s title contention. However, MotoGP is a wicked sport and we have seen fortunes tilt at the last moment and there are two more races and 33 points for the Italian rider to make a comeback. 

Race Results:

1  Marc Marquez  40'49.772

2  Valentino Rossi +1.799

3  Maverick Vinales +1.826

4 Johann Zarco +1.842

5  Cal Crutchlow +3.845

6  Andrea Iannone +3.871

7  Jack Miller +5.619

8 Alex Rins +12.208

9 Pol Espargaro +16.251

10  Bradley Smith +16.262