Marquez down but not out at MotoGP
NEWLY crowned world champion Marc Marquez is still in the fight but British rider Cal Crutchlow wasn’t so lucky after a dramatic day of practice at the Australian MotoGP yesterday.
Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Crutchlow (LCR Honda) were among several riders to crash in trademark tricky weather conditions at the Phillip Island circuit.
The Spanish star recovered from a crash in the opening practice to be seventh overall after two sessions but Crutchlow suffered a broken ankle in a nasty high-speed slide and will require surgery.
Italian rider Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) avoided the carnage to be a surprise leader at the top of the standings after a blistering late run.
Local hope Jack Miller (Pramac Racing Ducati) was second quickest in the opening session but fell off the pace to finish eighth going into today’s third practice session.
Marquez, who claimed his seventh world title at Motegi in Japan last week, was left puzzled by his crash heading into turn 10.
“It was a strange day ... it was not the best Friday after being world champion,” Marquez said.
“It was really strange, the feeling I had with the bike. It was difficult to understand the front tyre.
“I think it was just the second time this season that I crashed without pushing [the limit] ... I was just riding in an easy way.
“This is a very special circuit and sometimes the best set-up is not working, so now it’s time to try to understand that. But like all the season, we forget Friday.”