Phillip Island 2015
1st Marc Marquez
2nd Jorge Lorenzo +0.249 s
3rd Andrea Iannone +0.930 s
4th Valentino Rossi +1.058 s
This was the best MotoGP race in years, Phillip Island as usual allowing the world’s best riders to get up close and personal. And the tension couldn’t have been any higher with Movistar
Yamaha team-mates, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, fighting a bitter duel for the title.
Lorenzo led most of the way, trying to escape so he could ride his own race. At one point it looked as if he had done it, only for Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) to close him down and grab the lead at two-thirds distance. But the effort had overheated his front tyre, so he had to back off to cool it down as prescribed by Bridgestone technicians. That allowed Rossi and the super-fast Ducati GP15 of Andrea Iannone to get back with them.
Lorenzo now had another go at breaking away and once again it looked like he had done it as the other three squabbled over second, including one memorable moment when Rossi and Marquez tripped over each other, allowing Iannone to zap them both in one go.
Marquez’s final lap was a win-it-or-bin-it effort, which ate up Lorenzo lead and put the world champ ahead at the flag. After the race Rossi and Iannone accused Marquez of messing with them, but so what if it was? It’s an age-old tactic to split a group.