McPhee takes second in Moto3
22-year-old Scot takes brilliant podium first ride back from serious injury
John McPhee cemented an amazing comeback after taking a stunning second position in the opening round of the 2017 Moto3 world championship – only five months after crashing out and sustaining serious injuries at Phillip Island. Recovering from injuries severe enough to keep him in Australia for weeks after the crash, the fastmaturing Scot made a podium return and was only just denied the win after a tiny mistake in the closing stages of the frantic 18-lap race. Making his debut on the British Talent Team Honda project built around him by organisers Dorna to help promote talent from the UK, McPhee was able to make the most of the huge top-end power of the factory-supported Honda compared to last year’s underpowered Peugeot-branded Mahindra machine. After an initially steady start he was able to first bridge the gap to the leaders, and then sit at the front of the lead group for the entire race. He said: “It’s probably the first time you’ve ever heard me not complain about top speed! I owe a massive thanks to Honda, because the bike was so strong. With my size and weight and with one of my strengths this year being corner exit, everything is really working well. The other riders on the podium were on the exact same bike as me and I could still pass them in a straight line. “The engine was really strong, and I was trying to work out if I could pass before or after the finish line. I knew that to win I had to come out of the last corner in second place and did exactly that – lined it all up perfectly and then made a small mistake with three corners to go. It was totally my error though, and it meant that unfortunately I wasn’t quite able to get Joan Mir at the finish line.” The podium glory underlines the end of a tough road to recovery for McPhee after the injuries he sustained at the end of last season, but it did more than that; helping to silence the critics who claimed that despite his debut win last year he didn’t deserve the backing of the new British Talent Team project. “It was always in the back of my mind that with the season I had last year, I didn’t really deserve to be given this opportunity,” he said. “On Saturday when we got a bit of rain, I was getting people telling me ‘you might have a chance at a podium now’. So it’s always nice to show people what I can do and to back it up with good results too.” But McPhee is insistent about one thing – while the result might have come as a surprise to some, he believes it’s far from a one-off and he’s out to back it up not only next time out in Argentina on April 9 but for the rest of the season as he positions himself as a title contender. “I believe I’m a title contender now. Even before the podium, that’s been the way we’ve approached the season, through pre-season testing, training, everything. I’ve got a great opportunity and all the boxes ticked, but with that comes a bit more pressure to show the results – but there’s no reason now why we can’t fight for the title. I believe we’ve got enough talent, and hopefully we can win more races and be there at the end of the year.”
‘I’m a contender. I’ve got a great opportunity and all the boxes ticked’ JOHN MCPHEE