Marquez’s finallap Vinales pass wins GP
PHILLIP ISLAND: Eighttime world champion Marc Marquez has scored a brilliant MotoGP victory at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, local favourite Jack Miller swooping in for a stunning third place.
With rain threatening, Marquez (Repsol Honda) overtook leader Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha) on the last lap of Sunday’s 27lap race, with Vinales crashing out as he desperately tried to retake the lead.
His misfortune allowed Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) to finish second, with a jubilant Miller, who started from ninth on his Pramac Racing Ducati, claiming his first home race MotoGP podium.
The win was Marquez’s 11th of the season, his fifth in a row and 55th career victory for Honda in the premier class, surpassing Australian legend Mick Doohan who finished his career with 54.
It was a bitter pill for Vinales to swallow.
The Spaniard dominated all three practice sessions and stormed to pole position half a second ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in second, with Marquez starting from third.
Marquez stalked race leader Vinales during the last 10 laps after the pair had opened up a sizeable gap on the rest of the field and pounced as they crossed the startfinish line on Gardner Straight.
Rookie of the year Quartararo was taken out on the first lap in a scary collision with Danilo Petrucci, who flipped over the high side of his factory Ducati as the field went through the Southern Loop.
Italian superstar Valentino Rossi led his 400th race into turn one after a superb start from fourth position, but was unable to sustain that pace, fading to eighth.
Jorge Lorenzo’s Honda nightmare continued, the fivetime world champion finishing last of the 16 remaining runners. — AAP