Bautista’s WSB treble treat
Yamaha riders fought in all three races as the Japanese manufacturer doubled its number of factory teams. GRT’s Marco Melandri grabbed a podium on Saturday, leaving the weekend ahead of Pata’s Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. It was a solid run for the blue bikes after being off the pace in Friday practice. “I feel good,” said Alex Lowes, whose machine was rebuilt after a huge crash on Tuesday. “It’s nice to have another couple of bikes to help with data and push the project on. It’s a bit different to what we expected given there are four official bikes. “The Yamaha staff are moving around both teams, we didn’t know it was going to be like that. I think it makes for good rivalry between
‘I think it makes for good rivalry between the teams and riders’
the teams and riders. Hopefully, it will help push all the Yamahas to be more competitive. It would have been nice to get on the podium, but we had a tough week and couldn’t find a setting to allow the tyres to last. We need to get into the mix with Kawasaki. Melandri, Lowes and van der Mark sit third, fourth and fifth in the championship, separated by just one point, while GRT’s Sandro Cortese is seventh overall.
“It’s a very good weekend for us after a difficult winter,” Melandri said despite pushing his rear tyre too hard in Sunday’s long race. “I think the next races can be better. It’s not easy to stay calm. It depends on the feeling you have with the bike. Once you feel comfortable it is easy to stay calm.”