MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 9 / AUGUST 3-5, 2018
BRNO CIRCUIT/ OSTROVAICE, CZECH REPUBLIC
P64
But it didn't work like that. Not
only was Oliveira getting be-
tween them, but also Xavi Vierge
(Dynavolt Kalex) was closing,
plus Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Kal-
ex), and Binder, with Marquez
back to seventh on lap five.
Marquez was back up to a
challenging fourth three laps
later, only to crash out on the
final corner.
At this point, Marini was again
leading, while Jerez winner
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40
Kalex) had joined up, and would
cut through to take the lead on
lap 13. He stayed there for three
laps, but then with four laps left
he was sliding badly.
By then also Vierge had lost
later stages.
Bagnaia hung on to third by
less than two tenths, all four
over the line within less than a
second.
Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex)
had led away from Marini and
Bagnaia, with Oliveira for once
qualifying on the second row
and finishing the first lap fourth,
ahead of his teammate Brad
Binder.
On lap two Marini got to the
front, and next time around Bag-
naia was ahead of him. It looked
as though the teammates might
play tactics, Marini protecting
the championship leader. All
weekend he'd been trumpeting
their good relationship.
half-brother, after his first po-
dium at the previous round in
Germany, and his first pole posi-
tion at Brno.
The pair changed places six
times in the last lap alone, by
when they had narrowly got
clear of a group that had been
five strong. This left former
championship leader Francesco
Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex) tooth
and nail with Lorenzo Baldassarri
(Pons HP40 Kalex), who had
come through from 10th on the
grid to lead for three laps in the
The Ducati boys are happy but
the man really smiling is Marquez
(right), who increased his lead in
the championship to 49 points.
