Cycle News

MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10 / AUGUST 10-12, 2018 RED BULL RING / SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA P72 The variety was at least partly because of a shortage of time to explore options. There had been only two dry free practices, after heavy rain struck on Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning was still wet. Sunday, however, was balmy. Cal Crutchlow was, once again, top independent-team rider, after a steadfast gallop to fourth on the LCR Castrol Honda. Unable to go with the leaders in the early laps as he waited for his hard front tire to come in, he'd then had to fend off a hard-pressing Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati), but by the end he was alone. The podium trio had started together from the front row, Marquez on pole from Dovi by a minuscule 0.002, but Dovi leading him into the first corner, and Lorenzo ahead at the end of the first lap after the three had tangled at turn three's hard braking zone. This was Marquez's favor- ite passing spot, and on lap two, he used it to take a lead he would hold until lap 18, with Dovi third, peering over Lorenzo's shoulder, but never able to get by. After lap 12 the lead had stretched to almost a full second, and the race was taking on a familiar feel. Then things started to change. One or two tenths at a time, Lorenzo was closing. The red bike's power was a signifi- cant factor on the drag-strip straights but not the only fac- tor. It's never just as simple as opening the twist-grip. Valentino Rossi had a stellar ride, coming from 14th to sixth at the flag. INJURY LIST Injuries took their toll at the first back-to-back races of the season. KTM's MotoGP rider Pol Espar- garo was a prominent absentee, but Moto3 rider Jorge Martin was back in action a week after break- ing his wrist at Brno. Espargaro had been reported with just a bro- ken collarbone, a minor fracture at that, after crashing in morning warm-up at Brno. But complica- tions emerged afterwards, with a spinal injury causing serious worries as he lost feeling in his arms and legs. It was caused, ac- cording to his Aprilia-riding brother Aleix, by swelling pressing on the spinal cord, and a neurosurgeon had deemed the younger Esparga- ro extremely lucky to escape more serious damage and potentially long-lasting consequences. Martin however was back, his left wrist strapped after surgery to a radius bone fracture. SIC YAMAHA COMING The new satellite Petronas-Yamaha team is expected to be confirmed in two weeks at the British GP at Silverstone, with the lineup as al- ready reported. Rossi protégé and reigning Moto2 champion Franco Morbidelli will be joined by late- flowering Moto2 race winner Fabio Quartararo. The new squad, to be managed by current factory-team rider coach Wilco Zeelenberg, will take over the grid slot currently held by the Aspar-owned Angel Nieto Ducati team. Briefly...

• Cover