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MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 17 / OCTOBER 26-28, 2018 PHILLIP ISLAND / PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA P60 Zarco—who had pushed past Iannone—almost got ahead as well. Marquez moved across to take his line for Turn One; Zarco, later on the brakes, couldn't avoid his front wheel touching the Honda's rear. This triggered mayhem, with Iannone lucky to miss the flying Yamaha. It didn't make the battle any less exciting. Vinales had been quietly gain- ing places, and was ahead of Bautista. Now he passed Rossi, Miller and Iannone in one lap, to last place to begin an impres- sive fight back. "It was the best start of my career, but in the sec- ond corner the [slipper] clutch didn't release and locked the back wheel." It was his teammate Miller heading the first lap, only to be promptly shuffled back to fourth next time around, with Marquez, Dovizioso and Iannone ahead of him; and next time around, Zarco as well. At the end of lap five, the Ducatis of Dovi and Miller surged past Marquez, and tire sliced. Repsol Honda team- mate Dani Pedrosa later crashed out of a distant 14th—zero points for the top team in the champi- onship. Marquez started well from pole, with fellow front-row men Vinales and Zarco swamped, to finish lap one ninth and eighth respectively. Instead it was Alma Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci surging off the middle of row three to seize a short-lived lead into Turn One. On the next corner, he ran wide and off the track, dropping iii My Own Race: 46 VALENTINO ROSSI 6TH MOTOGP "Unfortunately, from the first lap I already started to slide a bit too much on ac- celeration," Valentino Rossi said. "I lost some grip compared to yesterday and this morning. It's a shame because for sure we wanted to try to do better. I tried to ride smoothly and manage the tires, but unfortunately after 15 laps I was in trouble, because when exiting left corners I had too much spin. We need to understand why this happened and then try to improve, but having Maverick win a race is good news for the team and Yamaha, because it gives great motivation." 19 ALVARO BAUTISTA 4TH MOTOGP "At the end of a difficult weekend in which I crashed three times, this fourth place is a great reward for me," Alvaro Bautista said. "To come into a new team and step onto a new bike at a circuit like this was for sure not going to be easy, but I think we've worked well together, making steps forward in every session. I started the race really focused and relaxed because I had no real targets to aim for, except for enjoying riding the Desmosedici GP18. After quite a complicated start, I was able to soon catch up with the leading group and fight for the front positions. In the last few laps I made a few small mistakes and lost contact with Dovizioso and Iannone, but in any case I'm very happy with my overall result, especially for the team and for Ducati, whom I would like to thank once again for the trust they have shown in me." 5 JOHANN ZARCO DNF MOTOGP "When I was sliding at that speed I had the feeling it would never stop, so I was scared," said Johann Zarco. "I was so stiff, pressing my fingers that I wouldn't hit anything. I did it to really make my entire body hard. I was lucky that I stayed on the grass, I didn't touch the gravel. That's why I'm okay now. I stayed on the floor just to check if I was still okay. I have some pain [in my right side], but I did an x-ray and nothing is broken. We were going so fast, there was not a lot of space on the left side. Marquez was close to Jack and he came back into the race line for Turn One. I was also there. It was a pity, because I could have done a nice race. I was feeling good, I wanted to be in first or second or third to [use] my pace and maybe pull away. Maybe I could have pulled away with Maverick [Vinales], I don't know."

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