MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 18 / NOVEMBER 17-18, 2018
RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT / VALENCIA, SPAIN
P62
his way rapidly forward. And the
crash carnage had begun.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) was
the first to go on the second lap.
Two laps further Jack Miller (Alma
Pramac Ducati) had his fifth fall
of the weekend while climbing
from 10th on lap one. Then it was
Michele Pirro (Ducati) and Luthi,
the former remounting.
row, and the Suzuki rider took
a flying start to gain a lead over
Dovi of more than 1.5 seconds
on the first lap, up to four sec-
onds by the fifth.
By now, the tentative Vinales
had dropped back to seventh;
Valentino Rossi (Movistar Ya-
maha) was about to pass him
from 16th on the grid, making
The first running was gruel-
ling, starting off in heavy rain that
just got heavier, making visibility
difficult, and gradually overcom-
ing the drainage at key points.
There had been plenty of wet
practice, however, so at least
riders were familiar.
Rins and Dovizioso were
alongside Vinales on the front
iii My Own Race:
61 CAN ONCU 1ST MOTO3
"I made a great start," said Can Oncu. "In fact, I think it was the best start I've ever had,
since that's usually something that I find hard. I took off from fourth position and, on the
second corner, I managed to gain a position and take third. During the opening laps I tried
to follow the leading riders, but at Turn 6 I almost crashed so I decided to ease off a little;
finishing third would have been a great result for a wildcard. Shortly after, I saw the two
riders ahead of me crash out. At first I was a little worried because when a rider crashes it is a warning that you should be
more careful. Unexpectedly, I was left alone at the front. When I saw that I was ahead of the chasing group by more than five
seconds, I decided that I had to go for the victory. However, it seemed as if the race was never going to end, since there
were still 16 laps to go and I had to set the pace myself. Normally in the FIM CEV the races last just 16 laps, so for me it was
like starting a second race. Also, at Turn 6 on the last lap, I thought I was going to crash. I was able to stay on the bike and
win the race."
Both Maverick Vinales
(blue) and Danilo Petrucci
went flying before the red
flag came out.
