Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1099522
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2 / MARCH 29-31, 2019 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO CIRCUIT / TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA P76 A similar distance behind; and three seconds away eighth- placed Jorge Navarro (Beta Speed Up) led rookies Enea Bastianini's (Italtrans Kalex) and a distant Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Kalex), an excellent tenth in the 20-year-old Thai rider's second Moto2 race, and only his third GP. A perfect 50 gives Baldas- sarri an early points lead, from Gardner (33), Schrotter (26), Marquez (25) and Luthi (20). Moto3 A long straight and a narrow racing line combined to make a desperately close Moto3 race, with a brilliantly tactical win for first-time pole qualifier Jaume Masia (Bester Capital KTM) after no less than 12 different leaders over the line, and a pack still 17 strong covered by less than 2.4 seconds over the line. The Spanish teenager had played an unobtrusive part in the all-action pack, dropping to as low as 13th mid-race. But he arrived at the front with perfect timing. Starting the last lap fifth, he picked his way to the front and managed to resist a last-corner attack by a blazingly on-form Darryn Binder (Green Power KTM), through from 20th on the grid. It was the 18-year-old's first podium, as he starts a second full season after injuries blighted the end of his first. "Thanks to all who supported to me in the difficult times," he said, in an get bedded in. Heartbreakingly, Vierge stopped with a suspected electrical problem on the warm- up lap. Simone Corsi and rookie Nicolo Bulega both also retired from the top ten with mechanical issues. Schrotter had led away, but Gardner seized the lead on the second lap and held it, but for four mid-race laps when Schrotter got back over the line. It was close, however, with positions changing elsewhere on the track, and Marquez also involved, and up to second from laps eight to 13. Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) secured fourth, a couple of seconds clear by the end of Binder. Marcel Schrotter was a tenth adrift, having got back ahead of Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Kalex) on the final lap. than a second. The scrap he left behind was far from over. It was won in super-aggressive style by Gardner (ONEXOX Kalex), sweet revenge for his narrow defeat for a podium slot at Qatar by Dynavolt Kalex rider Schrotter. By the end of the barging match, erstwhile leader Schrotter was banged back to sixth. Typically, Gardner castigated himself for not having come first. "I could have won it," he said if his tactics had been a little less bull-headed. The last podium position went to Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex), after dropping to fifth mid-race. But pre-race mechanical prob- lems for his teammate Xavier Vierge, who had qualified on pole, left some concerns about reliability as the new engines Lorenzo Baldassarri got the better of Remy Gardner in a late-race skirmish to take win number two on the trot.