MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 2 / MARCH 29-31, 2019
TERMAS DE RIO HONDO CIRCUIT / TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA
P68
was another close fight. At half-
distance of the 25-lap race, the
spread from Rossi in second
to Fabio Quartararo (Petronas
Yamaha) in 10th was covered by
barely five seconds. Attrition had
spread them out somewhat by
the end, but there was still hand-
to-hand combat all the way down
the points.
The Ducatis of factory rider
Andrea Dovizioso and satellite
teamster Jack Miller had chased
Marquez into the first corner, but
by the end of the lap Rossi had
slipped into second, using the
Yamaha's better corner speed in
first five laps, so I pushed and
pushed, and I saw the differ-
ence. Then I was able to man-
age the tires and manage the
bike to the end."
Fears of another weather-hit
race after dire forecasts came
to naught, with the sun break-
ing through for the last race of
the day, in front of a passion-
ate crowd from far and wide in
South America, most of whom
seemed to have been partying
non-stop all weekend at the far-
flung venue in the north-east of
Argentina.
For the rest of the gang, it
STEVEN'S TOE JAM
Steven Odendaal was again absent
from the NTS Moto2 team, as he
recovers from complications to a
toe injury sustained in testing. This
became infected while he was on
holiday in Bali, and the 26-year-old
South African has now needed a
bone graft. He is not expected back
until the start of the European round
at Jerez in May. Odendaal's place
was again taken by former GP rider
Jesko Raffin, who qualified 24th,
two spots ahead of teammate Joe
Roberts, the only American rider in
all three classes.
Briefly...
Turn two, lap one,
and Marquez (93) is
already starting his
disappearing act.
