VOL. 56 ISSUE 15 APRIL 16, 2019 P79
behind Rins. He missed a bit of time from
laps five to 12 after an on-form Franco
Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha) got ahead,
and was more than five seconds behind
Miller when he reversed the position.
But as the Australian's struggles with
his tire worsened, Dovi was gaining pace,
by something like a second a lap toward
the end.
"I was a sitting duck by the end, but I
just had to manage it. I knew Dovi was
coming. And I was ready for a fight on the
last lap. But we got lucky today," Miller
said.
Dovi wasn't quite close enough, and
the Australian's first dry-weather podium
came by the margin of less than a sec-
ond.
Vinales compounded his jump-start
problem by misunderstanding the penalty
signal, taking a "long-lap" loop, then still
having to call in for a ride-through. The
other start jumper was second Suzuki
rider Joan Mir.
Their absence left the chance for a ca-
reer-best fifth for Morbidelli, who couldn't
stay with Dovi, but was better than three
with F1, which, at other circuits, leads
to severe ripples late in the braking
zone, and more on a clay sub-surface,
causing undulations at unpredictable
parts of the track. A highly visible
double bump on the downhill entry
to Turn Two is one, causing Moto2's
Xavi Vierge to go flying; others are in
the middle of the main straight. It is
all the more upsetting because the
20 corners of the third-longest track
of the year (behind Silverstone and
Malaysia, at 3.426 miles) make it a
fascinating challenge, but the poor
surface imposes restrictions to speed
and cornering line.
Briefly...
Thomas Luthi's
Moto2 victory
was his first
race win since
Misano 2017.
