VOLUME 56 ISSUE 24 JUNE 18, 2019 P67
The race had already been
depleted: Karel Abraham
crashed his Avintia Ducati on lap
one, then a bit further around,
Aprilia test rider Bradley Smith
also fell, in the process clobber-
ing teammate Aleix Espargaro
and hurting his knee so badly he
had to be lifted off the bike after
limping back to the pit.
Seven riders had gone out
after less than two laps!
At the end of that lap, Marquez
had almost a second on new
second-placer Danilo Petrucci
(Mission Winnow Ducati), and he
added nearly half a second to it
next time around. From then on,
it was relatively plain sailing for
a fourth win of the season. With
Dovi out, his only concern was
that the Yamaha riders might have
been a threat in the later laps—but
he needn't have worried.
His lead was up to five sec-
onds just after half distance, and
he could comfortably let it drop
to just over two by the finish. "Of
course, this accident made the
race easier for me, but anyway
my pace was very good, and I
think I was riding in a good way.
We managed really good the tim-
ings of the race."
Fortune Favors
Marquez
MARC MARQUEZ SMASHED THEM IN
BARCELONA. BUT HE WAS GIVEN A HUGE
HELPING HAND BY A TEAMMATE WHO WAS
MORE TORPEDO THAN MOTOGP RACER
Turn one, lap
three, and Marc
Marquez has just
been gifted a
severe boost to the
championship.
