VOLUME 56 ISSUE 24 JUNE 18, 2019 P71
Lopez (EG Honda), dropped to
fourth and denied a first podium
only at the last gasp.
He was pushed out at the finish
by a canny points leader Aron
Canet (Sterilgarda KTM), who
had been biding his time in an
all-action race with many crashes,
and teenage rookie Celestino
Vietti (SKY VR46 KTM), the Rossi
protégé's third podium in 11 starts.
Canet had decided "20 points
was better than 25-or-zero
points," and held back his last
lap attack. He was 0.119 seconds
behind Ramirez, and mere inches
ahead of Vietti.
Others sunk in gloom were
erstwhile leaders Lorenzo Dalla
Porta (Leopard Honda) and Italian
GP winner Tony Arbolino (Snipers
Honda), both of whom suddenly
slowed with rare engine prob-
lems; and Jaume Masia (Bester
KTM), after forging through to a
short-lived lead from a penalty-hit
20th on the grid. He fell after a
had qualified 11th but got away
well, only to clash with Baldas-
sarri on the first lap. A few laps
later, Baldassarri crashed out on
his own account.
Marquez (111) heads Luthi (104)
in a rejigged title table, from Na-
varro (89), Baldassarri (88) and
Schrotter (73).
Moto3
Marco Ramirez took his first race
win and the 12th in succession for
a different winner after a Moto3
race of brutal action and wide-
spread heartbreak.
The Leopard Honda rider had
been in a 15-strong lead group
throughout, and took the lead on
the last lap at the end of the back
straight, as Qatar GP winner Kaito
Toba (Team Asia Honda)—leader
for five of the previous eight laps—
fell under braking.
Rookie Toba, who had set a
new lap record, was in tears in his
pit soon afterward; so too Alonso
KTM'S MOTO2 WOES
KTM's Moto2 agonies continued at
Catalunya, with both riders in the of-
ficial Red Bull-backed team ditching
the latest chassis that arrived at Le
Mans, and reverting to the chatter-
prone first version. Class rookie
Jorge Martin narrowly managed
to get into Q2 and ended up 17th,
two places down on Iker Lecuona,
on the only other KTM in Q2. Top
rider Brad Binder started from 19th.
When the new chassis arrived,
Binder explained that while the
chattering was improved, rear trac-
tion disappeared rapidly as the tire
wore. The problem was insoluble,
and the earlier chassis preferable
in spite of its flaws. KTM Motors-
port Director Pit Beirer gave a frank
interview to Dorna TV, saying, "I feel
really bad for our riders that we can-
not give them a competitive bike."
Briefly...
Alex Marquez continued his
impressive run of form, this time
taking the home win for three
wins on the trot.
