MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 12 / AUGUST 2-4, 2019
AUTOMOTODROM BRNO / BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC
P58
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
T
here's no stopping Marc
Marquez. At a weather-hit
resumption of business at
Sunday's Czech Republic GP, he
was, once again, totally invincible.
Having broken Mick Doohan's
record with a 50th premier-class
pole position—a massive advantage
of some 2.5 seconds achieved with
breathtaking brinkmanship on slicks
on a damp track—the Repsol Honda
rider led a belated and slightly ab-
breviated race from start to finish.
Naturally, he survived at least one
near-crash, and for the first 10 of 20
laps he dangled a carrot of possibility
in front of his pursuer Andrea Dovizio-
so (Mission Winnow Ducati), only to
cruelly steal it away in the second half
as he pulled relentlessly clear.
He started the final lap better
than three seconds ahead and was
able to stand and celebrate over
the line, just short of 2.5 seconds
in front.
"I was really concentrated in the
beginning, because there were still
some wet patches in turn one, and
I was worried about the Yamahas
because they were fast this morn-
ing. But then I saw it was Dovi be-
hind, and I had to keep my rhythm.
I had a warning when I started
pushing harder at half distance, but
I was able to push more.
MARC MAS
ANOTHER