Valentino Rossi wound back the years for a
stellar fourth ahead of Maverick Vinales (12)
and Alex Rins (42).
MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 13 / AUGUST 9-11, 2019
RED BULL RING / SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA
P72
track. It was the first race not to be won by a Kalex
chassis. The South African former Moto3 Champion,
celebrating his 24th birthday, hung on grimly to a
start-to-finish lead ahead of a carnage-stricken field,
with pole-sitter Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX Kalex)
taken out by Xavi Vierge (EG-VDS Kalex), then second-
placed Remy Gardner (ONEXOX Kalex) in a collision
with Marquez, and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Kalex)
punted off by the crashing Luca Marini (Sky VR46
Kalex).
Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) took a safe third,
comfortably ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox
Kalex), with second Flexbox rider Augusto Fernan-
dez a close fifth. Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Kalex) was
sixth, almost caught at the end by Jorge Martin on
the second Red Bull KTM.
Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) and Luthi's
teammate Marcel Schrotter were still close; Mattia Pa-
sini (Tasca Kalex) out of touch to complete the top 10.
American Joe Roberts (KTM) was 21st.
Marquez's title lead stretched to 43 points, 181
to Luthi's 138. Navarro has 126, Fernandez 121,
Baldassarri 115.
Briefly...
building a completely new Moto2 bike during
the season," said Beirer. But they had decided
to concentrate factory efforts on MotoGP and
Moto3. Surviving KTM Moto2 bikes will be
rebranded Husqvarna like they were in Moto3
back in 2014.
MIR OUT
Second Suzuki rider Joan Mir was out of the
Austrian GP, unfit after suffering a thumping
high-speed crash at Monday tests at Brno. The
21-year-old Spaniard appeared to have had
brake failure going into the fast turn one and
landed heavily as his bike vaulted the crash
barriers onto the service road on the far side of
the large gravel trap. Mir was helicoptered to
the hospital, but while he suffered no fractures,
a heavy blow to his chest was enough for him to
be sent on to Barcelona for further observation.
He is expected to be racing the next round at
the British Grand Prix, August 25.
