VOLUME 56 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 P67
Briefly...
after hopes of a MotoGP move were
thwarted, his new-this-year team-
mate Xavier Vierge is on the move
again. The fancied Spaniard will
join the Petronas team, which next
season expands to two riders. His
teammate is yet to be confirmed
with rumors that current incumbent
Khairul Idham Pawi may be returning
the Moto3, where he had previously
taken two wins. The Malaysian's third
Moto2 season has been blighted
by a serious hand injury at Jerez in
May, and he has not raced since.
Current Moto3 points leader Lorenzo
Dalla Porta confirmed his move to
join compatriot Enea Bastianini at
the Italtrans Kalex team, while his
championship rival Aron Canet is also
moving up to Aspar Martinez's Angel
Nieto squad. Another Malaysian,
Hafizh Syahrin, is hoping he might
get one of several still-vacant rides
after being dropped from the Tech3
Red Bull KTM MotoGP squad next
year in favor of Brad Binder.
seven. Unlike his teammate, he
was using the new carbon-fiber
swingarm and twin exhaust, but
his third-row start foiled his hopes
of a first podium in nine races.
And now he was stuck behind
Morbidelli, with the slippery track
offering few chances.
Two laps later, Dovizioso was
also ahead of the KTM but almost
a second adrift.
Rossi nipped inside Morbidelli
at the first corners on lap 17, and
the pair stayed close to the end,
Dovi finally closing up. But the
familiar complaint of poor corner
speed and fading grip meant he
was unable to attack, and by the
end he, had dropped away again
by a second.
Pol Espargaro was alone by
the end in seventh. It was his
seventh top 10 of a strong year.
Towards the end he'd come
under pressure from Jack Miller
(Pramac Ducati), trying to nurse
Marquez in the middle of row
two, between Franco Morbidelli
(Petronas Yamaha) and Andrea
Dovizioso (Mission Winnow
Ducati).
Vinales led away from Quar-
tararo with Marquez rapidly up to
third. Morbidelli was close, then
Espargaro, staying well in touch
for almost 10 laps, and blocking
the pursuit by Alex Rins (Ecstar
Suzuki), Rossi and Dovizioso.
Morbidelli led the pursuit with
Espargaro not far behind. Rins
made a dive past the KTM at the
first corner on lap five, but imme-
diately fell victim to the slippery
conditions, and dropped back
behind Rossi and Dovizioso. He
wouldn't pass another rider and
eventually crashed out on lap
15, before he'd had time to take
a long-lap penalty for having ex-
ceeded track limits too often.
Rossi finally found his way past
the fast-accelerating KTM on lap
