MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 15 / SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2019
MISANO WORLD CIRCUIT MARCO SIMONCELLI / RIMINI, SAN MARINO
P66
prepare for more races like this."
It was all the more impressive
because of treacherous track condi-
tions. A micro-blasting treatment
along with blazing heat meant that
grip was so poor it was like riding in
the wet, according to several riders,
and there were many crashes all
weekend, especially in the smaller
classes.
Maverick Vinales (Monster Ya-
maha), racing with the old (alumi-
num) swingarm and exhaust system,
had qualified on pole, ahead of a
jubilantly on-form Pol Espargaro's
Red Bull KTM, and Quartararo, with
at the same Turn 14 where he had
found himself blocked by Rossi the
day before.
Quartararo was jubilant nonethe-
less, after achieving his ambition of a
toe-to-toe battle with Marquez.
"It was not only the best moment
in my career, but the best in my life!"
said the young Frenchman. "When
a seven-times champion is behind
you all race, then he overtakes you
in turn one and you overtake back
in turn four…this time we finished
second, but really close."
As his Petronas team boss Wilco
Zeelenberg said, "I think Marc must
IIIMY OWN RACE:
36 JOAN MIR
8TH MOTOGP
"My goal today was to finish the race
with a good feeling a er my recov-
ery and the me off the bike," Joan
Mir said. "I didn't feel completely
comfortable with my bike se ngs this
weekend, but we worked hard, and
we were able to close the gap to the
others a bit. In the end, eighth isn't a
bad result especially given that this
track hasn't really suited us. It feels
good to be back, and I'm really look-
ing forward to next weekend—Ara-
gon is one of my favorite circuits!"
(Above) Jorge Lorenzo is a shadow of his former self these days.
(Below) Pol Espargaro put the KTM in second
on the grid and raced to another top 10.
