MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 19 / NOVEMBER 15-17, 2019
RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT / VALENCIA, SPAIN
P64
was six seconds away from Rins,
and only two ahead of Joan Mir
on the second Ecstar Suzuki.
Monster Yamaha teammate
Valentino Rossi had an even
worse afternoon, finishing eighth
another 12 seconds out of touch,
and also promoted by crashes
ahead of him, in his case Danilo
Petrucci (Ducati).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Castrol
Honda) had already fallen on lap
nine, shortly after passing Rossi,
losing the front under braking for
the first corner.
Petrucci's fall later on lap 14
signaled a drop in temperature or
perhaps dirt on the track. More
than five seconds behind him,
Johann Zarco (LCR Idemitsu
Honda) followed suit with a copy-
cat crash, then a similar distance
away also first-timer Iker Lecuona
(Red Bull KTM). Lecuona's bike
acquisition of the championship.
Abraham and Syahrin were
spaced out behind in the points
and the last finishers. Michele
Pirro (Ducati) had been an early
retirement.
Marquez (420) and Dovizioso
(269) were already set for the
title. Vinales did enough to retain
third from Rins, 211 to 205. Quar-
tararo (192) ended up fifth.
Moto2
Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder took
a third race win in a row and his
fifth in the last eight races to se-
cure second in the championship
ahead of long-time race leader
Thomas Luthi.
And with new World Champion
Alex Marquez (EG VDS Kalex)
falling and remounting to finish
out of the points in last place,
it was only just too late for the
rocketed into Zarco as he walked
away, sending him somersaulting
backward, lucky to escape injury.
Another 10 seconds behind
Rossi, the two Aprilia riders,
Andrea Iannone and Aleix Espar-
garo, were engaged with Pol Es-
pargaro's factory KTM for almost
the entire race. Iannone paid the
price of the conditions, slipping
off on the last lap, and Aleix man-
aged to stay ahead of the KTM by
a quarter of a second.
The attrition promoted the back-
markers. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia
Ducati) had caught and passed a
fading Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM)
for 11th with four laps to go.
A cautious Jorge Lorenzo com-
pleted the last race of his illustri-
ous career in a safe and lonely
13th, to the applause of the crowd
and pit lane, earning three points
to help the Repsol Honda team's
Off to MotoGP next year, Brad Binder (41) made his last Moto2 race a victorious one.
