MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 5 / AUGUST 21-23, 2020
RED BULL RING / SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA
P76
tory squad, there is a chance Zarco
would replace him there. And Ducati
is also in negotiations with Enea
Bastianini regarding a place in Avintia
Ducati next year."
YAMAHA ENGINES
Yamaha has withdrawn its request
to unseal its engines to replace
faulty valves, components it believes
caused the mechanical failures of
Maverick Vinales, Valentino Rossi
and Franco Morbidelli at Jerez in
July. Technical rules stipulate a
manufacturer can unseal the engines
to replace any faulty components
but only if it gains approval from the
other manufacturers that make up
the MSMA. To gain such approval it
would have had to provide more in-
formation. Doing so could well have
given away top-secret information
to its competitors. Yamaha declined
to do so, withdrew its request and
decided it can survive the rest of
the season with its current engines
(Vinales and Morbidelli are already
using the fifth and final engine in
their season allocation).
Briefly...
Valentino Rossi was top
Yamaha once again in ninth,
at a circuit all Yamaha riders
will be happy to see behind
them. Persistent braking
issues dogged the factory
team and the Petronas
riders, culminating in Vinales'
spectacular front-brake
failure. Iker Lecuona (27) had
a great ride on the second
Tech3 KTM, finishing just five
seconds off the win in 10th,
right behind Rossi.
