MOTOGP
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 2/APRIL 13, 2014
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS/AUSTIN, TEXAS
P46
He blamed bugs on his visor
from the warm-up lap for what
happened next.
"I was distracted, and I made a
big mistake in the start," he said.
It comprised anticipating the
lights by a huge margin – surging
into the lead from the second row
as those around him wondered
what was going on.
He slowed briefly, then took
off again - moving out of danger
and hurrying towards the inevita-
ble ride-through penalty, so that
he rejoined in last place.
Marquez led the first of 21 laps,
IT'S MILLER
TIME - AGAIN
Moto3, the first race of the day set
a precedent, with a tangle and crash at
the back of the pack as they funneled
into the super-slow first corner. It elimi-
nated innocent victim Arthur Sissis and
slowed his teammate Miguel Oliveira.
No worries for pole qualifier Jack
Miller on the Red Bull KTM, winning
out from fast starter Jakub Kornfeil,
who succumbed also to Efren Vazquez
by the end of the first lap.
The two leaders pulled away impres-
sively, almost 1.5 seconds after three
laps, but now Alex Marquez led the
pursuit, from Estrella Galicia Honda
teammate Rins, who dropped back as
the younger brother made it three up
front.
Now Sky VR46-team rider Romano
Fenati was cutting through from eighth
on lap one, and by half distance his
KTM was ahead of the fading Rins, and
ready to make it four.
Miller was steadfast up front, resist-
ing Vazquez' draft-past moves on the
long straight by exploiting his favorite
tactic. "I like to kill them on the brakes."
All the same, it would clearly be a last-
lap showdown, at the same place.
They all made it through with a last
shuffle, but Marquez didn't reach the
end. He got on the paint braking late
for a final lunge through the second-
last corner, and was down.
