MOTOGP
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 12/AUGUST 29, 2015
SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT/NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, GREAT BRITAIN
P74
UNSHAKEABLE ZARCO
The first race of the day had the
worst conditions—a light drizzle before
the start, then 18 laps on a track that
was dry before the race was half done.
All started on wets. Florian Alt on
the E-Motion Suter was the first of a
handful of riders to pit for slicks, and
he played an unwitting part as he
came blazing past the leaders, six or
seven seconds a lap faster, as he un-
lapped himself in the closing stages.
At least one of the group by now
fighting for second didn't realize he
was a lap behind; up front Johann
Zarco on the Ajo Kalex—by now com-
fortably ahead—had the composure to
be fully informed.
Speed Up's Sam Lowes qualified
on pole, but was swamped away from
the start as Tito Rabat on the E-G
Marc VDS Kalex came through from
row two to head the first lap. Rabat
was back from a heavy crash in qualify-
ing, but undaunted, as a leading pack
of six drew away.
Paginas Amarillas Kalex' Alex Rins
had taken over up front by the end of
lap two; Zarco's bid for the front lasting
only until the next corner, where Rabat
barged past to consign him to fifth.
Also running strongly—Rabat's
teammate Alex Marquez—who was
second on lap three, then followed
Zarco as he came past again. Behind
Rabat, Thomas Luthi on the Der-
endinger Kalex was right in the action;
and AGR Kalex' Jonas Folger hanging
on behind.
Luthi was the first to suffer a wet
rear tire beginning to disintegrate, and
was dropping back badly by half dis-
tance. Slo-mo camera shots a couple
of laps later also showed Rabat's
spinning rear shedding great shards
of tread.
Before half-distance, however,
Zarco had slipped cleanly past Rins,
and immediately started to draw away.
At its best, on lap 12, the gap was
almost eight seconds; by the end he
had let it dwindle to better than three,
secure in his fifth win of the season,
and record-extending 11th consecutive
podium.
