VOL. 52 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 13, 2015 P65
with an undisclosed "engine
problem," his first non-finish of
the year.
This left wild card and Suzuka
8 Hour winner Katsuyuki Naka-
suga's Yamaha Factory machine
to a strong eighth, never seri-
ously threatened by the closing
Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera,
who was top open finisher.
Another lap might have seen
Scott Redding take that ninth
place. The EG Marc VDS Honda
rider, on the hard rear, had a
slow start to the race, circulating
in 19th, but was slicing through
in the final laps, and barely a
second behind Barbera, having
left Aleix Espargaro more than 10
seconds adrift.
conceded the place with three
corners to go, when he almost
fell at turn 11, saving it with his
elbow.
By then Aleix Espargaro, on
the Ecstar Suzuki, had already
run off and rejoined far behind.
Danilo Petrucci's Pramac Ducati
played a highly active role until
he fell on lap nine. Espargaro's
Suzuki teammate Maverick
Vinales, who had closed from
behind, also crashed. And Pol
Espargaro, on the Monster
Yamaha, ran off, rejoined far
behind, and then crashed termi-
nally at very high speed.
Ducati Team's Andrea Iannone
had fallen back into the group,
only to coast to a stop trackside
result for the championship."
Repsol Honda's Marc Mar-
quez, nursing a fractured hand
for a second time this year,
started badly from the front row
and never featured, circulat-
ing fifth and losing ground on
Pedrosa. He only gained fourth
because of Dovizioso's ever-
slowing pace.
Cal Crutchlow's LCR Honda
waited until the last lap to
pounce on Bradley Smith's
Monster Energy Yamaha to
claim sixth, now only a couple of
seconds adrift of the Ducati of
Dovizioso. The Englishmen were
the survivors of a hectic group
that just before midrace had
been seven strong, and Smith
The Battle of
Britain went to
Crutchlow (35)
who mugged
Smith (38) on the
final lap for sixth.
