Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/683145
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 6 / MAY 22, 2016 AUTODROMO DEL MUGELLO / TUSCANY, ITALY P90 MOTO3 CAGE FIGHTING ON BIKES The first race of the day was superb—a massive pack up front rubbing shoulders and scrap- ing paint as they repeatedly ran into the first corner four or five abreast. Any one of 15 riders might have won the slipstream- ing run to the finish line, except that title leader Brad Binder had other ideas. The South African took a third win in a row on the Red Bull KTM, all the sweeter because his main title rivals—Jorge Na- varro and Romano Fenati—both left with zero points. Fenati had frequently led after starting from pole, but his Sky VR46 KTM's chain broke after nine thrilling laps. Navarro came off worst in one of many colli- sions in the huge leading pack, and the EG Honda hit the dirt. As always at a track with no chance to break away, posi- tions shuffled corner by corner, with old hands and rookies alike mixing it up. Argentine GP win- ner Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia Honda) led briefly, teammate Hiroki Ono twice over the line; Andrea Migno once, and new-boy teammate Nicolo Bulega at least once out over the hillsides. More frequently Fabio Quartararo (Leopard KTM) was up front, after coming through from 18th on the grid. At half distance, first to 23rd was covered by some three sec- onds, and the first 11 were within one second of the leader. Only on the final lap, when front-runner rookies Pawi and Aron Canet (EG Honda) crashed out, Canet on the last corner, did it leave five clear front-runners to battle to the line. Battle they did down the long straight, but Binder had led onto it and had done enough to stay there to the line, by less than four-hundredths. "It was a crazy race," he said afterwards of his third straight win. It was all something of a lot- tery, with first to fifth covered by less than one 10th of a second, riders weaving and swapping. Rookie Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini Honda) took second by inches from Pecco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra), with Nic- colo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda) virtually alongside, and Quartararo likewise. Antonelli had also come through from the back, starting 21st after a crash early in qualifying. Binder's lead over Navarro is al- most two races – 49 points, at 127 to 78. Then Fenati (67), Bulega (55) and Bagnaia (54). CN It was like this for the whole race. Literally!