Cycle News

ROAD RACE FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10 / AUGUST 14, 2016 RED BULL RING / SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA P62 Just why were the Ducatis so strong? Obvious, really—they are the most powerful, at a track with slow corners and strong acceleration. But it's not only that, according to both riders and rivals. Rossi explained… "Ducati has a lot of horsepow- er, but what they can do is less wheelies compared with Yama- ha and Honda. For this reason it is very difficult to match the acceleration." For teammate Lorenzo, the gap was reminiscent of the superiority of Mercedes in F1. "If there's a circuit where Ducati can win it is here," he said. The Ducatis are notoriously hard on tires, while fuel consumption was also a worry. According to Dovizioso, "It is how the bike is made. I believe also the wings make the difference about the wheelie. It's a few things together that create better acceleration." When Marc Marquez crashed in the third free practice session, the com- plexion of the championship changed from the moment he hit the ground. Given his ability to bounce back, how- ever, it promptly changed back again. It happened at turn three, tightest on the track, with a flat-out approach. Marquez, riding with customary aban- don, lost control under braking as he was aiming for a tight entry. He might have saved it, but at that mo- ment teammate Pedrosa's Honda was cutting right across his escape route, running wide and much more slowly. Marquez had a hard landing, dislocated his left shoulder, and while it was relocated and the team readied his bike to go out again, instead he was helicoptered to hospital for fur- ther investigation. He was back after lunch, however, and ready to qualify fifth. Jorge Lorenzo's move to Ducati gained some added horsepower with the news that he will be joined by crew chief Cristian Gabarrini, who guided Casey Stoner to his first World Cham- pionship on the Italian machines. The Italian technician moved to Honda with Stoner for yet another title, and has worked with the Japanese com- pany ever since—currently wrenching for Jack Miller in the Marc VDS team. While nothing has been announced, it was already known that Lorenzo would not be taking his long-time and highly successful crew chief Ramon Forcada with him when he moves to the red bikes next year. Miller con- firmed the move, and heaped praise on Gabarrini. "I learned so much from him; he was an amazing influence not only on my riding but also on my ap- proach and lifestyle. He really under- stands how the bike works, and also the rider's point of view." The German GP will be staying put at the Sachsenring for the next five years, bringing to an end speculation that it might be returning to either the Nürburgring or Hockenheim. The contract for the race was signed at that track before the summer break, but the venue remained to be confirmed while the Sachsenring organizers sought more support from local govern- ment. The ploy was successful, and the confirmation came on the eve of the Austrian GP. Jack Miller was ruled out the race after a heavy crash—his third of the weekend—during race-morning warm-up left him badly knocked about. As well as thumping his foot, the 21-year-old Australian also sustained hairline fractures to the T6 vertebra and the radius bone of his right wrist. Miller will have an MRI scan in Brno on Wednesday, then a medical check to see if he will be fit for next week- end's race. Volatile racer Romano Fenati threw one tantrum too many in Austria, and was promptly suspended by his Sky VR46 Moto3 team on the eve of the race. The Italian, who took his sev- enth career win at the Austin GP earlier this year and was third in the championship, was left in disgrace after yet again upsetting his team when his temper flared up. A state- ment from the high-level team said: "Following repeated behavior not in line with the disciplinary rules of a team," he had been suspended and "will not be on the starting grid of the Austrian Grand Prix." There was no information regarding his longer- term future, but there have been many reports of abusive blow-ups in the pits, while last year Fenati was docked three points for a physical attack on rival Niklas Ajo after race- morning warm-up. Briefly...

• Cover