VOL. 53 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 25, 2016 P59
no, from 15th.'" Then he saw the
gap growing, and concentrated
on keeping his front tire warm
enough without taking risks.
"The whole weekend has been
keeping your head," he said, in
frequently dangerous conditions.
By now, fast starter Danilo
Petrucci (Pramac Ducati) had
dropped back into a huge gang
disputing seventh, while Espar-
garo was behind older brother
Aleix and Andrea Dovizioso
(Ducati), who were closely en-
gaged behind Rossi.
Vinales was the man on the
move, after spending the early
laps gaining the trust of his hard
front, which he "hadn't tried
before the race."
He'd passed the still-tentative
Less comfortably, Rossi had
come charging through, and
was past the Spaniard next time
around. He'd set fastest lap
on the fifth, but that had been
eclipsed next time around by
Crutchlow. But he was just 1.8
seconds behind. The scene was
set for him to pull off a remark-
able feat, his seventh Phillip
Island win, but from a row-five
start.
He thought it possible, but
it was not to be, as Crutchlow
stretched steadily away, 2.4
seconds clear two laps later, and
better than three by lap 15. Now
all the Englishman had to do was
stay on.
"When I saw on my pit board it
was Rossi behind, I thought, 'Oh
both Suzuki riders Vinales and
Espargaro, and local hero Jack
Miller (EG-VDS Honda).
Pol Espargaro (Monster
Yamaha) was on the front row of
the grid for the first time this year
with Crutchlow and Marquez,
and took a flier to lead around
the Southern Loop. Marquez
was firmly past at the turn-four
hairpin, and it looked like an
easy cruise to a sixth win of the
year, and third in a row. Until
it ended abruptly at the same
corner on lap 10. With the bike
barrel rolling to destruction, it
was Marquez' first non-finish of
the year.
This left Crutchlow ahead of
and comfortably clear of Espar-
garo.
Marquez looked to be a winner but this crash did him in.
