Cycle News

ROAD RACE FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 17 / OCTOBER 30, 2016 SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT / SEPANG, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA P72 ond podium. Quartararo was fourth; teammate Andrea Locatelli came through from the next gang for fifth. Jammed up behind, Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Mahindra), Rodrigo and local hero Khairul Idham Pawi (Team Asia Honda) fought, with Livio Loi (RW Honda) just dropping off the back for ninth. Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Mahindra) was a lone 10th. The result moved Bagnaia from seventh back to third in the championship, now stand- ing at Binder 294, Bastianini 164, Bagnaia 145, Navarro 143 and Bulega 129. CN MotoGP 1. Andrea Dovizioso (Duc) 2. Valentino Rossi (Yam) 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Yam) 4. Hector Barbera (Duc) 5. Loriz Baz (Duc) Moto2 1. Johann Zarco (Kal) 2. Franco Morbidelli (Kal) 3. Jonas Folger (Kal) 4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kal) 5. Hafizh Syahrin (Kal) Moto3 1. Francesco Bagnaia (Mah) 2. Jakub Kornfeil (Hon) 3. Bo Bendsneyder (KTM) 4. Fabio Quartararo (KTM) 5. Andrea Locatelli (KTM) His victims were Nicolo Bulega (SKY VR46 KTM), Adam Nor- rodin (Drive M7 Honda), Aron Canet (EG Honda) and Philipp Oettl (Schedl KTM). Bulega and Migno remount- ed to return to the pits, and oil or water dropped by one of these might have triggered the next crucial multi-crash. Pole starter Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), Bagnaia, Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM), Joan Mir (Leopard KTM) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (SKY VR46 KTM) were starting to break clear when, at turn sev- en, three of them went down in close formation, followed seconds later by Fabio Di Gi- annantonio (Gresini Honda). Clearly something had been spilled, but Bagnaia survived without losing pace, and would be alone from there to the premature ending. Rodrigo recovered, al- though dropping back into the pursuit group. This was now led by Drive M7 Honda rider Jakub Kornfeil, and included Jorge Navarro (EG Honda), Fabio Quartararo (Leopard KTM), Niccolo Antonelli (On- getta Rivacold Honda) and Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM). Navarro would fall, and also Antonelli, the latter remounting to salvage 12th. Bendsneyder moved to the front to take second on lap 14, only for the race to be red-flagged. It had started to rain again, and he was dropped to third, his sec- Czech GP winner John McPhee, run-over victim of the multiple Moto3 pileup that brought out the red flags in the Australian GP last weekend, will be out for the rest of the season, af- ter further medical checks found more serious injuries than at first suspected. The other injured victim among four rid- ers, Enea Bastianini, was also out of the Malaysian GP, but was at the Ma- laysian circuit. As reported last week, McPhee had been scheduled to re- turn home to Scotland to recuperate, his worst injury being a broken thumb that required surgery, and he hoped to be fit for the final round at Valencia on November 13. However, according to Britain's MCN, further investigation in hospital in Melbourne revealed that both lungs were punctured, and the 40-percent reduction in capacity made it impossible for him to fly for up to five weeks. Bastianini was also knocked down, and was then run over by Jorge Navarro after sliding back across the circuit. He suffered fractures to a rib and his back, but was still hoping to be back in action for the final race. McPhee's place on the SaxoPrint Peu- geot (a rebadged Mahindra) was taken by Malaysian rider Hafiq Azmi, a for- mer class regular. Bastinini's Gresini Honda seat went to Japan's Ayumu Sasaki, making his GP debut fresh from victory in the Red Bull Rookies series—only to be knocked off on the first corner. Exploratory scooter runs around cir- cuits have long been a regular feature of race-weekend Thursdays, but from henceforth, riders and their tutors will be obligated to explore circuits on foot or by bicycle. The unexpected ban was slapped on by IRTA after two rid- Briefly... cont. on pg. 74

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