ROAD RACE
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 18 / NOVEMBER 13, 2016
CIRCUITO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA / VALENCIA, SPAIN
P64
ing the KTM—in its first race—at
the back, until pitting with 11 laps
remaining, blaming an electronic
sensor problem.
No significant changes in the
championship standings with
Crutchlow hanging on to seventh
as top Independent Team rider
in spite of not scoring, seven
points clear of Pol Espargaro.
Up top it was Marquez 298,
Rossi 249, Lorenzo 233, Vinales
202 and Dovizioso 171.
took sixth by 0.04 of a second,
with the Suzuki 0.3 behind.
Crutchlow had been behind,
not quite closing, until just after
half distance, when he slipped
off. By then he had seen off a
challenge from Bradley Smith
(Monster Yamaha), who inherited
a lone ninth.
A lively battle behind had been
resolved at the end, with Alvaro
Bautista (Aprilia) managing to
escape from a pressing Hector
Barbera (Avintia Ducati), who in
turn had passed and dropped off
Danilo Petrucci's Pramac Ducati.
Stefan Bradl (Aprilia) had
passed Scott Redding (Pramac
Ducati) in the closing laps, three
seconds behind Jack Miller
(EG-VDS Honda) took the last
point, after finally escaping from
Eugene Laverty (Aspar Ducati)
and his own teammate Tito
Rabat, with Loris Baz (Avintia
Ducati) last.
Yonny Hernandez (Aspar
Ducati) was an early faller; Pe-
drosa a few laps later, not know-
ing afterwards whether to blame
himself or his bike. "The rear
stepped out and at the same
time I lost the front. I don't know
why, because I wasn't riding at
the limit."
Mika Kallio had been circulat-
Maverick Vinales was in the lead
pack but drifted back on the final
lap, finishing fifth.
