VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P79
That's exactly how it worked.
Marc actually did nose ahead
as he cut inside, but then he ran
wide on the exit, sliding wildly on
the paint as Dovi moved ahead
again for a memorable win. He
raised his left fist as he passed.
"It was instinctive," he explained.
"Because that is not a corner to
overtake."
The race was not only a duel,
though that was what claimed
most attention. Pedrosa was
a strong and valuable third
from eighth on the grid, over-
coming problems of a difficult
weekend, and less than three
seconds away.
Another four seconds down,
close, unlike last year, this was
not the time to settle for second.
"You need every point," said
Marquez. So he kept trying.
It brought out the best in
Dovizioso, so easily underrated
for playing for percentages more
than fighting. Not today… but it
was still a matter of calculation.
"Marc always in the last lap
will try something, but I didn't
expect in the last corner,
because there is no braking,"
said Dovizioso. "But I heard
him open the throttle early in
the second-last corner, so I left
the door open so I could exit
faster, because otherwise he
would hit me."
blows. This gave Pedrosa, now
ahead of Lorenzo, the chance
to close right up, and with six
laps to go the three were right in
each other's wheel-tracks Dovi
leading again.
Now the endgame. Pedrosa,
blaming wheelspin, couldn't
keep up. Dovi was the stronger,
Marc later admitted, but it was
only by very little, and on the two
successive left-handers the ad-
vantage went back to the Honda
rider. "Maybe I could take three
tenths," he said.
With the championship so
Lorenzo (99) made a good show
of it in the early stages, eventually
fading to finish fourth.
