VOL. 54 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 14, 2017 P87
of five to crash out, from a strong
top-ten position.
No change in the champion-
ship top five, with Morbidelli on
308, although Oliveira came
within two points of deposing
the absent-injured Luthi from
second, with 241 points to 243.
Marquez had 201, Bagnaia 174;
with Pasini sixth.
Moto3
There were records up for grabs,
particularly for new champion
Joan Mir, aiming to equal Rossi's
11 wins. The Leopard Honda
rider started second on the grid,
alongside Del Conca Gresini
Honda's Jorge Martin, himself
having set a record ninth pole.
Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM) was
third.
The three charged away,
Martin leading, Rodrigo second.
Then the decisive moment at
the end of lap three: Rodrigo
crashed on the final corner; Mir
had to go right off the track to
avoid him, dropping to 19th.
Martin, yet to turn all his poles
to victory, was free, with a two-
second gap to a brawling pack.
Head down, he kept stretching
away, taking his first win 5.9
seconds clear.
The battle for second was
another Moto3 epic. Enea
Bastianini (EG Honda) took over
from Juanfran Guevara's KTM to
do most leading in the first half,
but new junior World Champion
five places.
Already rookie of the year,
Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46
Kalex) had got up to fifth on lap
five, spent the middle of the race
exchanging blows with Hafizh
Syahrin (Petronas Kalex), then
escaped, and got ahead of the
fading Marquez with two laps to
go, continuing his strong form.
Syahrin was sixth, less than
three seconds behind Marquez.
He had outpaced Takaaki
Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex). Four
more seconds away Fabio Quar-
tararo (Pons Kalex) managed
to stay clear of Simone Corsi
(Speed Up), who had passed
Aegerter for ninth four laps from
the end.
Axel Pons, Isaac Vinales (both
Kalex), Marcel Schrotter (Suter),
Augusto Fernandez (Speed Up)
and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex)
rounded out the points.
Xavi Vierge (Tech 3) was one
Miguel Oliveira recorded his third
straight win in Moto2.
