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Mortara takes first Formula E victory in Hong Kong after Bird penalty
Mortara wins Hong Kong Formula E after Bird penalty. An FIA image Hong Kong, 10 March 2019: Edoardo Mortara inherited his first-ever Formula E victory in Hong Kong after Sam Bird was handed a time penalty for causing a collision with Andre Lotterer on the penultimate lap.
Bird and Lotterer were locked in a race-long duel, with seconds separating the pair throughout the duration of the entire E-Prix. As the clock counted down, Bird made a lunge for the lead into Turn 2 and made contact with the rear of Lotterer.
Despite the hit from behind Lotterer held position and managed to keep Bird at bay, but Lotterer soon started to slow after suffering a puncture from the earlier contact leaving him limping home and eventually coming to a stop out on track.
This allowed Bird to swoop in front and take the chequered flag. However, Bird was later denied his second victory of the season after being issued with a five-second penalty – dropping him to sixth position.
Mortara is therefore elevated to first place – marking a maiden win for the Swiss driver and a first victory for VENTURI Formula E Team. Mortara progressed up the field from sixth on the grid to claim his second consecutive podium finish on the road – with a third-place last time out in Mexico City.
It was another Venturi-powered car that led away from the front, with Stoffel Vandoorne setting the fastest lap in wet conditions to secure pole position and get HWA RACELAB off the mark with three points.
Vandoorne maintained the trend this season of no driver converting pole into victory – again highlighting that nothing is a given in Formula E. With damp patches and puddles out on track, Vandoorne was beaten off the line by Oliver Rowland. But it didn’t last long as Rowland briefly slowed and dropped down the order.
Bird jumped to the head the pack, however soon relinquished the lead to Lotterer after locking-up in the slippery braking zone of Turn 2. Proceedings were soon brought to a standstill after a coming together between Felipe Nasr and the two MAHINDRA RACING drivers.
Nasr – who was struggling to slow the car with damaged bodywork – went into the wall at Turn 2, with Pascal Wehrlein and Jerome D’Ambrosio close behind and following him to the scene of the accident. The red flag halted running in order to clear the cars and the race later restarted behind the safety car.
With changes to the classification, Lucas di Grassi was promoted to second and Bird’s team-mate Robin Frijns rounded-out the podiums places for Envision Virgin Racing. Despite losing out on maximum points, Bird moves to the top of the standings – with an extra point for fastest lap.
With yet another different winner and only two points between the top-four drivers, Formula E returns to mainland China for the inaugural race in Sanya – round six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship on March 23.
Edoardo Mortara, VENTURI Formula E Team, said: “The result today is fantastic. Fourth in Santiago, third in Mexico, now my first victory in Hong Kong! I’m so proud and finding out that I had won was an incredible feeling for me. The race was awesome and I’ve had a wonderful weekend – historically racing in Asia brings me so much luck – honestly, I’m over the moon and I couldn’t be happier. The team have done a brilliant job, they put in all the hours and pull out all the stops – this result is a tribute to their hard work. This result is for them – I know that it will motivate them even more and I can’t wait to get back out on the track.”
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, said: “Sometimes you have to race with your head, not with your heart and today I had to do that. I had a bad start not because of anything but because I chose the wrong path and I was overtaken by Sam and Edo. If you go flat out, the only way to overtake is to force your way through and when you do that there are risks of crashing, penalties, so I tried to wait for Edo to make a mistake in the last two laps. He didn’t and then from me it was impossible to overtake with only half a second left on ATTACK MODE so we had to calm down and collect the points.
Five drivers have done all the 50 races I have been on the podium 31 times, I have been disqualified twice, so 29! We must believe in this championship, for me there is no better way to race and everybody should be very proud of what we have achieved together.”
Envision Virgin Racing, Robin Frijns, said: “It’s been a mixed day with the ever-changing conditions and our first wet race. We got unlucky in qualifying meaning I started the race in P10, but having multiple safety cars and using my Attack Mode at a different time to most of the other drivers, allowed me to make my way forward during the race.”
Race Result:
1 Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team 59:36.119s (25)
2 Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler +0.988s (18)
3 Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing +1.536s (15)
4 Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler +1.985s (12)
5 Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team +3.258s (10)
6 Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing +3.306s (9)
7 Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing +4.017s (6)
8 Garry Paffett HWA RACELAB +4.368s (4)
9 Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team +5.624s (2)
10 Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport +6.492s (1)
11 Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON +7.218s 12 Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team +7.825s 13 Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH +16.604s 14 Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH +24.270s DNF Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams 29 Laps DNF Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB 20 Laps (3)
DNF Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams 19 Laps DNF Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport 16 Laps DNF Felipe Nasr GEOX DRAGON 1 Lap DNF Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING 1 Lap DNF Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING 1 Lap DNF Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing Drivers’ Championship Standings:
Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing 54
Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING 53
Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 52
Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team 52
Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport 47
Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing 43
Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 34
Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing 34
Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING 30
Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH 29
Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH 28
Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport 18
Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams 15
Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team 14
Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams 6
Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team 6
Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB 4
Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB 3
Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON 2
Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing 1
Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team 0
Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON 0
Felipe Nasr GEOX DRAGON 0
Felix Rosenqvist MAHINDRA RACING 0
Teams’ Championship Standings:
Envision Virgin Racing 97
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 86
MAHINDRA RACING 83
VENTURI Formula E Team 66
BMW i Andretti Motorsport 65
DS TECHEETAH 57
Panasonic Jaguar Racing 35
Nissan e.dams 21
HWA RACELAB 7
NIO Formula E Team 6
GEOX DRAGON 2
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VisitQatar Grand Prix protests referred to MotoGP Court of Appeals
Doha, 11 March 2019: At the VisitQatar Grand Prix, the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel received various protests concerning aerodynamic devices on the rear swing arm of Ducati machinery ridden by Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati Team), Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing).
The protests were made by Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Repsol Honda Team and Team Suzuki Ecstar, who presented their concerns to the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel. Based on guidelines and regulations currently in force, the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel rejected their protests.
An appeals process then began and the appeals panel has subsequently decided to refer the case to the MotoGP Court of Appeals in order to attain more information pertaining to the matter.
The result of the VisitQatar Grand Prix remains in standing.
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Ogier (Ingrassia) secures fifth victory to close gap on Tanak: WRC Rally Mexico
ifth win for Ogier-Ingrassia on Sunday. An FIA image Mexico, 11 March 2019: Frenchmen Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia delivered a remarkable performance in the final three gravel stages on Round 3 of the World Rally Championship to secure their fifth victory on Sunday and a record eigth win for Citroën in Mexico. Ott Tänak and his co-driver Martin Järveoja from Estonia fought their way up to second place at the wheel of their Toyota Yaris while M-Sport Ford’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin completed the WRC podium. Benito Guerra delighted the home crowd with sixth overall and the victory in the FIA WRC 2 category.
The Citroën C3 WRC crew duly confirmed their 46th WRC victory on an event where their outstanding career started with a win in the FIA Junior WRC Championship back in 2008.
Leading by 27 seconds at the end of Saturday, Ogier was never allowed to rest on his laurels by a hard-charging Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans, both of whom were fighting for second place.
2019 championship leader Tänak was the star of the morning as the Toyota Yaris WRC driver claimed two stage wins to secure second place. But Ogier had a winning margin of 30.2 seconds and also managed to whittle the Estonian’s advantage over him at the top of the Drivers’ Championship down from 16 to four points with five additional Power Stage bonus points.
Evans, steering the ship for M-Sport Ford after Teemu Suninen’s premature retirement on Friday, delivered an impressive performance in his Fiesta WRC to round off the podium places and earn vital points for the team. He finished 19.7 seconds behind his Estonian rival after incurring a 10-second penalty for arriving late on the final Power Stage.
Too far adrift to challenge for the podium after a difficult start to the event, Thierry Neuville had to settle for fourth overall and lost his second place in the championship to Ogier. His result was the only high point in a frustrating event for Hyundai, which saw both early leader Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo – who had been up to second – pushed out of contention after problems on Friday. The Norwegian and the Spaniard finished the rally in 11th and ninth overall, respectively.
Toyota’s Kris Meeke led outright for one stage on Saturday morning, before a puncture, suspension damage and then a gearbox issue cost him any chance of challenging for the podium. The Ulsterman conserved his tyres on the first two stages of the final day in an attempt to win the Power Stage. He was rewarded with second on the test, catching four bonus points and an eventual fifth overall.
Mexican Benito Guerra delighted the home crowds by equalling his best ever finishing position of sixth overall at his home event. On this occasion, the Škoda Fabia R5 driver achieved the success in a WRC 2 car, however, and maximum points in the FIA WRC 2 class were an added bonus for the México City man. His winning margin was 3min 16sec.
Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala suffered alternator woes on Friday evening that dropped his Toyota Yaris WRC out of contention, but the veteran of 198 WRC rallies fought back strongly to try and displace Bolivian youngster Marco Bulacia on the final morning to claim eighth place, despite a late radiator scare.
Eighteen-year-old Bulacia belied his lack of experience to finish second in the FIA WRC 2 category behind team-mate Guerra and in an impressive seventh overall. Mexican driver Ricardo Triviño was classified in 10th place in his Škoda Fabia R5.
Poland’s Lukasz Pieniazek bounced back from his Friday retirement to reach the finish of his first event outside Europe in twelfth overall. The result enabled the unchallenged Ford Fiesta R5 driver to claim much-needed maximum points in theFIA WRC 2 Pro class, as he looked to close to gap on series leader Gus Greensmith. The Pole said he gained a lot of experience and confidence on the demanding Mexican stages.
2019 Rally Guanajuato México – Final unofficial results (subject to scrutineering)1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 3hrs 37min 08.0sec 2. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hrs 37min 38.2sec 3. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hrs 37min 57.9sec 4. Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hrs 38min 35.0sec 5. Kris Meeke (GBR)/Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hrs 43min 14.2sec 6. Benito Guerra (MEX)/Jaime Zapata (MEX) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 3hrs 52min 43.5sec 7. Marco Bulacia (BOL)/Fabian Cretu (ARG) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 3hrs 55min 59.5sec 8. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)/Miikka Anttila (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hrs 56min 03.9sec 9. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Carlos del Barrio (ESP) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hrs 59min 52.1sec 10. Ricardo Triviño (MEX)/Marc Marti (ESP) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 4hrs 07min 21.8sec -
Dovi wins the duel by just 0.023 but five riders battle for glory as MotoGP season begins
Andrea Dovizioso wins the season opener in Doha on Sunday. A MotoGP image Doha, 10 March 2019:
High expectations and a million questions: That’s what lay before the grid as the lights went out for the VisitQatar Grand Prix and it didn’t disappointment. The closest top fifteen of all time and another duel to the finish – with another trio right behind – made it a stunner of a season opener…with a familiar name on top: Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati Team). It was a familiar name diving down the inside at the final corner too, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) rolled the dice once again – just 0.023 off ‘DesmoDovi’ over the line. Behind that classic duel that defines a rivalry came another battle but this time of three, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) pulling out all the stops to complete the podium and fend off Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and a late-charging Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1st
“I’m super happy about this win, especially because after the tests I wouldn’t have expected to be so fast. We stayed focused and we made progress in each session. Our strategy in the race was simply to preserve the tyre, and this made the difference, but it wasn’t easy because I led for most of the race and I couldn’t really study my opponents. Marquez gave it everything he could, as usual, and pushed me to the limit. We made the most of our strenghths, that is, acceleration and top speed, but we still need to improve our corner speed. This year there are plenty of quick riders and it’ll be crucial not to lose too many points on less favorable tracks. We need to keep our feet on the ground and continue working in this direction.”It was Dovizioso who got the holeshot from pole, he and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) grabbing P1 and P2 into Turn 1 as Marquez held position just behind. Polesitter Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) didn’t get the start he would have been aiming for as he dropped to sixth on Lap 1, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and teammate Crutchlow catapulting through to the top five.
The race then began to settle into a rhythm, with a train of riders at the front led by Dovizioso keeping a steady pace at the front. Rins was the man on the move on Lap 4 as the Spaniard made more progress after a sharp start from P10 on the grid, the Suzuki man coming through to take the lead by Lap 5 before the Spaniard duelled Dovizioso for the pleasure. It remained a lead group of nine following each other line astern, however, with no one breaking rank just yet.
On Lap 12 the number 04 was back at the front, and the pace then turned up a notch as he and Marquez started to create a gap back to third place Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati), who’d made his way through the group. The pace then slowed again, however, as Dovizioso went from a 1:55.3 to a 1:56.1 to bring the top eight back to within just over a second…
With seven to go, the top eight were covered 1.2 seconds and that’s when Rossi really started to make up ground, picking off his teammate first and then Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to go up to P6. With three laps to go the fight for the win became a five-way scrap, with Petrucci, Viñales and Mir fading off the pacesetters.
Reigning World Champion Marquez had got the better of Dovizioso on the penultimate lap, but the Ducati struck back down the straight. Crutchlow held P3, Rins P4 and Rossi P5, menacing behind and waiting for the fireworks to begin in the lead. Pushing hard, Marquez had a slight moment with the front at Turn 3, before making a lunge up the inside of Dovi at Turn 10. He couldn’t keep it though as the Desmosedici was able to cut back up the inside on the exit, setting up another classic grandstand finish.
It looked like a carbon copy of 12 months ago at the final corner, but it was the same edge-of-the-seat heart-in-your-mouth moment as Marquez dove through on the inside, sitting up Dovi but running wide as he couldn’t quite get it stopped in time. From there it was another classic point and shoot contest to the line as both gunned it on the exit, but Dovizioso couldn’t be caught and made it out ahead. It was closer than before though, with an infinitesimal 0.023 separating the two as the flag waved. Behind, Crutchlow kept his cool to take a remarkable podium on his first race back since his huge Australian GP crash, with Rins a valiant P4 and Rossi again proving you should never count ‘The Doctor’ out. P5 from P14 on the grid was another impressive race day showing from the nine-time World Champion.
Petrucci would have to settle for P6 on his maiden factory Ducati ride, 2.320 behind his teammate in the end, with polesitter Viñales crossing the line 0.161 back from ‘Petrux’, in P7. Mir produced a fantastic rookie ride to finish just over five seconds off the race win in P8, with the Spaniard beating ninth place Nakagami and tenth place Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) – and just 9.636 covering the top 10 in Qatar.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was just 0.011 behind Espargaro in P11 on his debut ride for Yamaha, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team), Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the point scoring positions.
So who was the ride of the day? Far from the podium in the end and not scoring any points on his debut, an argument could be made for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) regardless. The rookie was forced into a pitlane start after issues on the grid ahead of the Warm Up lap, and set about unleashing some almighty pace and nerves of steel for a first ever premier class appearance. Fastest laps flowed from the Frenchman and he was soon into point-scoring contention…although sadly, it wouldn’t last. Too much too early in a bid to catch the group ahead saw Quartararo fade back to P16 by the flag – but only eight tenths off Zarco. Fellow debutant Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) also impressed and, for some time, was top KTM, before fading slightly, a fate that also befell Mir further forward as they all aim to gain more full-length race experience. Final rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing) suffered a DNF, with more to come from him in Argentina for sure, and his more veteran teammate Jack Miller also suffered some bad luck. The Australian fell victim to some problem with his machine that saw him drop from podium contention to suddenly outside the top ten, then retiring before the end of the race.
That’s all she wrote from Qatar but what a story it was. Records broken and history made, five riders in six tenths makes for an awesome opener…even before looking at the winning margin of 0.023. But then, past the stats, it’s much more than a numbers game and always has been. Dedication, precision, passion, talent, confidence, pressure, potential, evolution, rivalry…and respect. This is MotoGP™ and we’re back in business. Tune in for the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina on March 31st for more, because we’ve only just begun.
Top ten results:
1. Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati)
2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.023
3. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) + 0.320
4. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.457
5. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.600
6. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 2.320
7. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 2.481
8. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 5.088
9. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 7.406
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 9.636 -
Baldassarri vs Lüthi goes down to the wire at Losail
The Italian spoils the fairytale in style as the Swiss rider just misses out on his return to Moto2
Baldassarri beats Luthi to win Moto2 on Sunday. A MotoGP image Doha, 10 March 2019: Flexbox HP 40’s Lorenzo Baldassarri had to fight off huge last lap pressure from the returning Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) to take Moto2™ victory at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, with the duel going down to the line. The Italian led from Lap 2 but had to withstand some serious pressure in the final sector of the last lap to hold off a swarming Lüthi, eventually taking the chequered flag just 0.026 clear of the Swiss rider. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Marcel Schrötter completed the podium from pole.
As the lights went out it was Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who took the holeshot from the middle of the front row of the grid, but a big crash behind drew focus early on Lap 1. Debutant Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) and Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) all crashed, before Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Marco Bezzechi then fell out of contention on his debut ride.
Back at the front, Baldassarri had blasted his way past Vierge on Lap Two before slowly but surely beginning to build up an advantage over the chasing pack. Despite taking the holeshot, Vierge then started to slip backwards, dropping from second to fifth inside four corners. Schrötter, Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Vierge’s EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez all made their way past.
Lüthi then got in on the act, fighting his way through to fifth place before setting back-to-back lap records around the Losail International Circuit to close in on Marquez and then get past him. The Kalex rider then sliced into third place past Australian Gardner with six laps to go, soon after setting up a grandstand finish by catching and passing teammate Schrötter with four laps on the clock.
The former MotoGP™ rider had 0.821 to pull in to catch Baldassarri at the front and with just a lap left, he had managed to cut that advantage down to nothing and was all over the rear of the Italian’s Kalex. Baldassarri was able to hold off off Lüthi’s charge for three quarters of the lap but the Swiss rider looked the favourite going into the final sector, applying huge pressure. It wasn’t enough, however, as Baldassarri’s defensive riding was enough to keep him at bay despite the fact the pair exited the final corner side-by-side – with Baldassarri holding on by just 0.026 to take the win.
Gardner initially stole third place from Schrötter on the final lap, but the German slipstreamed his way past the Australian to take the final step on the rostrum by two thousandths and complete a Dynovolt Intact GP double podium finish. Flexbox HP 40’s Augusto Fernandez came from row four of the grid to take fifth place, hugely impressive as he ended the race narrowly ahead of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).
Marquez eventually had to settle for seventh but was over two seconds clear of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini in a lonely eighth place. Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini was one of the rides of the day to take ninth on his Moto2™ debut, fighting off Vierge, who eventually slipped down to tenth. Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up) took P11 as second rookie, ahead of a tougher race for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder.
A nail-biting start to a new era in Moto2™ saw Baldassarri collect a commemorative first Triumph-powered race win trophy alongside his VisitQatar Grand Prix race winner prize. With a plethora of riders showing their potential this weekend, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll collect 25 points in Argentina.
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Toba makes history with first Moto3 win
Number 27 impeccable under the floodlights to become the first Japanese winner in Moto3
Kaito Tobo wins a close battle for Moto3 victory. A MotoGP image Doha, 10 March 2019: Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) became the first Japanese winner in Moto3™ and the first in the lightweight class since Tomoyoshi Koyama took victory in the 125cc race at the 2007 Catalan GP after a stunning ride at the VisitQatar Grand Prix. He’s also the first Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion to become a Grand Prix winner after duelling it out in style to the line against Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), the man who just lost out, and polesitter Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), who completed the podium.
Toba started third on the grid but it was Canet who got the initial good launch to lead into Turn 1, with Toba slotting into P2 ahead of second on the grid Dalla Porta. There was drama on the opening lap further back though, with Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai), Tom Booth-Amos (CIP – Green Power), Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) crashing out of contention at Turn 6. There was no drama further up, however, with Canet, Dalla Porta, Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) and Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) getting an initial break in the lead before a front group of the top 19 started to form; just two seconds covering them in true Moto3™ style.
The lead swapped and changed between several riders, with Toba forcing his way to the front on Lap 6. A 19-rider fight then became 16, Turn 6 the location again as another multiple rider crash occurred – this time it was Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46), Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) who crashed out. Fellow SIC58 Squadra Corse rider Niccolo Antonelli then had a turn at leading the freight train with 10 to go, before Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) took the baton off his compatriot to lead for the first time in Qatar. Nine laps remained.
The lead was changing lap by lap and any one of the top 15 were still in with a shout at the win. Then, with four laps to go, a major talking point of the race happened. Fenati seemed to misunderstand a track limits warning that appeared on his dashboard and the Italian then dived into the new ‘Long Lap Penalty’ area on the outside of Turn 6 to drop him from fourth to 12th. He wasn’t out of it though as the top 13 were covered by less than two seconds with just three laps to go.
By the final lap it was Toba who led once again and it soon became a three-way fight for the win between him, Canet and Dalla Porta. Coming into Turn 16, the Italian had the advantage but Toba timed the slipstream to perfection to just beat him to the chequered flag, taking the number 27 of childhood hero Casey Stoner back onto the top step. Dalla Porta was forced to settle for P2, with Canet coming home third.
Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) took P4, with Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) crossing the line in fifth to get his rookie Moto3™ season off to a great start as the top debutant. Arenas, a contender for the win throughout, beat reigning Junior Moto3™ World Champion and teammate Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) to the line by 0.028, making it 6th and 7th respectively for the duo.
2016 Qatar GP winner Antonelli was just 0.004 off Fernandez in P8, with Fenati salvaging P9 after looking odds on for at least a podium on his return. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) rounded out the top ten, less than a second from the win.
History made in Qatar, it’s next stop Argentina for the field – with Toba the first Championship leader of the season.
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Ogier-Ingrassia remain firmly on track for fifth victory: WRC Rally Mexico
Ogier and co-driver Ingrassia on track for their fifth victory on Saturday. An FIA image Citroën’s Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia remain firmly on track for a fifth victory on Rally Guanajuato México after another pulsating day’s action over nine special stages on Saturday. Toyota’s hard-charging Ott Tänak, third placed, begins to turn the screw on M-Sport Ford’s Elfyn Evans, second, with an advantage of only 2.2 seconds. In the WRC 2 category, local hero Benito Guerra holds a massive lead.
The Citroën C3 WRC crew will take an advantage of 27 seconds into the remaining three gravel stages on Sunday, as they bid to reduce Ott Tänak’s early season lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Ogier managed his pace to perfection to stay out of trouble and is at the top of the standings for a second day, despite sliding into the barriers on the first run through Léon’s super special this evening.
Estonia’s Tänak, who began the morning in fourth position, 37.1 seconds behind the defending World Champion, went on a charge in the heat of a Mexican afternoon. After passing team-mate Kris Meeke – when the Ulsterman suffered a puncture and a suspension upright issue – the Toyota Yaris WRC driver began to pressurise Elfyn Evans as the afternoon progressed. The Welshmen held on to his position at the end of the day but a mere 2.2 seconds separate the two heading into Sunday.
Thierry Neuville admitted that he was struggling to find his rhythm and the confidence to challenge for stage wins in his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, but the Belgian held fourth overall at the end of Saturday, 3min 21.4sec. Kris Meeke, who had suffered a puncture and resulting rear-wheel damage in the morning loop, slid wide in the superspecial’s second run, dropped another 45 seconds and then limped around the final street stage stuck in second gear to finish fifth overnight.
Mexican favourite Benito Guerra delivered a body blow to Bolivian youngster Marco Bulacia’s aspirations of preventing a home FIA WRC 2 victory with several impressive stage performances during the course of the day. Guerra returned to León at the end of Saturday in sixth overall and FIA WRC 2 leader, 3min 33.6sec ahead of Bulacia, who stopped for over three minutes in SS13.
Among the FIA WRC 2 entrants, Chile’s Alberto Heller was in second place at the beginning of the afternoon before stopping on two occasions in SS14. He finished third of the category and 13th overall as Saturday came to a close.
Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala began a charge through the tail-enders as the day progressed in a bid to catch the FIA WRC 2 runners. He held eighth at the end of the day.
Mexico’s Ricardo Triviño ran strongly in ninth in his Škoda Fabia R5 while the Hyundai duo Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo were classified in 10th and 11th at the night halt.
The sole entrant in the FIA WRC 2 Pro category on Rally Mexico, Poland’s Lukasz Pieniazek, returned to action on Saturday morning after issues on Friday and remains on course for maximum championship points. He classified 12th overall, over 6 minutes behind eleven placed Mikkelsen.
Three stages bring the action to a conclusion on Sunday. The crews will tackle the 24.38km of Alfaro, then a new Mesa Cuata special of 25.07km that uses a large section of El Chocolate and will finish in the points-scoring Power Stage at Las Minas.
2019 Rally Guanajuato México – Unofficial results after SS18 / Section 5:1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 2hrs 57min 21.4sec 2. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hrs 57min 48.4sec 3. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hrs 57min 50.6sec 4. Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hrs 58min 37.1sec 5. Kris Meeke (GBR)/Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hrs 01min 58.5sec 6. Benito Guerra (MEX)/Jaime Zapata (MEX) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 3hrs 09min 27.4sec 7. Marco Bulacia (BOL)/Fabian Cretu (ARG) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 3hrs 13min 01.0sec 8. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)/Miikka Anttila (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hrs 13min 53.8sec 9. Ricardo Triviño (MEX)/Marc Marti (ESP) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 3hrs 19min 21.0sec 10. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Carlos del Barrio (ESP) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hrs 19min 21.1s -
Viñales lights up Losail for pole: MotoGP
Vinales takes pole in the season opener at the Losail circuit on Saturday. A MotoGP image Doha, 9 March 2019: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has taken the first MotoGP™ pole position of the 2019 season at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, a 1:53.546 enough to give him a little breathing space ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who join him on the front row of the grid. Viñales was two tenths clear, but the gap between Dovizioso and Marquez was an infinitesimal and mouth-watering 0.001. Three previous winners and three different manufacturers on the front row, the first qualifying session of the season sets a stunning scene for Sunday.
Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) impressed early as the rookie initially shot to the top of the times, only to be beaten almost immediately by Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). That’s when Viñales struck, storming to the summit with a lap that was 0.741 quicker than anyone else. Quartararo and Nakagami exchanged second fastest laps to leave the Japanese rider 0.395 off as the field headed in for a change of tyres, but it was soon about to change.
Viñales led the troops back out for their second runs and the goalposts were moved once more. Three more tenths were shaved off his best time, with Miller then slotting into P2 and just 0.2 off. The Australian crashed at Turn 2 soon after though, ending his hopes of pole and leaving his time under threat. Dovizioso needed no second invitation, making a move into second place soon after. The Italian looked set to challenge Viñales again as he went over a tenth under after the first split, but the lap was gone by the second sector; his qualifying effort over.
Attention then turned to Marquez, who was on the tail of Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team) as neither sat on the provisional front row with little time left. Tactics on point, the reigning World Champion was able to snatch P3 from Miller. Encouraged by the front row at a difficult track, the number 93 is ready to fight it out on Sunday.
Miller therefore heads up the second row as top Independent, but it was a pretty close challenge from Quartararo by the end of the session. The French rookie retained his stunning pace so far and lines up fifth, just a tenth and a half off the Aussie. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completes an all-Independent second row, with plenty of honour – and points – up for grabs for each.
Petrucci starts seventh and, after outpacing teammate Dovizioso for much of testing, will be gunning to move forward on race day and battle for his first victory. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) is P8, with Nakagami eventually knocked down to ninth. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completes the top ten and was a crasher on Saturday – another who’ll be looking for much more once the lights go out. Rookie teammate Joan Mir is right behind him.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) is P12, ahead of rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing). Then come two big surprises: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P14 after a tough day and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) in P15. Lorenzo suffered two crashes, but is fit to race.
Can Rossi and Lorenzo fight through the pack? Will the front row starters become the battle for the win? Can the likes of Petrucci and Rins push forward? And which of the rookies will win the battle for top honours once we’re racing?
Find out from 20:00 (GMT +3) 10.30 IST on Sunday for the first Grand Prix of the season.
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Canet storms to opening Moto3 pole
Two tenths clear of the rest in a manic debut Q2, the Spaniard stayed in his Friday form
Doha, 9 March 2019: Sterilgarda Max Racing’s Aron Canet clinched the first Moto3™ pole position of the season in impressive fashion at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, the only man the go beneath the 2:06 barrier and eventually finishing just under two tenths clear of the chasing pack with a 2:05.883. The front row is completed by two men starting from there for the first time: Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in second, although he was on the podium at Losail last season, and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) in third.
John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) starts from fourth and could be one to watch as a former podium finisher at the venue too, impressing in the first ever Moto3™ Q2 despite coming through Q1. SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Nicollo Antonelli, who starts fifth, is another with a top record as the Italian won in 2016. He recovered from a crash at Turn 10 with seven minutes left on the clock in Q2.
Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) will sit on the outside of the second row of the grid, ahead of Italy’s Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) and Sky Racing Team VR46’s Celestino Vietti after he became the first man to top a Moto3™ Q1 session. Reale Avintia Arizona 77’s Vicente Perez ended the session ninth quickest, just three thousandths of a second ahead of reigning Junior Moto3™ World Champion Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).
A hugely frustrated Romano Fenati (Snipers Racing) had to settle for eleventh on the grid after not leaving pitlane for his last attempt at taking pole position until there was exactly two minutes remaining, meaning the chequered flag came out before he could start a final flying lap. Can he fight back through in the race? Find out from 17:00 (GMT +3) on Sunday.
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Schrötter strikes for 1st career pole in Qatar: Moto2
Doha, 9 March 2019: Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) is set to start the VisitQatar Grand Prix from his first ever pole position, setting a best time of 1:58.585 to beat Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) by 0.146, with Free Practice’s fastest man Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) completing the front row.
It was the first time the intermediate class had taken part in a Q1, Q2 format qualifying and it was Schrötter who set the early pace before creating his own first. Pole set on his sixth flier, he ended the session 0.146 ahead of Vierge, with Baldassarri jumping up the timesheets in the latter stages to grab a front row start – just 0.199 from pole.
After progressing from Q1, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) put in a good shift in Q2 to head the second row in fourth, although it could have been better if not for the Italian crashing at Turn 2 with just over two minutes to go. Gardner starts fifth, ahead of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in sixth, 0.260 from pole.
Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) will line up seventh on his first start since returning to the Moto2™ class, the Swiss rider 0.419 off his teammate’s pole lap, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joining him on the third row in P8. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will lineup ninth for the opening race of the year, with fellow Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top ten.
Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed during FP2, rider ok, and he starts P11 as the leading rookie.
A cracking qualifying in Qatar sets us up nicely for the first Moto2™ race of the new Triumph era. Who will take victory? Find out when the intermediate class go racing at 18:20 local time (GMT+3) on Sunday.
