MotoGP Misano 2018 – Ducati Dominate In San Marino!

MotoGP Misano 2018 – San Marino Mastery from Ducati!

 

2018 MotoGP Misano - First Corner
Clever Crutchlow tries to sneak it up the inside…

After a horrible washout at the British GP at Silverstone, we’re back in the sunshine for the next installment of the MotoGP season. The MotoGP Misano in San Marino! Lining up on the grid, Jack Miller seems to have pulled a tonne of pace out of the bag, sitting on 2nd position next to poleman Lorenzo. His potential to match the sport’s fastest riders hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Cal Crutchlow claiming that Jack Miller could win the MotoGP title within three years “if he’s clever enough and does the right thing”.

Lorenzo gets his usual holeshot into the first corner, something of a theme with the man recently, beating Miller into the corner who is eagerly followed by Marquez who has come up from a fifth position start. As the dust from the first lap settles, Lorenzo, Dovi, Miller, Marquez and Vinales sit at the front of pack.

Marc Marquez makes a stereotypical pass on Jack Miller, forcing him up out of his line and stealing the tarmac from under him. I understand he’s trying to grab back some time as the Ducati’s are storming ahead but there are better ways to accomplish that. Marquez the bully moves into third place.

Despite his blinding performance in qualifying, Miller takes a tumble at turn 14 with 25 laps to go, a real shame for the Australian. A slow slide out as his Pramac Ducati disappears from underneath him. Although he does remount, the damage is already done. A disappointing end to a decent weekend for Jack at the MotoGP Misano.

 

A Ducati 1-2; a welcome sight in Italy!

 

Lorenzo may be defending at the front of the pack but he’s certainly not quick enough to stay there. Dovi is sat behind him already trying to line up a move to steal first position from his teammate. Marquez is behind Dovi, posting the fastest lap of the race so far. Further back, Cal Crutchlow has slipped into 5th position in front of Vinales, a great ride from Cal. Alex Rins sits ahead in 4th place on the Suzuki, eagerly tailing Marquez.

 

And away goes Andrea!

Dovi pulls the trigger on his teammate, stealing first position from Lorenzo and leaving him to fend off Marquez. Dovi is very quick and one of the latest on the brakes at the MotoGP. His braking at the end of the start/finish straight lifts the rear of the Ducati off the floor! Further back, a beautiful pass from Cal Crutchlow on Alex Rins moves the LCR Honda man into 4th position. Meanwhile Yamaha are facing another weekend to forget, as Rossi and Vinales flounder further back down the pack. A real shame for Yamaha this season, who’ve hardly been able to capitalise on the potential of the machine and the riders.

2018 MotoGP Misano - Lorenzo, Dovi and Marquez
“Catch me if you can!”

Eventually the inevitable happens; Marquez overtakes Lorenzo and begins trying to eat into the gap between first and second. With 1.4 seconds between Marquez and Dovi, can he make anything stick now? Lorenzo is trying to hang on to Marquez but I have a feeling his tyres are toasted. He does have a go at getting past Marquez but can’t quite make it stick and the two Spaniards sit side by side. Lorenzo almost slices Marquez’s nose off as he runs wide into a corner. While these two are shuffling, Cal Crutchlow is using this to his advantage, stealing valuable time back while Marquez and Lorenzo play Twister ahead of him.

Lorenzo seems to have the drive to get past Marquez but seems to run it wide. The Repsol Honda of Marc Marquez seems to turn much better, allowing him to sweep back under Lorenzo with ease. Meanwhile Dovi seems to be running unopposed at the front with a couple of seconds in his pocket.This late stage of a 27 lap race is all about tyre conservation. Alex Rins still sits in 5th position with a soft rear tyre. He’s definitely got the tyre conservation right here in San Marino. The Ducati’s are notorious for losing grip in the later stages and with Jorge Lorenzo pushing as hard as he is against Marc Marquez, it’s a wonder that he’s still upright at all.

 

Hardly an inch between Marquez and Lorenzo…

 

With only four laps to go, the race is closing on Dovi at the front as Marquez and Lorenzo squeeze every little bit out of their bikes. A tenth here and a tenth there means the second and third bikes are closing in! But as the penultimate lap rolls around, Lorenzo asks too much of the front end and slides his Ducati into the gravel. Rather than settle for third, he’s ended up in the gravel trap instead. Not nice to see your hard work disappear into the dust but that’s the way it goes with an all or nothing attitude.

As the race rounds out, Dovi crosses the line for the win, followed by Marc Marquez and a well-deserved third place from Cal Crutchlow. A cracking day for Ducati, Honda and Suzuki as Alex Rins rounds out 4th place. A disappointing day from Yamaha, despite Vinales 5th place finish and a decent qualifying session too. The next round sees the MotoGP boys heading to Aragon. Marquez still leads the championship with 221 points, followed by Dovi with 154 points and Rossi with 151 points. There’s still time left in the season for that to change. See you in Aragon!

 

An Italian on the top step in Misano!

Top Ten:

1) Dovizioso
2) Marquez
3) Crutchlow
4) Rins
5) Vinales
6) Pedrosa
7) Rossi
8) Iannone
9 Bautista
10) Zarco

 

 

All images courtesy of motogp.com

Tom Haggett

Having been surrounded by motorbikes from a very early age, Tom has always loved bikes and aspired to have a role in the motorcycle industry. Tom has a love of all things with two wheels but predominantly enjoys choppers, bobbers and customs. He even has a V-Twin engine tattooed on his chest! A recent addition to the Two Wheel Team, Tom has settled in well and works hard to provide quality content for the Two Wheel blog.

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