MotoGP

Marquez wins at Phillip Island after race-long duel with Vinales

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Marquez wins at Phillip Island
Marquez wins at Phillip Island (Credit: MotoGP.com)

Marc Marquez is officially Honda’s most successful Grand Prix rider after snatching victory at Phillip Island.

Marquez stalked Maverick Viñales for the majority of the race and, once again, made his move on the final lap. Like he did at Thailand, Marquez simply watched and observed his prey. He would hold off when necessary, and evaluate his options.

The eight-time champion used the power of the Honda to ease by Viñales down the front straight. Viñales knew he only had a few overtaking opportunities available to him. However, he would push a little too hard coming out of Lukey Heights. As a result, the Yamaha rider crashed out of contention at the bottom of the hill.

Meanwhile, Marquez crossed the line to take his 55th premier class victory. That moves him above Mick Doohan in the history books. It’s also his fifth victory in a row as he continues to dominate the 2019 season.

Viñales’ crash elevated Cal Crutchlow up into second. The Brit had led in the early stages, however lost some rhythm after being knocked wide by Marquez. It’s Crutchlow’s best result of the season, and his third podium of 2019.

Jack Miller completed the podium in front of his home crowd. He becomes the first Australian since Casey Stoner in 2012 to finish on the Phillip Island podium. To celebrate, the infamous shoey made a return.

Francesco Bagnaia achieved the best result of his rookie season in fourth place. Meanwhile, fellow rookie Joan Mir also took his best result of the year in fifth.

Andrea Iannone secured an impressive sixth on what was an excellent day for Aprilia. Andrea Dovizioso had a relatively quiet race in seventh, with Valentino Rossi taking eighth on his 400th race start. Alex Rins and Aleix Espargaro completed the top 10.

Fabio Quartararo’s weekend went from bad to worse. The Rookie of the Year was taken out by Danilo Petrucci on the opening lap. Petrucci suffered a huge highside and was launched into the Yamaha rider.

Johann Zarco finished a respectable 13th on his debut for LCR Honda. The Frenchman, more importantly, finished ahead of Jorge Lorenzo. The second Repsol Honda rider finished 16th and last.

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Josh is a Sports Journalism graduate and has been a member of the TCF team since 2015. Between 2015 and 2018, Josh focused primarily on British Superbikes and Road Racing events such as the Isle of Man TT. At the beginning of the 2019 season he became the MotoGP Reporter.
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