Quartararo Battles to TISSOT GP of Doha Win in Tight Finish French Rider Bags First Win in Motogp Top 10 1
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QatarTribune Qatar_Tribune Hubert QatarTribuneChannel qatar_tribune Hurkacz becomes Poland’s first ATP Masters 100 champion at Miami Open MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2021 PAGE 14 Quartararo battles to TISSOT GP of Doha win in tight finish French rider bags first win in MOTOGP TOP 10 1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster factory colours Energy Yamaha MotoGP) from Zarco and 2. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 1.457 Martin in the 3. Jorge Martin (Pramac closest top 15 Racing) + 1.500 4. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki finish in history Ecstar) + 2.088 5. Maverick Viñales (Monster TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + LOSAIL 2.110 6. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati IN what was the closest top 15 finish in history in the Tis- Lenovo Team) + 2.642 sot Grand Prix of Doha as the 7. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki MotoGP at the Losail Inter- Ecstar) + 4.868 national Circuit on Sunday, 8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM gladiators treated fans to an Factory Racing) + 4.979 unbelievable dogfight under the desert lights. 9. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Fabio Quartararo (Mon- Team) + 5.365 ster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) 10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia emerged victorious as he and Racing Team Gresini) + 5.382. second place Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) hand France their first double premier class Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo celebrates winning the MotoGP Grand Prix of Doha at Losail International Circuit on Sunday. podium since 1954. History made there and history secured at fighting back but chose to for rookie Jorge Martin too as play it safe in P3. Quartararo the Pramac Racing star bags his stormed across the line to win maiden MotoGP rostrum. his first race in factory colours The start was again a sight by 1.457 seconds, as Zarco to behold as both Pramac Rac- pipped Martin by 0.043 sec- ing riders got away perfectly onds in a historic day for Pra- from P1 and P2 on the grid, but Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s French rider Fabio Quartararo mac Racing. Unreal from all Qatar GP race winner Maver- celebrates winning the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha on the podium the guys on the podium, Mar- ick Vinales (Monster Energy at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday. tin matching Marc Marquez’s Yamaha MotoGP) went back- feat of achieving a podium in wards as Miguel Oliveira (Red for 7th with Brad Binder (Red before Miller and Mir clashed his second premier class race. Bull KTM Factory Racing) Bull KTM Factory Racing), coming onto the front straight. Fourth place was held by propelled himself from P12 to with Rins hounding Zarco. A controversial moment. This Rins as he and Vinales tussle P4 in an absolutely stunning The Suzuki man and Zarco battle was insane and no one it out, the Spaniards separated start for the Portuguese star. kept interchanging P2 and just was leaving an inch. by just 0.022 seconds at the Both Suzukis got away when Rins thought he’d got There was so much going flag. Bagnaia was a further half very well too, as did third place the job done, the Ducati blast- on in the fight behind leader a second behind the Spanish Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing ed back by on the straight. It Martin. Quartararo was up to duel in P6 as the factory Duca- Team Gresini) but it wasn’t a was a very intriguing start to P4 now behind Martin, Zarco tis get beaten by the Pramac good start for the factory Ducati the race but leading the way and Bagnaia, with Rins almost riders, but it’s not a terrible Lenovo Team riders or Quar- still was the cool, calm and col- finding a way past on Lap 15. result for the Italian. tararo. Jack Miller and Franc- lected Martin. There was seven to go, Miller Mir eventually came home esco Bagnaia didn’t make use of But Bagnaia was the was P6 with Viñales P7, Mir in P7 after a heated race, Bind- the Ducati front holeshot device man on the move as the Ital- was trying to find a way past TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha MotoGP top three Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Johann er cemented a brilliant P8 for and found themselves in the ian moved his way up into eighth place Aleix Espargaro Zarco (Pramac Racing), and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) on the podium at the Losail International Circuit himself and KTM as Miller lower ends of the top 10. P5, soaring past Mir on the as Pol Espargaro (Repsol Hon- on Sunday. takes a disappointing P9 for Martin held his nerve and straight, with Miller soon fol- da Team), Binder and Enea the second race in a row at Lo- led the opening lap without lowing his teammate through Bastianini (Avintia Esponso- up Quartararo at Turn 1 with toe-to-toe, as Quartararo laid two Pramac riders, barring a sail. Miller was in the thick of trouble as a MotoGP freight by doing the exact same thing: rama Racing) were hunting. five to go but the Yamaha cut down a 1:55.182 to stretch out disaster, it looked like the po- it throughout but it’s definitely train followed him over the wringing the neck of his GP21 Turn 15, seven to go, Quar- back underneath to hold P3. a lead of half a second to Mar- dium positions were decided. not the result the Australian line as Alex Rins (Team Su- on the front straight as Aleix tararo cut past Bagnaia. But Viñales was past Rins for P5, tin, who was keeping team- Quartararo was making would have been looking for. zuki Ecstar) got the better of Espargaro slipped to P7. Bagnaia was straight back by as Quartararo then sliced up mate Zarco at bay. no mistakes and edged his A breathless Sunday in Oliveira to sit behind the lead- At half race distance, Mar- on the straight. Turn 1 then the inside of Zarco and then The last lap of an incred- lead up to one second halfway MotoGP ended with Zarco ing Pramacs. World Cham- tin was still leading. However, saw Bagnaia run very wide passed Martin at Turn 15, but ible battle then came around around the last lap, despite a emerging as the early World pion Joan Mir on the second tensions were starting to reach and the Italian went from P3 Martin returned to P1 down and Quartararo’s lead was 0.7 scary moment when hitting Championship leader. Two Team Suzuki Ecstar machine boiling point in the heat of the to P7, with nine seconds cov- the straight. seconds. It was El Diablo’s debris, with Zarco tucked right P2s give the Frenchman 40 chucked it up the inside of desert. Turn 10 saw Mir make a ering the top 18 riders. This Quartararo responded and to lose at this point as team- up behind Martin. Zarco was points as Quartararo heads Quartararo at Turn 6 as the harsh move on Miller, contact was a special, special encoun- made a move stick at Turn 3, mate Vinales ran wide at Turn tempted earlier in the lap but home from Doha level on riders got very close for com- made between the two, Miller ter in Doha. An incredible race now it was the Frenchman’s 1, allowing Rins to slide on at Turn 15, the Frenchman de- points with teammate Vinales fort in the opening exchanges. was wide. Rins, after a front entered the final five laps and chance to try and break the through in the battle for P4. cided to stick it up the inside on 36 apiece – a great couple Viñales, Quartararo, Miller end scare at Turn 9, had anoth- still, Martin was leading – and tow. Vinales got a track limits The Yamaha and Suzuki men of his rookie teammate. The of weeks at Losail for the fac- and Bagnaia were scrapping er moment at the final corner looking brilliant. Miller picked warning as he and Rins went were 0.6 seconds down on the move stuck, Martin hinted tory Yamahas. Lowes resists Gardner pressure for impressive Moto2 victory TRIBUNE NEWS NEWORK the Australian got swamped place Fabio Di Giannantonio the fastest lap of the race and LOSAIL by Lowes, Marco Bezzecchi (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), the gap was up to half a sec- (SKY Racing Team VR46) and who in turn was leading a fero- ond, more than it had been for ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s teammate Raul Fernandez. cious battle for the top 10 and some time now. Again though, Sam Lowes notched up win The latter was wide at point-scoring positions. Gardner was giving it his all number two of 2021 to become Turn 1 as Bezzecchi grabbed On Lap 13, Lowes landed the and Sector’s 3 and 4 saw the the first British rider to win the the holeshot from Lowes, with fastest lap of the race and was gap return to two tenths – a opening two races of an inter- Gardner slotting into P3 ahead asking questions of Gardner, 1:58.991 for Gardner. mediate class campaign since of his rookie teammate. This with Raul Fernandez still stick- Mike Hailwood did so in 1966, leading quartet immediately ing with the two elder Moto2™ Moto2 Top 10: as the number 22 and Remy pulled clear of the chasing statesmen. Bezzecchi was now 1. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) pack, fronted by Aron Canet losing touch, the Italian 1.5 sec- Racing Team); 2. Remy Gardner provided a terrific scrap for (Solunion Aspar Team).