Sports Monday, March 9, 2020 13 QNB Grand Prix of Qatar Moto2 race champion Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is flanked by HE Salah bin Ghanim al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, with FIM President Jorge Viegas, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (second right), second-placed Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) and third-placed Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea QMMF President Abdulrahman al Mannai, and LCSC Vice-President & GM Khalid al Remaihi (right). Bastiannini (left) at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday. Nagashima emulates late friend in Moto2 at QNB Grand Prix of Qatar The Japanese Red Bull KTM Ajo rider dedicates win to former Losail winner Tomizawa RAAJIV TRIPATHI an emotional Nagashima. DOHA The winner did not have a good qualifying but worked his TETSUTA Nagashima dazzled way from the fifth-row start under the Losail International steadily. Early race leader Luca Circuit floodlights to script a Marini attempted an ambitious historical Moto2 victory for Ja- charge to pull clear of the field pan and Red Bull KTM Ajo at but slowed down later. the QNB Grand Prix of Qatar Then came the decisive mo- on Sunday. ment in the 20-lap race and With three laps to go, Na- Nagashima zoomed away to gashima made his big move and catch his rivals napping before clocked a sub 2-min lap to cre- recording the scintillating vic- Moto2 race winner Tetsuta Nagashima celebrates his victory at the Moto3 race winner Albert Arenas with second-placed John McPhee (left) and third-placed Ai Ogura on the ate a gap over his closest chal- tory. Both Baldassarri and Bas- Losail International Circuit on Sunday. podium at the QNB Grand Prix of Qatar in Losail on Sunday. lengers 2019 Qatar GP winner tianini battled hard for the sec- Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox ond place and it was the former Racing’s Xavi Vierge and Intact We didn’t know if we’d even get and could overtake many rid- HP 40) and Enea Bastianini who managed to get the runner- GP’s Thomas Luthi, a rider with QNB Grand Prix of Qatar Results to race with all this coronavi- ers but there were not enough (Italtrans Racing Team). up spot, while Bastianini’s third 17 GP wins to his name, com- MOTO2 (Rank Rider Nation Team Bike Time) MOTO3 (Rank Rider Nation Team Bike Time) rus. We’ve worked towards the laps! I’m happy, but not (so) Then, he maintained the ad- place was his second intermedi- pleting the top 10. 1 Tetsuta Nagashima JPN Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 1 Albert Arenas SPA Aspar Team Gaviota (KTM) 38m race all winter. It went to plan happy! It’s enough for the first vantage and went on to record ate class podium. Arenas outduels McPhee 40m 0.192s; 2 Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA Flexbox HP 8.941s; 2 John McPhee GBR Petronas Sprinta Racing at the end, but I just missed race!” There were more penal- victory with 1.3 seconds differ- Pole rider Joe Roberts was for Moto3 triumph Albert 40 (Kalex); 40m 1.539s; 3 Enea Bastianini ITA (HONDA) 38m 8.994s ;3 Ai Ogura JPN Honda Team out to Albert. I thought some- ties for track limits as Gabriel ence and dedicated it to his late the unlucky rider to miss out Arenas outpaced and outbat- Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 40m 1.620s; 4 Joe Asia (HONDA) 38m 9.285s; 4 Jaume Masia SPA one was closer to me into the Rodrigo, Arbolino, Raul Fer- Roberts USA American Racing (Kalex) 40m 1.751s; Leopard Racing (HONDA) 38m 9.188s; 5 Tatsuki friend and compatriot Shoya on a maiden Moto2 podium in tled to clinch a victory ahead 5 Remy Gardner AUS Onexox TKKR SAG Team Suzuki JPN SIC58 Squadra Corse (HONDA) 38m final corner and went a little bit nandez and Jeremy Alcoba all Tomizawa, whom he emulated. fourth place, but it still marks of John McPhee at the 2020 (Kalex) 40m 2.093s; 6 Jorge Navarro SPA Beta 9.730s; 6 Gabriel Rodrigo ARG Kömmerling Gresini defensive. But really happy!” had to go one spot down. Tomizawa had won the race an incredible start to 2020 for Moto3 world championship Tools Speed Up (Speed Up) 40m 2.573s; 7 Marcel Moto3 (HONDA) 38m 9.367s; 7 Jeremy Alcoba SPA Jaume Masia was third but he The penalties handed pole- here 10 years ago. the American Racing rider hav- opener in Qatar. Schrotter GER Liqui Moly Intact GP (Kalex) 40m Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 (HONDA) 38m 9.500s; 8 was slapped with a penalty ride sitter Tatsuki Suzuki fifth place “Shoya was like a brother ing previously never finished Taking advantage of a 4.682s; 8 Aron Canet SPA Aspar Team (Speed Up) Filip Salac CZE Rivacold Snipers Team (HONDA) 38m for exceeding track limits in the for SIC58 Squadra Corse ahead 40m 4.895s; 9 Xavi Vierge SPA Petronas Sprinta 9.764s; 9 Dennis Foggia ITA Leopard Racing (HONDA) to me, because when I started inside the top 10. collision between Darryn Racing (Kalex) 40m 7.310s; 10 Thomas Luthi SWI 38m 9.905s; 10 Raul Fernandez SPA Red Bull KTM final lap. The Leopard Racing of Rodrigo on the Kommerling racing we were always togeth- Remy Gardner recovered Binder and Tony Arbolino in Liqui Moly Intact GP (Kalex) 40m 9.096s. Ajo (KTM) 38m 9.775s. rider was demoted from the fi- Gresini with teammate Alcoba er. He taught me a lot. Also I to finish fifth for ONEXOX the braking area for the first nal podium place with Ai Ogura in seventh place. remember when he won the TKKR SAG Team in front of corner ahead of the final lap promoted to third place for Filip Salac grabbed eighth race here, so I can’t believe Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro which sent the CIP Green good gap and delivered a de- “No words! This race was in- Honda Team Asia. place for Rivacold Snipers my first win is at the same and Marcel Schrotter for Liqui Power rider down, Arenas serving victory - the 100th GP credible, the best of my life. I The Japanese rider said, Team ahead of Dennis Foggia place. Unbelievable! I want to Moly Intact GP. kept himself ahead of McPhee triumph for KTM and a first for enjoyed every lap. I managed it “In the beginning, I struggled on the Leopard Racing as Raul say thanks to Shoya, my fami- Moto2 debutant Aron Canet in a breakaway. the Austrian manufacturer in from the beginning... Thanks so with the other riders and it was Fernandez struggled late on ly, my sponsors and my team. got the eighth place for Aspar Scotching whatever plans Losail since 2014. much!” McPhee commented: difficult to overtake, but then dropping down to 10th place for I’m very happy!,” commented Speed Up with Petronas Sprinta the Scot had, Arenas built a Arenas said after the race, “It went to plan. What a race! their tyres dropped I felt good Red Bull KTM Ajo. Dominant Australia crush India to win fifth T20 World Cup AFP MELBOURNE Scoreboard AUSTRALIA J. Rodrigues c Carey b Jonassen 0 A rampant Australia emphati- B. Mooney not out 78 H. Kaur c Gardner b Jonassen 4 cally swept to their fifth wom- A. Healy c Krishnamurthy b R. Yafav 75 D. Sharma c Mooney b Carey 33 M. Lanning c Pandey b Sharma 16 V. Krishnamurthy c Jonassen b Kimmince 19 en’s Twenty20 World Cup ti- A. Gardner st Bhatia b Sharma 2 *R. Ghosh c Carey b Schutt 18 tle Sunday, crushing India by R. Haynes b P. Radav 4 S. Pandey c Mooney b Schutt 2 85 runs in front of more than N. Carey not out 5 R. Yadav c Mooney b Jonassen 1 Extras: (b1, nb1, w2) 4 P. Yadav c Gardner b Schutt 1 86,000 fans at the Melbourne TOTAL: (For 4 wickets, 20 overs) 184 R. Gayakwad not out 1 Cricket Ground. Did not bat: Jess Jonassen, Sophie Molineux, *concussion substitute Alyssa Healy smashed a Delissa Kimmince, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt. Extras: (w5) B quick-fire 75 and Beth Mooney Fall of wickets: 1-115 (Healy), 2-154 (Lanning), TOTAL: (All out, 19.1 overs) 99 3-156 (Gardner), 4-176 (Haynes) Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Verma), 2-8 (Rodrigues), 3-18 an unbeaten 78 as the defend- Bowling: Sharma 4-0-38-2, Pandey 4-0-52-0, (Mandhana), 4-30 (Kaur), 5-58 (Krishnamurthy), ing champions plundered an Gayakwad 4-0-29-9, P. Yadav 4-0-30-1, R. Yadav 6-88 (Sharma), 7-92 (Pandey), 8-96 (Ghosh), 9-97 ominous 184 for four – the 4-0-34-1. (R. Yadav), 10-99 (P. Yadav). highest score ever in a wom- INDIA Bowling: Schutt 3.1-0-18-4, Jonassen 4-0-20-3, S. Verma c Healy b Schutt 2 Molineux 4-0-21-1, Kimmince 4-0-17-1, Carey 4-0- en’s T20 final. S. Mandhana c Carey b Molineux 11 23-1. India could only manage T. Bhatiya retired hurt 2 Result: Australia won by 85 runs. 99 all out in reply to end a 17-day tournament that rein- forced Australia’s dominance, 12th T20 half-century. big trouble at 32 for four after having now won five of the They reached 91 without Smriti Mandhana and Kaur seven World Cups held. Australia captain Meg Lanning (C) with teammates celebrate with the winning trophy of Twenty20 Women’s Cricket World Cup after beating loss at the halfway mark, with both went cheaply.