FOOTBALL | Page 3 NNBABA | Page 5 Defoe strikes Wall shines on return as as Wizards England pip edge past Lithuania Cavaliers Monday, March 27, 2017 FORMULA ONE Jumada II, 28, 1438 AH Vettel masters GULF TIMES Hamilton to win Australian GP SPORT Page 2 MOTOGP SPOTLIGHT Vinales storms to Morbidelli clinches dramatic maiden Moto2 victory win for Yamaha ‘It feels great! Honestly the track was diff icult. I was taking so much care at the start. The bike was great. I have to say thanks to the team...’ Results 1. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 38:59.999 2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) at 0.461 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 1.928 4. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 6.745 5. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 7.128 6. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) 7.661 7. Scott Redding (Ducati Pramac) 9.782 8. Jack Miller (AUS/Honda Marc VDS) 14.486 9. Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 14.788 10. Jonas Folger (GER/Yamaha Tech3) 15.069 Italy’s Franco Morbidelli celebrates with this Moto2 trophy yesterday at Losail. 11. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Ducati) 20.516 12. Loris Baz (FRA/Ducati Avintia) 21.255 By Joe Koraith 13. Hector Barbera (ESP/Ducati Avintia) Doha 28.828 14. Karel Abraham (CZE/Ducati) 29.123 15. Tito Rabat (ESP/Honda Marc VDS) ranco Morbidelli rode a clinical 29.470 race to clinch his fi rst-ever ca- reer victory in the Moto2 cate- I had to bet on me getting a podium gory at the Losail International in this race, I wouldn’t! We tried 3-4 FCircuit yesterday. settings this morning. I didn’t know The Italian had secured the pole po- what happened but I was feeling good sition after the qualifying session were on the bike. I hope we understand cancelled. And yesterday, despite Tho- enough in this race to continue in this mas Luthi taking over the lead in the way,” said an elated Rossi after the second lap, Morbidelli was able to re- Moto3 winner Joan Mir of Spain. race. take the lead in the next lap and didn’t But this was a race that almost relinquish it till the chequered fl ag. the season. “I can’t thank everyone didn’t happen. Just before the sched- Luthi fi nished second and in third enough. I’ve been given this great op- uled start of the race, there was a burst place was Takaaki Nakagami. The Jap- portunity. All race the bike was so fast. of rain. The organisers decided to de- anese rider started the race in fourth I felt really strong in the group. Posi- Movistar Yamaha’s Spanish lay the race by 30 minutes and reduced place and survived a nervous last-lap tion wise this weekend hasn’t been rider Maverick Vinales the number of laps from 22 to 21. The battle with KTM rider Miguel Oliveira great but I’ve stuck to the plan. I’m de- celebrates after winning the riders were then set out on sighting to take the fi nal spot on the podium. lighted,” said the British rider. 2017 Qatar MotoGP at the Losail lap but during that lap many of them Morbidelli was a happy man after fi - International Circuit last night. came back unhappy with the track nally registering a win. “It’s just great! condition. This followed a lengthy It’s a very good feeling after all this Results decision between the team managers time. Coming from where I have, it’s and the organisers with MotoGP safe- just amazing to get this victory,” said Moto2 (Top 10) ty chief Loris Capirossi involved in the the Italian yesterday. 1. Franco Morbidelli ITA EG 0,0 Marc mix of it. Eventually, it was decided For Luthi, the pace that Morbidelli VDS (Kalex) 40m 18.480s By Joe Koraith with his new team in MotoGP was soft. At some points I tried to stay that there would be a 20-lap race. showed towards the end proved to be 2. Thomas Luthi SWI CarXpert Inter- Doha Casey Stone in 2011 (with Repsol with Maverick until the end. I tried to The race started and immediately too much. “I tried to fi ght with Fran- wetten (Kalex) 40m 21.161s Honda). overtake him on the last lap but he was there was drama. Within a few turns it co. At the start he was not pushing so 3. Takaaki Nakagami JPN IDEMITSU The Ducati of Dovizioso had the too far. But I want to thank everyone. was Tech3 Yamaha rider Johann Zarco much. I thought I had a good fl ow but Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 40m 21.784s his must be how it feels like to power down the straight and he was I’m happy. We’re there,” said the Ital- who was in the lead. The class rook- I knew he could go faster. I could still 4. Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM be in a movie and not watch- using that to his great advantage. And ian yesterday. ie had qualifi ed in fourth place and control the gap to Nakagami toward Ajo (KTM) 40m 22.064s ing it. The drama through the did have more than a half a dozen lead Dovi’s compatriot Rossi was not stunned the fi eld by taking the lead. the end. Now we’re on the podium and 5. Alex Marquez SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS weekend and then the drama exchanges with Vinales during the last someone who people, including the And then he proceeded to increase his looking for more,” said Luthi. (Kalex) 40m 29.706s Tduring the race, all of it gave the pa- part of the race but couldn’t maintain rider himself, would have predicted advantage. Chasing him was Honda With the top two spots going to 6. Luca Marini ITA Forward Racing tient crowd at the Losail International the pace in the fi nal two laps. “It was a podium place before the race. The rider Marc Marquez and Suzuki’s An- Spaniards, Japanese Nakagami pre- Team (Kalex) 40m 32.227s Circuit a Qatar Grand Prix that they very diffi cult but we were quite smart MotoGP legend had started the race drea Iannone. vented an all-Spanish podium with his 7. Fabio Quartararo FRA Pons HP40 will remember for a long, long time to to choose the soft tyre. We knew the in 10th place but crashes ahead of him But after having built up a lead third-place fi nish. “My bike was a little (Kalex) 40m 32.468s come. race couldn’t be so fast. At the front I and a determined ride by the Doctor of almost a second, the Frenchman unstable compared to Luthi and Mor- 8. Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA Forward Maverick Vinales rode a brilliant didn’t push because the tyre was too have him a valuable third place. “If crashed in the seventh lap. Doviziso bidelli but this is only the fi rst race. I’m Racing Team (Kalex) 40m 35.945s race to take his fi rst-ever win for had moved into second place by then really happy with that,” said Nakagami 9. Xavi Vierge SPA Tech 3 Racing Yamaha. Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso and he now had the lead. The Ducati after the race. (Tech 3) 40m 35.957s who had the lead for quite some part rider then put some distance between Qatar’s only representative, Saed al- 10. Axel Pons SPA RW Racing GP (Ka- of the race, and was involved in a nail- him and the rest of the chasing pack. Sulaiti, crashed out in the seventh lap. lex) 40m 36.247s biting battle with Vinales came in Iannone and Marquez were involved In the Moto 3 race it was Leopard second place. And grabbing a surprise in a feisty battle for second but then Racing’s Joan Mir who took the top Moto3 (Top 10) third was Valentino Rossi. Yamaha got the Italian crashed out in the 11th lap, spot on the podium. The Spaniard had 1. Joan Mir SPA Leopard Racing (Hon- an unexpected two spots on the podi- looking to pressurise the Spaniard. started sixth on the grid but produced da) 38m 27.364s um and they will be happy with their Vinales and Rossi were moving up the a gritty ride to see off his competition 2. John Mcphee GBR British Talent haul from the fi rst MotoGP race of the order and soon they were chasing Dovi and take only the second GP win of his Team (Honda) 38m 27.499s season. for the lead. Rossi couldn’t maintain career. 3. Jorge Martin SPA Del Conca Gresini Vinales took nearly 13 laps to get the pace and had to be contend with a British Talent Team rider John Moto3 (Honda) 38m 27.582s into the lead after he dropped to third. Though he would be extremely McPhee was another rider in the spot- 4. Aron Canet SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 fifth place at the start of the race. happy with this result. light after taking the second step on (Honda) 38m 27.616s But then converted the potential he Defending world champion Mar- the podium having started way down 5. Romano Fenati ITA Marinelli Riva- had shown during the pre-season quez, having started in third place in 13th place. In third place was pole cold Snipers (Honda) 38m 27.817s testing and practice sessions here in eventually fi nished fourth with his position man Jorge Martin. 6. Andrea Migno ITA SKY Racing Qatar to grab a great victory.