We're ready for race one in a triple header for MotoGP in Austin, Texas, at the Circuit of the Americas. Moto 3 is first up. Usually, these races are blogged only from the results. But today, yours truly is going to blog and post each race, as they happen. So, let's go racing in Moto 3, first. Moto 2 and MotoGP will follow.
Rain threatens for all the races. Jack Miller has pole in Moto 3. These are the young guns of the sport with single cylinder, 250cc 4 stroke motors. Remember, last year, Maverick Vinales won the championship. Aussie Jack Miller beat Alex Marquez in the first race, with Efren Vazquez in third. The weather is changing quickly. Jack Miller is on pole, after winning last time out. He says it'll be an interesting race. In qualifying, Eric Granado had a crash. Alex Rins won this race last year and qualified third. Efren Vazquez is second. Jack Miller, is on pole.
The bikes form up on the grid. It's been really windy all weekend. Here we go. At the start, Jack Miller has a good start, but Alex Rins did not. 18 laps scheduled. Two riders have crashed. That happenbs in a really right first corner. They sweep uphill towards turns eight and nine, going downhill into turns ten and eleven. It's Honda vs. KTM. Andrea Locatelli and Arthur Sissis are the two riders who went down. Sissis didn't race at Qatar, as he was ill with tonsilits.
Rins and Marquez battle. Vazquez and Marquez are pulling out a lead. It's going to be tense for third between Jakub Kornfeil and Alex Marquez. Rins tries to go up the inside. Can Vazquez make a move? Miller started in Motocross. These Moto 3 bikes are all about corner speed, not straight line speed. The gap has gone down a little bit. Miller continues to lead up the 133 foot hill to turn one. Alex Marquez breaks away from Alex Rins.
Maverick Vinales passes Jakub Kornfeil. Brad Binder is up to 13th. Stay in tight behind the windscreen. These bikes are all about corrner speed with a single cylinder motor. Marquez runs a 2:16.8 lap time. We are just a little ways into the race with 16 to go. Down goes, ouch! That's Malaysian rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin. He nearly got run over by another motorcycle! But, he'll be OK. The battle is starting to heat up.
Miller still leads as Maverick Vinales slides off the road in turn 19. Miller is still in the clutches of Alex Marquez. He's flying. He's passed for second as Brad Binder is out of this one. Game over. Romano Fenati is doing well, too, riding for Valentino Rossi's team. Marquez and Vazquez are being slowed down by their battle, running 2:16 and 2:17 laps. Miller runs a 2:17 flat, and Marquez is fastest at a 2:15.3. Eleven laps left. Miller, Vazquez, Marquez. Rins is fourth. These guys are flat through turn two, into the esses. Make a move in turn six, and go down the gearbox.
Niccolo Antontelli crashes. He's caught out at turn 19. It's calamity corner. Marquez is now up to second. Everyone says the Honda's have improved, and they have. Alex Marquez is coming. Efren Vazquez is going for it. Ales Marquez won the Moto 3 race in Japan last year. Nine laps to go. Can Alex Rins repeat his win from last year? The wind gusts are really tossing these tiny bikes around.
Use the draft. Down the striahgt into turn 12, Miller is neatly thgrough the corner, and his competition follows him through. Just sit there and keep going. Honda has 250 wins in MotoGP. Amazing! Australia and the U.S. both need star riders. Jack Miller could be the next motorcycle star from Down Under, like his countrymen Casey Stoner, Wayne Gardner, and Mick Doohan... all legends. Miller is going for it and we're getting closer to the end of this one.
Four laps to go in Moto 3. Jack Miller continues to lead, after starting from pole. Romano Fenati is now right in this fight! We've got a doozy of a battle here, blokes. All these guys are on soft tires. The tire wear is good. Fenati goes right around into second place. Wow. It's slick, going over the paint. Fenati was two or three seconds down, in the second pack. He's right behind Jack Miller now. Fenati is the only man in the2:16 bracket right now.
Three laps left. Miller has dominated this race. Can he go two for two? The KTM's have dropped the other two FTR Honda's. Miller now has Fenati all over him like a rash. Watch Fenati. He passed two riders in the paint last time by. Here comes, Efren Vazquez! He almost has the lead, but no! They're touching, almnost. Fenati wants it. Miller stays in P1. Through the triple apex turn 15. Another triple apex corner, downhill into the last corner. Stay in line, hold the bike straight up. Two to go.
Vazquez runs a 2:16.6. He's running Harry Flatters. Translation... flat out. Marquez might not have time toi catch up. He's fourth, but running on pace. Miller is focused and has the hammer down. He can't see other riders coming. No mirrors. Vazquez runs wide and goes to the lead! Whoa! Miuller ius up the inside with Fenati following him through. Vazquez back to second. Fenati leads it.
One more lap after this one. Don't look back, mate. Keep pushing. Watch turn 19. No worries. Alex Rins is fifth, three and a half seconds behind. He won't win this year. Last lap. Who is going to get it? Vazquez wants second. Fenatti won't have it. No dice. Miller is loving this. He can pull out a gap. He's going to go two for two. Fenati wants to make it happen. Into turn eleven, how do you make your move? Fenati was being muscled. Efren Vazquez passes Miller for the lead. Three wide! Miller holds on! Marquez was in the lead for a second.
Miller makes a mistake, but covers the inside. Who's going to do it? Miller leads with two laps left. Oh no! Marquez ditches the bike! Jack Miller wins it! Jack be nimble! Jack be quick! Jack Miller... that was sick! Miller wins!
#8 Jack Miller AUS KTM
Moto 3, done and dusted. The next race, is in Argentina, in two weeks. Catch your breath, folks. We've got two races to go today. Moto 2, coming at you, next!
No comments:
Post a Comment