We are set to go, for the first of two back-to-back MotoGP races in San Marino, actually in the town of Misano Adriatico on Italy's Adriatic Sea coast. Today, and next Sunday, will see races run there. It's time to bring the action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Your polesitter for today's race, is Maverick Vinales on the factory Monster Energy Yamaha. Green flag at the back, which means we are ready to roll here at Misano. Red lights, on. Red lights, out! Away we go! Wow. Maverick Vinales bogs down at the start and it's Franco Morbidelli taking the lead immediately as the bikes head for the first turn. Fabio Quartararo gets eaten up, and Jack Miller is pushing his way through the field right from the start of this motorcycle race. The Ducati rider could be a danger man for victory here. But, we shall see.
But, right now it is Franco Morbidelli leading this motorcycle race on the #21 Petronas Yamaha YZR M1 ahead of the identical, factory bike, in the hands of the legend, "The Doctor", Valentino Rossi. Fabio Quartararo got a dreadful start from the front row and has been sent backwards. An Italian 1-2 at Misano, on the Adriatic coast. Maverick Vinales is running a defensive line at the moment. Give a call as well, to the two factory Suzuki's. The two GSX-RR bikes for Suzuki Ecstar of Joan Mir and Alex Rins, their two Spanish riders, are right in the thick of it, early on.
Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo will have to push like no tomorrow to get by Jack Miller on the second Pramac Racing Ducati, bike #63. Rossi is side by side with Franco Morbidelli, and we're only on lap one of 27 scheduled! There's a ding dong scrap for the lead of this motorcycle race that we'll be watching the whole time. Rossi makes his move into Tramonto corner at turn ten. He's through, on the tight inside line at Tramonto corner. Morbidelli says, "not now, Valentino", and slams the door in the legend's face! Maverick Vinales, meanwhile, is being monstered (no pun intended), by Jack Miller on the Ducati, look. Alex Rins, too, is catching Fabio Quartararo at the moment.
Seven laps on the board, and Francesco Bagnaia has the fastest lap of the motorcycle race. "Pecco" is the first rider in the 1:32 bracket. He is Jack Miller's team mate on the #63 Pramac Ducati, running just ahead of the factory Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso, and right behind Joan Mir's Suzuki. He's half a second ahead of Mir as well. So, Bagnaia on the Ducati is bish bash boshing it at the moment. Oh no! He's gone down! Our world championship leader, Fabio Quartararo has lost his motorcycle in a low side crash!
Can you believe it! Quartararo has bailed out at Rio, turn four on the circuit! He had just, on the previous lap, made a move on Maverick Vinales through turn 14, Carro, and was making inroads, but now, he's down, but maybe not out. Let's hope he's going to get the bike re-fired and get back into the race. Fabio fluffs it! Unreal! The marshals are getting his bike restarted so he can get back into the scrap, but he'll have to dig, hard, to get back in the game here. Points as of now, if the race were to end (but there's still 20 laps left on the board), would see Quatararo losing his championship lead to Andrea Dovizioso on the factory Ducati, who is running ninth right now. Dovizioso would have 75 points, leading by three over Jack Miller with 72, and Quatararo would be five points out, on 70, with Valentino Rossi, a further ten back, on 65.
That's an uncharacteristic mistake by Fabio Quartararo, but let's not count him out yet. He's still going. He is back in the saddle, playing catch up. Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi, both of them, could capitalize on this whole drama. Lap 12, and Maverick Vinales, who was an early contender, he is dropping like a stone. He languishes down in seventh spot behind Joan Mir and ahead of Dovizioso. He is struggling to keep up the pace in the mid 1:33 bracket. Alex Rins and Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia are a second faster, both fo them, than is Vinales.
So, now, we have reached halfway, on lap 14 of 27 of the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix, the first encounter the MotoGP bikes will have at this circuit. Franco Morbidelli continues to lead, and his margin over Valentino Rossi has ballooned to over a second. Rossi just doesn't have enough in the locker to keep up with Morbidelli, and meanwhile, he is also being hounded by Alex Rins on the second Suzuki. Francesco Bagnaia is also back there, running in fourth spot, on the Ducati. So, he is an additional headache for Rossi to deal with.
Bagnaia is matching Rins on lap time, and Joan Mir has run the fastest lap of this motorcycle race at 1:33 dead. That's quicker than Franco Morbidelli in the lead. Jack Miller, in fifth place, is being caught by Mir. Here's a lap time comparison. Mir, 1:33.029. Miller, 1:34.467. Aussie Jack Miller on the Ducati will have to pour on the steam to catch the Suzuki mounted Spaniard. Jack Miller is now beginning to languish. Rins and Bagnaia have practically said adios and arriva derci, and sped away from the Ducati rider. As good as these riders are, they are the best motorcycle racers on the planet, no one can keep any consistency in this 2020 season. It's been topsy turvy so far, and might continue in that fashion.
After five races, no one has more than two podium finishes in 2020. That could continue once we have this first of the San Marino races, done and dusted. Linn Jarvis at Yamaha is looking on from pit lane, watching the action intently, watching his riders, Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales. KTM have been running very well this season so far, but here at Misano, they are on the back foot. They've not got one of their bikes in the top ten. We don't see either the factory bikes, or the Tech3 bikes at the sharp end. Brad Binder, Pol Espargaro, Iker Lecuona, and Miguel Oliveira, are you guys there? Yoohoo! Oh KTM, where art thou?
Franco Morbidelli is whistling off into the distance in the lead, and knocking down some great lap times. He sets his personal best lap time at 1:32.748. This has broken Valentino Rossi. "The Doctor" might not be able to keep up. He might just have to settle for second on this day. Rossi will just have to focus on keeping both Alex Rins and Francesco Bagnaia behind him. Joan Mir, meanwhile, is racing Jack Miller for position, and Mir is out of the seat! He wiggles just slightly but keeps the motorcycle planted, thankfully.
Every single point that can be earned in MotoGP, counts. Just eleven laps remain here at Misano Adriatico. Time is of the essence. Franco Morbidelli has bolted. He is the one to beat in this MotoGP race. Rossi and Rins are struggling to stay ahad of Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia is faster. Working lap 17. Ten laps to go. Rossi has been doing his level best to keep up with Franco Morbidelli. But, Morbidelli has been in another zip code this whole race. Rossi and Rins are still in the 1:33s, but behind them, one more tire, we can see "Pecco" Bagnaia has uncorked yet another high 1:32 second lap. Maverick Vinales, after 18 laps has finally gotten with the program and is in the low 1:33 range, but it's too little too late for the Spaniard to do anything with that.
Rossi will have to defend like no tomorrow. He has medium compound Michelin tires on both ends of the bike, while Rins and Bagnaia are actually running soft rear tires. Game over for Fabio Quartararo. He is in the pit lane, and will not finish well in this race at Misano, today. He'll have to try for a better result next week. Details coming, after the checkered flag. Rossi has made a mess of his most recent lap, losing a huge chunk of time in sector three on the road. Rossi is the minnow, while Rins and Bagnaia are the sharks.
Rossi may be one of the kings of Grand Prix bike racing, that's true. But trying to keep a couple young lions like Rins and Bagnaia behind you, is a job like no other, and he'll have to pour on the steam to do so. Eight laps left, and Rins can make up time on Rossi, but "Pecco" Bagnaia seems to have other ideas, and flashes past the Suzuki! Will he do two in one? That was brave to the extreme by Bagnaia, look. Rossi is a few feet ahead, but Bagnaia can smell blood now. That was a bold and brash move made by Francesco Bagnaia on Alex Rins through Curvone. Unbelievable! Uh oh. Someone's gone down. Someone's crashed out of this motorcycle race. We just need to find out who.
Fabio Quartararo has crashed out. This will be a race for him to forget entirely. That's his second crash of the day. Apologies to all fans of Franco Morbidelli as we first assumed that the leader had wrecked. But, no. He's still leading this motorcycle race with just seven laps left on the board. Our hearts were fluttering there for a wee while! Blimey! Meanwhile, the sign of a legend and champion, Rossi is not cracking under pressure from his younger rivals. He's still hanging on over Rins and Mir, the two hot shoes for the Suzuki team.
Oh, will you look at that. While yours truly has been yammering on about this motorcycle race, the laps have ticked by and there's just two left now. Rins wants by Rossi, and Rossi, he too, is wanting to get past Bagnaia. This is a bottleneck of the highest order as these chaps battle for whatever positions they can get after Morbidelli has checked out. Now, things are not all wine and roses for Morbidelli yet. He's lost a second or so over the last lap run. So he still has to push. He still has to be bish bash boshing it as we close in on the checkers. Vinales has set his personal best lap. I wish timing and scoring would show that lap time to us, folks. But I suppose not.
Joan Mir has passed Alex Rins, resetting the table, look, for the Suzuki Ecstar boys. Hmmm. That could be that particular battle, done and dusted, mate. Ooh! Rossi very nearly ditched the motorcycle on entry to turn one! How did he get that close to the pavement without losing the bike completely?! That was weird! Rins could have also made a mistake. Now, poor old Morbidelli is dropping pace hand over fist here, look. He's going to have to fight for this one. Again, it's not all wine and roses yet. The fat lady has not sung. It's the last lap of the motorcycle race, but it's not done.
Mir is going to have a bite of the cherry, trying to go after Rossi. This'll be wild. Eat the cherry, mate. Just don't swallow the pit. Rossi wants his 200th career MotoGP podium. But he will have to earn it. Mir doesn't have enough to get past Rossi through Quercia, turn eight, and Alex Rins, he's gotten smoked. I don't think he has the power to move in on this scrum for second spot. What a mega race we've seen here at Misano. It's not done. The fat lady is just warming up. You have to believe Rossi will have something at turn fourteen. But, ahhh! Here's come Mir! Mir is going for it, and they're almost touching!
What a move by Mir! He's only in his sophomore season in MotoGP and he wants to be a winner! Bravo Joan Mir! But Rossi, he's steamed. He wants to throw the kitchen sink at Joan Mir and give him back a taste of his own medicine! Rossi is going to make the move, on the outside through Carro! He's wide! It's all gone pear shaped for Rossi! "The Doctor" is going to need a dose of medicine after this one! Mir ran the super tight line and beat the champ into the corner. Franco Morbidelli, meanwhile, is going to win his first ever MotoGP race!
Mir takes third, but it's samba time for Franco Morbidelli! He wins! Francesco Bagnaia, broken leg and all, takes second for Ducati! 2020 MotoGP, we love you! What a finish here in Misano! Rossi is gutted! Jeepers creepers! Poor old Rossi. It's a shame he can't be on that podium.
#21 Franco Morbidelli ITA. Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha YZR-M1
More action, suspense, drama, coming your way. Get ready for round two here at Misano Adriatico, round eight of the championship, next Sunday! If this weekend's race was any indication, next weekend will also be a barn burner! Arriva derci, from Italy, for now, ladies and gentlemen. We'll see you next weekend for more MotoGP madness.
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