We’ve seen some of this before. In the MotoGP tilt, Marc Marquez took the hole shot, held off an early challenge from Ducati hothead Jack Miller, and won the French Grand Prix going away, never seriously challenged. This, after little brother Alex, whose last win came in Japan in 2017, survived the demolition derby that was Moto2 and brought joy to Catalans everywhere. After the race, dad Julià, jubilant, sought out a quiet corner of the garage and gave birth to a litter of kittens.
At various points during the weekend, it appeared the winner might come from any number of camps. The Petronas Yamaha and factory Ducati teams were heard from early. Marquez was buzzing around the top of the timesheets in each session. Maverick Viñales had some encouraging moments, and there was a Jorge Lorenzo sighting in the top five during FP2. Valentino Rossi would finagle his way onto the second row after a forgettable couple of days. The Suzukis were struggling, and KTM had but one rider, Pol Espargaro, who seemed capable of wrestling the RC16 to a top ten finish.
Practice and Qualifying
With the weekend forecast looking dismal, there came the growing possibility that Friday could determine which riders passed into Q2. This moved the majority to put on their big boy leathers and let it all hang out late in FP1, with startling rookie homeboy Fabio Quartararo topping the sheets, followed by Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci, Viñales and Marquez. My boy Alex Rins didn’t get the memo about the weather, easing into 17th. Fan fave Johann Zarco and the legendary Valentino Rossi snuck into the top ten.
It stayed dry for FP2. Lorenzo somehow improved his time by a full 1.3 seconds. Aleix Espargaro flogged his Aprilia into the Top Ten Combined, as did Honda climber Takaa Nakagami. All of which came at the expense of Suzuki rookie Joan Mir, and the aforementioned Mssrs. Zarco and Rossi. When Saturday dawned wet, it confirmed that the three would be joining a gaggle of big names amongst the great unwashed in Q1, names like Cal Crutchlow, Franco Morbidelli, and Rins.
Until this moment, I have underestimated the pressure some of these riders feel as they approach Q1. Should they fail to advance to Q2, their weekend will be effectively shot. Rossi and Zarco, especially, must have been tied in knots. Fifteen minutes that could have a real effect on their immediate career prospects; never mind the championship. And those minutes would likely unfold on a wet track.
As expected, FP3 was run on rain tires. Viñales, Marquez and Miller put in the best times, followed in close order by Rins, Zarco and Petrucci. The session was significant only due to the conditions, as the radar made it appear likely we would get to see the WET RACE sign on Sunday. FP4 ran on a drying track that was too wet for slicks and too dry for wets. Such would be the conditions in Q1, in which Franco Morbidelli turned in the best lap on rain tires and Valentino Rossi, jumping out of the gate on slicks, beat the field by 1½ seconds, putting both in Q2 as the rain picked up steam and the track went from dryish to humid to damp to moist to wettish.
On rain tires, Marquez laid down his marker on Lap 2 of Q2 and it stood up, by 4/10ths, for the entire session. The two notorious Ducati mudders, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller, completed the front row. The Italian crew on Row 2 included Andrea Dovizioso, Rossi and the overachieving Morbidelli. Alas, homeboy Fabio Quartararo could not maintain the magic in the wet, qualifying 10th, while the erratic Top Gun, Maverick Viñales, once again made a hash of qualifying and would start Sunday in the middle of Row 4. At day’s end, riders Zarco (14th), Crutchlow (15th) and Rins (19th, currently second in the championship) were radioactive, glowing in the dark. Not Suitable for Interviewing.
During the Race
To everyone’s surprise, the 2019 Le Mans battle was a dry race, the riders, always with a complaint at the ready, complaining that they had not had enough practice time in the dry. Once Marquez had stiff-armed Miller and cleared off, the battle for second place commenced, involving three Ducatis and Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha. The Ducatis prevailed over the Yamaha. The factory Ducatis prevailed over Miller’s satellite job. And Ducati #1 Dovizioso prevailed over his #2, Danilo Petrucci. Announcers Steve and Matt seem to have overlooked the fact that the 2019 Honda RC213V has as much grunt as the Ducati Desmosedici, remarking lap after lap how the chasing Ducs were unable to rocket past Marquez on the main straight as in years past.
Petrucci spent the last few laps seriously dogging teammate Dovizioso, and looked fully capable of mounting a challenge, your basic late dive underneath the foe, on the last lap. Had he trailed any other rider, and with nothing to lose, he would have made the attempt. But unlike his predecessor Jorge Lorenzo, he took account of the fact that Dovi is in the thick of the championship chase and internalized the fact that the consequences of sending him flying into the scenery would have been dire indeed. So he backed off, saved his honor, gained a podium, and avoided a major bruhaha with his compatriot and teammate. Good on ya, Petrux.
Elsewhere on the grid, two riders were busy making lemonade out of lemons. Pol Espargaro took his KTM from 12th to 6th, while Rins, after a disastrous Q1 on Saturday, made it into the top ten. Crutchlow, who also made hash on Saturday, moved from 15th at the start to a less-nauseating 9th, maintaining his average of 7 points per round.
As for the locals, Johann Zarco, he of the dreamy eyes and stiff upper lip, started 14th and finished 13th, not precisely what he and his team were looking for. Heartthrob Quartararo, whom some analysts had tagged for the win today, started in trouble from 10th place, worked his way backwards into the low teens early on before recovering during the second half of the race and finishing a respectable 8th. Saving grace for the French fans is that neither got chain-whipped by any German riders. Plenty of Spaniards and Italians, sure, but not a loathsome Boche. Vive la France!
It’s Tranching Time Again…
After Jerez:
Tranche 1: Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins
Tranche 2: Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Viñales
Tranche 3: Pecco Bagnaia, Takaa Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli, Pol and Aleix Espargaro
Tranche 4: Joan Mir, Andrea Iannone, Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira
Tranche 5: Karel Abraham, Hafizh Syahrin, Tito Rabat
After Le Mans:
Tranche 1: Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins
Tranche 2: Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli, Pol Espargaro
Tranche 3: Takaa Nakagami, Aleix Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Viñales
Tranche 4: Joan Mir, Andrea Iannone, Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira, Pecco Bagnaia
Tranche 5: Karel Abraham, Hafizh Syahrin, Tito Rabat
On to Mugello
Two short weeks until we arrive at one of the shrines of racing, the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, nestled in the Tuscan hills above the Adriatic Riviera. Mugello is such a cool track that everyone, from Marquez to Abraham, feels they have an advantage racing there. All the Italian riders, all the Ducati pilots, and a number of others will be playing the ‘home race’ card. The fact is that Mugello, with its massive front straight constructed so as to magnify the noise of the bikes and amplify slipstreaming, is an adrenaline firehose. Those chasing Marc Marquez in 2019, notably Dovizioso and Rossi, need to make hay while the summer sun shines on their home crib.
| 2019 MotoGP Le Mans Results | |||
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Repsol Honda | 41:53.647 |
| 2 | Andrea Dovizioso | Mission Winnow Ducati | +1.984 |
| 3 | Danilo Petrucci | Mission Winnow Ducati | +2.142 |
| 4 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati | +2.940 |
| 5 | Valentino Rossi | Monster Energy Yamaha | +3.053 |
| 6 | Pol Espargaro | Red Bull KTM Factory | +5.935 |
| 7 | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha SRT | +7.187 |
| 8 | Fabio Quartararo | Petronas Yamaha SRT | +8.439 |
| 9 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda Castrol | +9.853 |
| 10 | Álex Rins | Suzuki Ecstar | +13.709 |
| 11 | Jorge Lorenzo | Repsol Honda | +15.003 |
| 12 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia Gresini | +29.512 |
| 13 | Johann Zarco | Red Bull KTM Factory | +33.061 |
| 14 | Hafizh Syahrin | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +35.481 |
| 15 | Miguel Oliveira | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +36.044 |
| 16 | Joan Mir | Suzuki Ecstar | +1 Lap |
| Not Classified | |||
| DNF | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda Idemitsu | 9 Laps |
| DNF | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia Gresini | 19 Laps |
| DNF | Maverick Viñales | Monster Energy Yamaha | 21 Laps |
| DNF | Francesco Bagnaia | Pramac Ducati | 21 Laps |
| DNF | Tito Rabat | Reale Avintia Ducati | 25 Laps |
| DNF | Karel Abraham | Reale Avintia Ducati | DSQ |
| 2019 MotoGP Top 10 Standings After 5 Rounds | |||
| Pos. | Rider | Motorcycle | Points |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Repsol Honda | 95 |
| 2 | Andrea Dovizioso | Mission Winnow Ducati | 87 |
| 3 | Álex Rins | Suzuki Ecstar | 75 |
| 4 | Valentino Rossi | Monster Energy Yamaha | 72 |
| 5 | Danilo Petrucci | Mission Winnow Ducati | 57 |
| 6 | Jack Miller | Pramac Racing Ducati | 42 |
| 7 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda Castrol | 34 |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 29 |
| 9 | Pol Espargaro | Red Bull KTM Factory | 27 |
| 10 | Maverick Viñales | Monster Energy Yamaha | 25 |
The post MotoGP Le Mans Results 2019 appeared first on Motorcycle.com.
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