Monster Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales was handed victory in today’s second Misano MotoGP round as Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia crashed out of a four-second lead with seven laps left to run.
Bagnaia had put the soft rear Michelin to good use, passing the medium-shod Vinales at turn four with 22 left to run after Vinales had tried to escape. He then gapped the Spaniard with comparative ease before slipping off at turn six.
Vinales, who yesterday found a setting with the Yamaha that allows him grip with a full fuel tank, was then able to hold a four-second gap even though his rear tyre dropped with ten laps left to take the big trophy.
But there was no 200th podium for hometown hero Valentino Rossi who crashed at turn four on lap two. The Doctor re-mounted but eventually retired to the pits.
Ecstar Suzuki’s Joan Mir ploughed through the field to take another podium finish, passing Pol Espargaro for second on the penultimate lap. Fabio Quartararo followed the Spaniard through but was handed a long-lap penalty on the last lap.
The Petronas Yamaha rider didn’t take it and was given a three-second penalty at the chequered flag which dropped him to fourth and Espargaro up to third. Quartararo stormed through his garage, speaking to no-one but spitting his dummy so far it landed at Mugello.
Austria winner Miguel Oliveira found some pace on the satellite KTM to claim fifth place, one second behind Quartararo while Taka Nakgami had a fairly lonely race to be the first Honda home. But Alex Marquez has found some pace in this second race at Misano, finishing in seventh place and only 12s behind the leader.
Despite finishing in eighth and top Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso remains at the top of the MotoGP points standings.
A still-ill Franco Morbidelli was pushed off track by a crashing Aleix Espargaro on lap one but he fought back to ninth place at the chequered flag, passing Danilo Petrucci who completed the top ten.
Johann Zarco, Alex Rins and Bradley Smith completed the finishers while Iker Lecuona crashed out of a top-six finish with two laps left.
Brad Binder crashed twice before calling it a day.
