MotoGP returned to Indonesia after 25 years to a warm reception by the local motorcycle enthusiasts. The atmosphere was, quite literally, electrifying as the rain hit right before the start of the MotoGP race which had to be delayed. And while we waited for the rain to stop or mellow down, the lightning was seen striking the race track. Electrifying indeed and scary, but not scary enough for the fans to leave.
Thankfully though, the rain eventually stopped but with a totally damp track, it was going to be a wet race. This is an extremely tricky condition regardless of experience; however, the risk is higher on a brand new circuit which puts everyone on the same level.
Marc Marquez Misses the Action
Marc Marquez suffered one of the biggest high-side crashes in the morning warmup and while he appeared to walk away from it, he required medical assessment to be deemed fit to race. However, he was declared unfit for the race due to a head concussion. A sad end to a difficult weekend for the Repsol Honda rider.
Recently, there have been rising concerns about allowing riders to race (or continue track sessions) especially after they’ve suffered a head concussion. A concussion can affect a person’s ability to function normally for days and not only for mere hours. Before the first race of this season, last year’s Moto2 runner-up, Raul Fernandez, who’s promoted to MotoGP with the Tech3 KTM team experienced a similar head injury and was allowed to carry on practice the following day, and that led him to crash again as he hadn’t recovered from the concussion.
MotoGP has been rightly forced to re-access its rules regarding riders’ safety, especially in the case of head concussion. Denying Marc Marquez to race this weekend is the right decision and welcomed by everyone. This will also give Marc time to relax and won’t unnecessarily delay his recovery from the latest crash.
Rain Delays the Indonesian GP But It Was Worth the Wait
Rain clouds were lingering over and around the racetrack during the Moto2 race and they burst into heavy rainfall when the time came for the premiere class riders to come out on the track. The race was resultantly delayed and from there it was quite a long wait for the rain to stop or mellow down enough.
The delay hardly shook the spirits of anyone - the riders, the teams, and the fans. Everyone waited patiently and they were rewarded with an absolutely action-packed race when it finally happened.
20-lap Race with Intense Dogfights
A wet race always throws surprises because it forces teams to recalibrate bike settings and race strategies often at the last minute. Here, experience tends to play a bigger role for the riders than anything else. For the inexperienced ones, trust in one’s skills is paramount.
Mandalika is a new track for everyone and so every rider starts from zero on this track, be it dry or wet. And the race provided the fans with a great spectacle from start to finish. There were battles of small and big groups lap after lap as each rider fought for the best position possible.
That said, compared to the Qatar GP, results were quite the opposite for a number of riders. Factory Ducati of Jack Miller led the race in early laps and Bagnaia was in the top 10. Fabio Quartararo disregarded his first race performance from the very first lap by showing an immense pace, as he had throughout the weekend.
KTM, too, repeated its amazing Qatar performance but this time it was Miguel Oliveira, instead of Brad Binder, who led the Austrian team’s attack with a ferocious battle with Jack Miller early on. Once Oliveira took the lead, he maintained it till the end.
Fabio, on the other hand, had to fight harder because, after a good start from the pole position, he was relegated to the fifth spot in the first few laps. But soon he found speed and delivered some of the fastest laps to gain positions and fought off the likes of Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and Johan Zarco while holding off the charge from Joan Mir.
Fabio finished the race at a seemingly comfortable second spot and Johan Zarco rounded off the podium in third. Moreover, the battle for the eighth position was as fierce as it could have been, with five-six riders battling each other right till the end, including Aleix Espargaro, Pol Espargaro, Brad Binder, and his younger brother Darryn Binder who is the MotoGP rookie this season.
Qatar winner Enea Bastianini finished 11th and maintained his championship lead at 30 points with two races in. However, Brad Binder and Fabio Quartararo follow very closely at 28 points and 27 points, respectively.
Image credits: www.motogp.com
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